The myth of techno-governance. It’s one thing to name it and quite another to describe it. I studied governance during my master’s at McMaster. Specifically, top-down urban planning and the myth of Richard Florida’s creative class theory in relation to post-industrial cities around the world. It is only fitting therefore that I bring this exactContinue reading “The Myth of Techno-Governance”
Author Archives: Claire Atkin
Geography & Tech
Welcome to my web log! I write about geography and tech. Here are the most viewed articles on this website: Resources for women in tech in Vancouver How to infuse startup culture into the client-agency relationship [Published in The Guardian] Sights unseen: Vancouver’s suburbs [Published in Sad Mag] Revitalizing Hamilton’s Heart [Published in McMaster Thesis Commons] For more,Continue reading “Geography & Tech”
Resources for Women in Vancouver Tech
Hundreds of professional women have turned their frustrations into helpful societies, directories, forums, and communities to improve Vancouver’s gender equality quotient.
Not so passive about carbon emissions
In a city where we pride ourselves on both quality of life and living green, sustainable building design seems to have it all. Vancouver is witnessing the rise of an increasingly popular approach to sustainable building design called the “Passive House Standard.” The standard can be applied to all building types, not just houses, andContinue reading “Not so passive about carbon emissions”
Tarah talking tech
Last year I made a pact with myself that I would not turn down a public speaking role unless it was for a really, really good reason. Too often I think that a panel or show would be made better by including more women and minorities – a fact I can only help remedy byContinue reading “Tarah talking tech”
Telling Vancouver’s design story
When designers Kharis O’Connell and Ryan Betts attended GROW, the largest tech conference in Western Canada this year, they felt they were the only designers in the room. “Vancouver design is so insular,” Kharis noted. “Where are they all?” This feeling of industry isolation is not unique in Vancouver. It is well documented by now that social isolation permeatesContinue reading “Telling Vancouver’s design story”
Why weareyvr?
Startup culture is a basic response to rapidly increasing social and economic disparity in the global economy. In a win-lose system, you are going to try your hardest to win. Startups do this by getting venture funding, working in small ‘agile’ groups, ‘growth hacking’, and constantly trying to improve upon the way they run their business.Continue reading “Why weareyvr?”
How to infuse startup culture into the client-agency relationship
Originally published in The Guardian newspaper on May 28, 2015. Focusing on the user and iteration could make for more positive and fruitful relations between agencies and clients. Startups scurry to solve new problems in hopes of creating new markets or disrupting existing ones. They strategise for aggressive financial and geographic growth. That’s what makesContinue reading “How to infuse startup culture into the client-agency relationship”
Sights Unseen
Originally published in SADMag in August 2014. By Claire Atkin and Murray McKenzie. Graphics by Adam Cristobal. When Andy Yan, urban planner and researcher at Bing Thom Architects, wants to illustrate the need for regional thinking in Vancouver, he first shows his audience an image they all recognize. It is a postcard-perfect aerial photo of the downtown peninsula fromContinue reading “Sights Unseen”
Revitalizing Hamilton’s Heart
Since the 1960’s, post industrial downtowns across North America and Europe have suffered economic and population losses. Downtown revitalization theory is now a major subject in urban geography. Although each city is unique and requires customized revitalization techniques, certain approaches have worked better than others. Hamilton, Ontario, is a city of roughly 520,000 located justContinue reading “Revitalizing Hamilton’s Heart”
Claire Atkin 