Michael Seelig | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 August 1938 Tel Aviv |
| Nationality | Canadian, Israeli |
| Known for | Urban Planning |
Michael Seelig is an Israeli Canadian Architect and City Planner known for his contributions to urban public policy in Vancouver and for co-founding Bridges Restaurant, a Vancouver landmark.[1]
Biography
editMichael Seelig was born in Tel Aviv, Israel (then British Mandatory Palestine) in 1938, and grew up in Haifa. He received his Diploma in Architecture from Hammersmith College of Art and Building in London (1964) and his Master’s Degree (1969) and PhD (1971) in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. Seelig worked as an architect for Al Mansfeld Architects in Haifa (1966); Yorke Rosenberg Mardall in London (1967); and Louis Kahn in Philadelphia (1968-9).[2][3] He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia School of Community and Regional Planning where he taught from 1971 to 2000.[2]
Urban Planning
editIn 1972 Seelig, together with partners Frederick Gutheim and Arthur Erickson, established the planning firm Gutheim/Seelig/Erickson in Vancouver. The firm conducted a “Design Competition for the Urban Environment of Developing Countries Focused on Manila,” which dealt with improving housing conditions for urban squatters. Seelig curated an exhibition of the results of the competition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in conjunction with Habitat, the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in 1976, and published the results in The Architecture of Self-Help Communities.[4][5][6][7][8]
Seelig co-authored a week-long series of articles on the future of Greater Vancouver for the Vancouver Sun entitled “Future Growth - Future Shock,” which focused on accommodation of rapid growth, challenges of globalization, land use and transportation, and municipal and regional governance.[9][10]
The predictions made in this series continue to be discussed and critiqued.[11][12]
As a city planner, Seelig has contributed frequently to national and local Canadian newspapers, radio and TV shows, and hosted a series of eight, one-hour TV programs, “Urban Change and Conflict,” produced by the BBC and broadcast on Vancouver’s Knowledge Network (1986-1990).[13][14][15]
Bridges Restaurant
editIn 1980, Seelig co-founded Bridges Restaurant on Granville Island as part of Vancouver’s conversion of a 14-hectare industrial peninsula into a culinary and arts destination.[16] The restaurant contributed to the preservation of this industrial history by repurposing the 1940 Arrow Transfer warehouse building and dock and by maintaining the building’s original, yellow façade, now considered an iconic part of the city.[17] With the restaurant’s expansive dock, Seelig introduced Vancouver to the concept of outdoor patio dining[18][19][20] and the restaurant itself, prominently visible from both the Burrard Bridge and Granville Street Bridge, became a Vancouver landmark.[21][22]
References
edit- ^ "Michael Seelig profile," The Vancouver Sun, 18 July 2014 (retrieved 16 July 2018).
- ^ a b "Michael Seelig | SCARP | UBC School of Community and Regional Planning," University of British Columbia School of Community and Regional Planning. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ Dana Margalith, Louis I. Kahn - Architectural History as Mediation. Doctoral thesis, School of Architecture, McGill University, Montreal, May, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
- ^ The Christian Science Monitor, August 6, 1976, p.21.
- ^ The Sunday Times, London, June 6, 1986, p.63.
- ^ The Guardian, London, September 19, 1975.
- ^ Architectural Record, May 1976 (entire issue).
- ^ The Architecture of Self-Help Communities: The First International Competition for the Urban Environment of Developing Countries. New York: McGraw Hill (1978).
- ^ “Future Growth – Future Shock," The Vancouver Sun, November 10 – 17, 1990.
- ^ From Desolation to Hope: The Pacific Fraser Region in 2010 (with Alan F.J. Artibise). Vancouver: UBC School of Community and Regional Planning (1991).
- ^ "Michael Seelig and Alan Artibise offered an intriguing glimpse into the Pacific Fraser region's future," Charlie Smith, The Georgia Straight, 2 Aug 2012 (retrieved 12 July 2018).
- ^ "Hollow city: How the middle class is being priced out of real estate," Sarah Ripplinger, Vancouver Courier, 23 Aug 2017 (retrieved 12 July 2018).
- ^ “Citizens Participation in Planning,” The Gary Bannerman Show, CKNW Radio, February 15, 1995.
- ^ “Urban Transportation,” The Early Edition, CBC Radio, November 15, 1994.
- ^ “No Casino,” The Early Edition, CBC Radio, July 27, 1994.
- ^ Bridges Restaurant: Our Story. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ Arrow Marine Services: History. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ “Dining Out,” New York Times, May 30, 1982.
- ^ “Gourmet Holiday,” Gourmet Magazine, June 1982.
- ^ ‘Sun Writers Pick their Hits,” The Vancouver Sun, July 23, 1982.
- ^ “You can’t miss the bright yellow building that houses Bridges Restaurant when you stroll through Granville Island, and the patio of the iconic bistro has become a landmark in Vancouver, in operation since 1980.” Inside Vancouver, May 30, 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ Inside Vancouver, Bianca Bujan, May 30, 2017.