Industrial parks in Richmond, BC
Every time I pass by Richmond’s industrial parks (or any industrial park, for that matter), I get a very strong feeling of nostalgia. My first degree is in chemical engineering, and I have always worked with industries, either studying them (as I did with my doctoral dissertation and as I have done ever since I received my PhD) or consulting for them (as I did after my MBA and continue to do to this day, on occasion).
The geographical concentration of industrial plants in one specific location is something that captivates my mind. My doctoral thesis is filled with references to location theory, and whenever I drive (or bike or transit) through industrial areas I always feel compelled to knock on each plant’s door to see if they’d allow me to chat with them. I am, after all, very much an industrial ethnographer.
I am also curious to know how do cafes like the one shown above sustain themselves, when there is no foot traffic and where potential customers are only pretty much the workers in the industrial facilities in the vicinity of where the cafe is located.
Also, I wonder if it is easy to access these industrial parks by transit. Lots of question to ask, too little time.
I happen to work in a business park in Richmond, and I must say, I LOATHE the location. It’s not well-serviced by transit, so most people (myself included) drive. It’s in a culinary wasteland (in walking distance there’s only the ubiquitous “cafe” and a McDonald’s).
Most of all, it feels completely depressing – worker bees filing in and out, to toil at their stations or cubes, day in and day out. Nobody out walking around (despite the well-manicured lawns) – I’d guess because there’s nowhere to “go.” You can’t walk to a coffee place iwth a colleague (the cafe is dismal on the coffee front) or run an errand on your lunch break – you’d just be wandering around for the sake of wandering, which seems a waste of time for people who want to finish their days and get home to their families.
I much preferred working downtown. There’s an energy there with people of many more varied stripes to interact with. There’s also just far more going on. I could head to Starbucks with a colleague, or out for lunch to meet with other peers who worked nearby. There’s also the much-easier option to head out for after-work dinner or drinks (which is difficult and inconvenient when one has to drive or transit back from the “cheap piece of land in the middle of nowhere to house cubicles and parking lots”).
And it’s not just the one I work in now. I’ve had the same experience with one in Burnaby, and have heard similar stories from others in industrial park environments.
I used to work in these type of locations. Most are not accessible by transit. How-ever it depends on where they area. The new skytrain can’t hurt to help this.
Its sad but most of these industrial parks are geared towards cars.
As for cafe’s surviving, my guess is because they dont have a lot of competition they get enough business form the local industrial parks. Usually there’s a large work force and surrounding parks to keep them going.
Hey Raul,
Don’t worry about cafes like that one, they do fine. I used to work in an industrial park outside Toronto. These cafes are open only during business hours and have essentially zero competition. Workers desperate for a change of scenery (believe me, warehouses are not fun places to be for hours on end) and few options will head there for breaks/lunch and so they can sustain themselves easily on a breakfast/lunch/coffee break crowd from surrounding facilities.
Thanks everyone for your comments. The next question that I would have relates to what you are mentioning (e.g. lack of amenities, and livelihood) – how to fix that?