By this time next week, you could be telling your friends about the glamorous new North Shore ’hoods called the “Bridge District” and “Capilano Village.”
That’s what District of North Vancouver council will be voting on Monday night. What they mean, of course, is Lynnmour and Lower Capilano — or at least the developments springing up there.
Rebranding is a delicate process, and handing down a name for a neighbourhood from above has a habit of backfiring. Ask the Vancouver residents of SoGra, SoMa and the East Village about that.
Sometimes governments or businesses will turn the honour of naming something over to the public, which has an amusing habit of backfiring even more spectacularly. People tend to pick a name that reflects their biggest frustrations. See the wildly popular suggestions for B.C. Ferries’ new ships HMS Cantafford and Spirit of Government Ineptitude.
Bridge District brings to mind a quaint and old part of a European city where canals and cafes line the streets. Our bridge district is famous for traffic and not much else. How about the Slower Eastside?
When a neighbourhood adopts a nickname, it tends to spring up organically like LoLo. Some people may hate it with the heat of a thousand suns, but it appears it’s here to stay. And unlike Bridge District, LoLo is something that residents gradually started using on their own until it became part of the North Shore vernacular.
To district council: Be careful where you stick that branding iron. Your livestock may kick back.
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