Kees Lokman

This thesis examines the role of landscape architecture as a colonial practice, as well as its potential to set in motion notions of decolonization by unmaking colonial structures and practices. In order to explore these potentials, this research will look at the deep history and potential future directions for Kitsilano Beach, a highly layered and contested site in Vancouver, BC. A long history of colonialism in the area has resulted in the conversion of the natural shoreline of Coast Salish people to today’s vulnerable waterfront development and erasure of their relationship to the land. Extreme weather events, floods, and sea level rise threatening the area are rooted in imperialist technologies and associated engineering infrastructures.Landscape, serving as a tool of colonial sovereignty and representation, can also serve to express the identities, revitalize languages, arts, and cultural practices of Indigenous communities and marginalized groups. To unravel the colonial narratives and physical elements that are engraved in Kitsilano through acts of design (including landscape architecture, engineering, etc.), a comprehensive contextual analysis of Kitsilano Beach becomes imperative. This research conducts a historical tracing of the area by examining historical maps, photographs, and discourses to analyze and comprehend the spatial characteristics and transformations that have occurred in this colonized landscape over time. Subsequently, using values and principles identified in recent initiatives and projects centered around decolonizing design in the context of climate adaptation, this thesis explores strategiesto “unmake” the colonial interventions that have occurred in the area. It does so by proposing alternative shoreline futures that prioritize principles of accessibility and inclusivity, Indigenous stewardship, ecological health, and climate change adaptation.

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