Vancouver, due to its unique circumstance and some good decisions, chose a path different from most North American cities. In a single phrase, its vision was "Cities in a Sea of Green" - a compact region, with complete communities as regional centres, joined by rapid transit, surrounded by a natural landscape and an agricultural land reserve. In time, it evolved an appropriate architecture and urban design - so-called 'Vancouverism' - that had a real impact on the quality and lifestyle of its citizens. Those results are now measurable in the health and activity of its residents. It is visible in the look and feel of its streets, bikeways and greenways. But at the same time, in parts of the region and on its periphery, other levels of government also pursued the infrastructure of the automobile and the post-war fabric of sprawl. Today, the conflicts are coming to a head. The Vancouver region has come to an existential moment in its history.