FlagWalk is about peace and friendship

Another call from Annette. Am I sitting down? (she is laughing at this point) Who is left to be offended now? An Indonesian Trade Official has called wondering why they are NOT on the sidewalk and how can they be included. We laughed and asked how quickly they could qualify a bobsled team!

I don’t know where we are going to end up with all this. We figure we should go work for the UN! I must confess that there are moments when we start to feel a little beat up and disillusioned. Between thefts and requests for removal we won’t have any countries left on the FlagWalk by the time the Opening Ceremonies start! We hope to add a new round of decals in early January to celebrate the most recent qualifying countries and will do our best to navigate the sense and sensibility minefield we find ourselves in.

FlagWalk is about peace and friendship – nothing more... nothing less. Hopefully those aspirations will prevail.

I will keep you posted as to how we are doing.

What happened to friendship?

This past week, we had a letter from the Indian Consul who received a complaint from an Indian citizen suggesting that a depiction of a flag on a sidewalk was in contravention of Indian flag protocol. The Consul had not personally seen the installation and did not return my numerous phone calls but simply wanted the decals removed immediately. How do we balance that concern against the Indo Canadian resident or athlete that is bursting with pride that her country is along side the rest of the world in a celebration of inclusiveness and friendship?

Sense and Sensibilities

During the months of FlagWalk preparations we had numerous concerns thrown our way... many were purely operational like Coefficient of Friction (say that 3 times really fast) or approvals required from VANOC and the City. Then there were United Nation types of concerns.

Getting it Right

We knew flags and patriotism were sensitive issues so how do you give countries the respect they deserve? The first step was to make sure whatever we did was not in the shape of a conventional flag.

An Opportunity, a Challenge and a glass of wine…

My name is Sharon Townsend and I am the Executive Director of the South Granville Business Improvement Association and the co-creator of FlagWalk. Over the next few days I thought it might be of interest how FlagWalk came about and what we are learning as FlagWalk comes to life.

Vancouver... a local's perspective

Late on Friday night after many a glass of wine at Section 3, a group of us stumbled our way through Yaletown on our way to Fritz Fries - our favourite late night snack house for those times when you're really craving a smoked meat poutine. As we were walking down Hamilton Street, I noticed a series of round...

Read More:
http://bcrobyn.blogspot.com/2009/11/international-flags-all-over-sidewalks.html

December 8 - the flag of the day

First day of flag decals in Yaletown

No rain today? Great! The decals are being installed in Yaletown, too! Kids as well as grown ups are getting excited while walking through the streets and trying to figure out which flag belongs to which country.

The Brushworks-team got Mainland and Davie Street done, Hamilton is almost complete and decorated with decals on the sidewalks.

We love the new street look and are excited about starting the contest!

Flag Walk links South Granville and Yaletown

Two of Vancouver’s most hip and exciting neighbourhoods have joined forces in celebration of [READ MORE]

Flag walk program connects south Granville, Yaletown

Flag walk program connects south Granville, Yaletown