leləm̓, a master-planned village designed by Musqueam, carries forth the nation’s values of sustainability and stewardship in building community.
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There is a pond surrounded by tall grass in the middle of leləm̓ village, a community developed by the Musqueam First Nation on the land they’ve called home for thousands of years. As construction workers chip away on the next phase of the complex a few hundred metres away, one duckling stands alone on a wooden deck overlooking the pond.
It’s the last of five to follow its mother into the water. As it walks back and forth while the others wade a little more than one metre below, its mother flaps its wings in the direction of the duckling. It hops to the edge of the dock, pokes its head out and leaps.
The family of ducks may not have a unit in leləm̓ village, but the people who spent years designing the community based on traditional Musqueam values intended on making sure it would feel like home for both wildlife and people.
“We looked at preservation and enhancement of open spaces at leləm̓,” said Babu Kadiyala, vice-president of real estate at Musqueam Capital Corp., the economic development arm of the Musqueam Indian Band.
“Usually with developments, we look at what is the highest density we can build. But here we looked at how we can use open spaces… how do we minimize areas dedicated to roads and vehicle traffic but also maximize green spaces and open spaces.”
leləm̓, which means “home” in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, is a four-step project that will house roughly 3,500 people on about 21 acres of land, Kadiyala said.
The village, next to Pacific Spirit Regional Park and slightly east of the University of British Columbia, features a community centre, retail space and multiple different forms of housing: townhouses, condos and rental units.
There were 173 rental units constructed during the first phase of the project — 62 of which are below market. The next phase is expected to include another 430 rental units, Kadiyala said.
“Musqueam is always thinking long term and being a part of the community,” Kadiyala said. “The province identified there’s a shortage of housing. So we’re working with the province and other stakeholders to address housing needs.”
Although leləm̓ is only half complete, it’s already receiving high praise. Last month at the Land Awards, a Real Estate Foundation of BC event held biannually to honour projects that create more inclusive and resilient communities, the development earned the Real Estate Award for its community master plan that focuses on highlighting Musqueam art and culture.
“It reiterates and reinforces that what we are doing is the right thing and emphasizes that we are on the right path,” Kadiyala said.
“We wanted to establish that what Musqueam can deliver is world-class.”
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A history of tradition
The Musqueam peoples have lived in what is now known as the Lower Mainland for more than 9,000 years.
In 1976, the nation’s elected leaders signed the Musqueam Declaration, stating the nation’s rights and title and the expanse of their territory.
“The boundary of intent is where they lived, gathered, hunted, did cultural activities in all of that area,” Kadiyala said.
But many of the nation’s 1,300 members now live on only a fraction of that land — the Musqueam Indian Reserve, which sits between Marine Drive and the mouth of the Fraser River.
leləm̓ is just one example of many projects across the province and country where Indigenous people are designing and leading their own housing projects.
The opportunity for Musqueam to design its own community — on its own traditional territory — came in 2008. That year, as part of a settlement and reconciliation agreement, the provincial government transferred 21 acres of land to the Musqueam Indian Band.
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Following years of public consultation, the province ultimately approved the nation’s rezoning application in 2016. Musqueam broke ground on leləm̓ one year later.
Throughout the planning process, Kadiyala said, the nation used a few main principles — preservation, sustainability and culture — to guide their work. Specifically, in the first phase of development, Musqueam built its own district energy system to streamline its use of heating and cooling and created many impervious surfaces on buildings to capture rainwater.
Musqueam also viewed leləm̓ as a way to spotlight its history.
As design plans were ongoing to make a small, walkable community, the nation commissioned aspiring and established artists to make cedar carvings, lanterns and other forms of public art that would catch the attention of residents throughout the village.
The installations work in tandem with the village’s network of roads — which all have hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ names — to educate settlers about Musqueam history and provide a sense of comfort for members of the nation, Kadiyala said.
“When you look at something which is Musqueam it brings back generations and generations of information which has transcended through knowledge keepers and different families,” he said.
“It’s that history which is getting reflected here.”
Construction on new townhouses and towers in the eastern half of leləm̓ is ongoing and expected to be complete within the next six to eight years.
Kadiyala envisions the village becoming a place where all kinds of people can live, regardless of their cultural or financial background — and experience a small dose of Musqueam history on nearly every street corner.
“Elders, young and whole generations can live together in the community,” Kadiyala said. “We call it generational living.”
Josh Kozelj TodayThe Tyee
Josh Kozelj is a freelance journalist and was the inaugural Hummingbird fellow with The Tyee
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