Pubs have held an important esteem in the minds of people throughout history (Maye, Ilbery, & Kneafsy, 2005). They have the ability to bring people together through music, dance, and most importantly, casual, social drinking (Conroy, 1995). Without such places as pubs, we might not otherwise know many of the poeple we currently associate with. Despite clubs, bars, and pubs having a bad reputation as breeding grounds for alcoholism, and other poor social behaviours (Homel & Clarke, 1995), pubs are places for people to go to after work, during lunch, or an for an evening to unwind, and relax in the laid-back atmosphere. They have come been used to symbolize places of personal freedom (Kneale,1999). They are places where musicians can showcase their talent, with many bands getting their starts in pubs. Additionally, they are places where social events, such as radio promos, take place. One can easily see why many people consider pubs a social and cultural epicenter. Many university students, and people who are in this age category, often go out and enjoy a few drinks or a meal at a pub (Demers et al., 2002). This is also becuase drinking is seen as a social behavour, and has become the norm at universities (Baer, 2002). As a consequence, a new pub could represent new oppourtunities for a loacal community, and act as a conduit for social networking.
Having said that, as a student, citizen, and pub goer myself, there is a paucity of pubs in Burnaby. Note in Figure 1, that there are 12 pubs in Burnaby. Many of them, however, are not open weekends, or have specific hours. For example, the Highland Pub is not open on weekends, and the Burnaby Lake Clubhouse is not open all nights, and does not offer the services offered at other pubs. Furthermore, the pubs are in clusters, with the majority of pubs located along the Kingsway corridor, or in the North Burnaby area including one at the intersection of Willingdon and Lougheed, the Hop and Vine pub located in the eastern portion of North Burnaby, and the Highland Pub at Simon Fraser University. The only pub, however, located in Central Burnaby is the Burnaby Lake Clubhouse.As a result, I have taken it upon myself to suggest a new location for a pub in Burnaby, specifically in the areas between Lougheed Highway and Kingsway in order for residents in this area to be able to develop a more linked community; I have done this using a Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) in a GIS (IDIRISI ANDES 15.0).
Figure 1. Pubs in Burnaby