The Think City story
ThinkCity Education Society, 25 Years in the Making
Think City’s return is the latest chapter in a civic idea built around a simple belief: people are better able to participate in public life when information is accessible, discussion is possible and community knowledge is shared.
A civic idea with a long memory
A Vision That Refused to Disappear
Think City’s story begins with a belief that public knowledge should not belong only to people who already understand how government, institutions and civic systems work.
The organization emerged during a period of strong civic and political activity in Vancouver, when public forums, community conversations and political education were an important part of local public life.
Its role was practical: make civic knowledge more accessible, encourage people to understand the issues affecting their city, and create opportunities for residents to participate more meaningfully in the decisions shaping urban life.
That idea connected civic education with community empowerment. Understanding a public issue was not treated as an end in itself. The larger purpose was to help people see where they fit within public life and how collective participation could matter.
From an earlier chapter to today
A Civic Idea Across Different Moments in Vancouver
Think City’s history crosses periods of civic momentum, organizational change and eventual renewal.
Early chapter
Civic Education Takes Shape
Think City emerged in a Vancouver environment where public forums, civic learning and political participation were receiving significant community attention.
2002
A Major Shift at Vancouver City Hall
The 2002 municipal election produced a major change in Vancouver civic politics, with COPE winning nine of the eleven council positions overall.
City of Vancouver election record ↗Later chapter
Momentum Fades
Political divisions changed that civic environment. Think City gradually faded from public view and the organization was eventually deregistered.
The years between
The Idea Remains
The organization disappeared from public view, but the underlying belief in civic education and informed public participation did not disappear with it.
2026
Think City Returns
Think City re-emerged with a renewed focus on civic education, accessible public learning, community dialogue and opportunities to participate.
The enduring idea
The Tools Change. The Civic Need Is Familiar.
Across its earlier and current chapters, several ideas continue to connect Think City’s work.
Make Information Easier to Reach
Public participation becomes harder when civic information feels inaccessible, technical or disconnected from everyday life.
Create Space for Conversation
Forums, workshops, conferences and speaker-led discussions give people opportunities to hear perspectives and ask questions.
Help Participation Feel Possible
Civic knowledge is more useful when people can connect what they learn with meaningful opportunities to participate.
A pause, not the end
The Organization Faded. The Need for Civic Learning Did Not.
Over time, Think City disappeared from public view. But the premise behind the organization remained relevant: public life works differently when people have opportunities to understand the issues before them.
Tim Louis, a longtime advocate for civic engagement and one of the people connected with Think City’s earlier history, continued to hold onto the idea that this kind of public education still had a place in Vancouver.
The organization’s eventual return did not require recreating the past. It created an opportunity to carry forward the useful part of the original idea in a form suited to a different civic environment.
A new chapter
The Mission Returns in a Different Civic Landscape.
Today’s Think City is organized around civic education and public learning rather than affiliation with a political party. Its programmes create opportunities to understand public issues, hear informed perspectives and participate in constructive discussion.
Conferences
Larger public gatherings bring speakers, organizations and community members together around significant civic issues.
Explore Conferences →Educational Workshops
Focused learning experiences make complex public questions easier to understand and discuss.
Explore Workshops →Speaker Series
Speaker-led conversations introduce informed perspectives and create starting points for deeper public learning.
Explore the Speaker Series →Civic Insights
Articles and public resources extend learning beyond individual events and programmes.
Read Civic Insights →The idea that remains
Civic Participation Still Begins With Understanding.
Think City’s history spans different political moments, organizational forms and generations of public conversation. The continuing thread is the belief that clearer information and shared learning can help more people find their place in civic life.
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