Ah, Vancouver. The pearl in the oyster; the jewel in the crown; the brightest star in Canada’s urban firmament.

Well, not out near where Highway 7 approaches the TransCanada, engages in a lengthy flirtation and then finally consummates their relationship in a cloverleaf of concrete passion.

That strip of Coquitlam is Derek Miller’s nominee as Greater Vancouver’s ugliest stretch: a narrow isthmus of big-box retail and warehouses sitting on landfill and alluvium.

He’s challenging his readers to come up with anywhere uglier; I’m not sure I can. (For the purposes of the challenge, I’m assuming we’re talking about places where the general public is encouraged to visit. Otherwise, I’d offer Mitchell Island, under the Knight Street Bridge, or your choice of any other industrial area along the Fraser River.)

Here’s what I’m wondering. Ugly as it is, that area meets a need for Vancouverites. The least it deserves is its own name. So what should we call that little stretch of heaven?

Suggestions?

Update: Had Derek Miller’s and Darren Barefoot’s blogs open at the same time, and credited Darren for Derek’s post. This is now corrected. We now return you to our blog, already in progress.