International Village,
Vancouver
In recent years Chinatown has seen growth in new construction as a downtown building boom continued into the Expo Lands, which adjoin Chinatown. New high-rise towers are being constructed around the old Expo 86 site including International Village, which was built twelve years after Expo (1998) and is located next to Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain station. Anchored by Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas, and flanked by Rexall Drugstore and Yokoyaya 123, the International Village Shopping Centre is a 300,000 ft² entertainment and shopping venue. It is one of the earliest master-planned communities of Greater Vancouver, and is the central hub connecting Gastown, Chinatown and Yaletown, and adjacent to the Rogers Arena, Plaza of Nations and BC Place Stadium.
International Village mall was designed to be downtown’s answer to the Asian malls found in the Golden Village, though it is not as racially exclusive and includes businesses and residents who are non-Chinese.
Besides the shopping mall, International Village also refers to the name given to the area by developer Henderson Development (Canada) Ltd.(a subsidiary of Henderson Land Development).
The International Village was commonly called Tinseltown, based on one of the brands of theater chain Cinemark Theatres that owned the building before Cineplex did.