I think the biggest regret when we look back at this era of city building will be all the knock-on effects of forcing condos onto main streets.
Health and air quality for sure, but mostly forcing new homebuyers to compete for the same real estate as established businesses sucks for both of them
So condos displace locally loved businesses because it's the only place we allow them to be built. The condos are expensive for the same reason. So locals all hate condos and elect anti condo politicians
The politicians know that housing has to go somewhere but they were elected by a populace that hates condos so new condos continue to be blocked anywhere except arterials and brownfield
And the new businesses in the new ground floor retail are those that can put a deposit down years before the building opens, which means chains
So through all this we've accomplished:
1) fewer indie businesses
2) expensive real estate
3) general disdain for sustainable housing forms
Great work all around!
1) fewer indie businesses
2) expensive real estate
3) general disdain for sustainable housing forms
Great work all around!
The obvious, easy solution is to leave main streets to commercial tenants and allow new housing on quiet streets. Everyone knows this and no one will do it
I honest to god believe that even though most nimbyism is cynical, some could be won over by small lot development. There's a winning coalition there somewhere if someone can pull it together.
The old grand bargain: leave neighborhoods alone but you can put towers on main streets
The new grand bargain: no block busting development anywhere but small apartments everywhere
The new grand bargain: no block busting development anywhere but small apartments everywhere
Anyone who's been to Paris or Amsterdam or Berlin already knows all this. And I think most Vancouverites will get it if it's put in terms they'll understand
This thread spurred by the fact that the 1-bed apartment across the hall from me, unrenovated since the 80s, is on the market for 500k because we live on one of the few quiet streets where condos are allowed on the west side
If it were coupled with waiving parking mininums, I could back something like a 5 year moratorium on new parking permits for residents of new buildings. Don't love punishing new residents but could be worth it
When criticizing half measures, better to criticize the half that's missing rather than the half that was gotten right
The problem isn't mixed use development. Mixed use is fine. The problem is cities relying *only* on mixed use development on main streets for new housing
Toronto:
LA:
My real hot take that I'll hide at the bottom of the thread is that Vision Vancouver's main mistake was not going far enough with laneway houses and skinny streets and as they lost political capital they fell back on towers to meet housing targets
