Lecture 8 - The Ups and Down of a Sustainable and Climate Resilient Development Path in Canadian Cities Flashcards
Why are Canadian cities in a “Catch-122” position when it comes to planning to meet sustainability and climate resilience goals?
Long lived backlash amongst planners and urban professionals against sprawling suburban landscapes
Cities that have successfully reversed suburbanization by creating “livable downtowns and compact, complete communities are witnessing serious declines in housing affordability, compromising sustainable cities in other ways
What term is the nemesis of a sustainable city?
Sprawl
What are classic Canadian suburbs blamed for producing over time?
Blamed for enabling environments that create enclaves of middle-upper class socio-economic status
Limiting opportunities for resident health and wellbeing by prioritizing time for long distance automobile commuting over other activities, like physical exercise and social time together family or neighbours
What is the biggest hidden cost of “Sprawl”
Transportation
Why is Transportation associated with hidden costs?
“Drive away from the city until you can afford a mortgage”
“30% of income” housing rule; not spending more than 30% of your income on your housing setup
example: It’s more expensive to live in Langley if you work in Vancouver, then just living in Vancouver. transportation costs are that high.
What is Translink’s ultimate goal with their Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Study?
Expand availability of housing affordable to households earning less than $50000 annually in transit-oriented location, region wide
Why? - Lower income to live in transit-efficient places both reducing their transportation expenses of housing for these household and cutting down on the larger package of “sprawl-related costs”
What are the hidden-costs of sprawl?
Transportation
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Sustainable development become more expensive
What’s the definition of a “Development Path”?
A complex array of technological, economic social institutional, cultural, and biophysical characteristics that determine the interactions between human and natural systems, including consumption and production patterns in all countries, over time at a particular scale
What has the City of Vancouver tried to focus on since the 1970s?
Encouraging housing intensification; focus on “living first”
Active Transportation
Ecological Landscaping, ALR, De-paving
Increasing neighbourly interactions
What is the dark side of “liveability-focused” development?
The world expo of 86, and the Olympics have given the city international attention, investment, and enduring corruption.
Artificial housing market, low vacancy rate, polarizing class dynamics, lack of neighbourliness, social isolation
What is Vancouver focused on for housing in the coming decades outside of downtown?
Secondary suites/ duplexes / Multi-family units to densify the city properly.
What is the “Making Room Initiative”?
Permits duplexes in laneway houses and basement suites on all single-family zoned parcels city-wide
Neighbourhoods closer to commercial areas and rapid transit hubs, allow triplexes, quadplexes, and low-rise apartments
How many new homes are planned to be built in Vancouver in the next 10 years?
72,000
What percentage of new houses will serve households earning less than $80,000?
50%
How many new laneway home are set to be built?
4000
