What Vancouver can do—a summary of principles
City Conversation #74: What do these foundational principles look like?
August 22nd —the eighth and final conversation for now about homelessness, housing insecurity, affordability and planning.
A gathering storm or the end of a nightmare?
“I’ve been keeping a few notes as you’ve been talking,” my son started, looking at some notes he’d been surreptitiously making while we talked about, I guess, how to fix city hall? “These foundational principles really help me get my head around the complexity of Vancouver’s issues. Here’s what I’ve got:”
Relocate the homeless throughout the city, so that there are no more than 5% in any building, and services are available to them.
Include in every spot rezoning 5% of homes targeted for the homeless, integrated within each building and supported by mental health professionals and safety and security for all.
Collect Community Amenity Contributions (CACs) for both rezonings and existing zoning development through a simple, universal formula and apply them in or immediately adjacent to the neighbourhood where redevelopment is proposed.
Drastically reduce by about 90% the number of zoning districts in the city.
Prioritize projects that conform to existing city zoning. Put them at the head of the project lines. Put projects with residential elements at the head of the head of the line.
Require that where an existing multiple residential property is proposed for spot rezoning redevelopment, the new development must have one affordable home for each market rental or strata home—one for one.
Only allow redevelopment of an existing residential property after its existing tenants are offered comparable (price, size and location) accommodation during redevelopment, then offered a similar sized home at their pre-existing rent in the new building.
Locate in each of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods its own storefront service office, with permanent assigned staff to assist with neighbours’ upgrading, addition, renovation and replacement projects and associated permits.
Expect each neighbourhood team to resolve as many local issues as possible internally and face to face with residents.
Include in each of the neighbourhood offices an assigned supportive team, trained to deal with urgent needs related to mental health, as well as staff trained and tasked with assisting with tenant needs.
Grant an immediate permit. for any proposed building presented with application documents signed/sealed by registered professionals.
Locate all community services that folks typically need in their neighbourhood’s city services office.
“Is that a useful summary,” he asked, looking up hesitantly. “And can we actually achieve this?”
“Well, the past decade has demonstrated that civic government is failing. It’s failing its most challenged citizens by warehousing them instead of treating them in settings where they have a hope of rehabilitation. It’s failing both renters and potential home buyers by taking way too long to actually deliver rental housing that is even remotely affordable. It’s failing existing home owners by making it almost impossible, slow and very expensive to improve and densify their homes. It’s failing smaller builders and developers by pushing them to the back of the approvals lines and overly complicating what are often simple projects. It’s failing professionals engaged in design and construction by devaluing their contributions with lesser qualified and experienced folks checking work that the professionals are responsible for. And it’s failing support professionals such as addiction counsellors, healthcare professionals and paramedics by blunting their effectiveness in the community.”
“Is there anyone that government is not failing?” he asked with both hope and fear in his voice. I answered after just a moment’s reflection.
“The cynic in me says the only folks being served are those politicians and city administration who hide out in Fortress City Hall, telling us they lead a values-based organization whose values don’t include service to their citizens, and we should somehow be grateful for that. Also benefiting is the small cadre of large developers who are funding the existing administration because their interests are served by more of the same.” I rose and gave him back one of his own patented hugs.
“But we can still make our complicated city work for all its citizens, maybe with some of my suggestions or those of many other folks concerned about the future of Vancouver while being respectful of the lessons of its past. There is leadership on offer at our next civic election, focused on residents rather than rebels, on servants rather than sycophants, on neighbourhoods rather than nameless nabobs. We just have to choose that direction.”
The Time for Action is Here and Now
I hope you have been moved to action by the preceding seven What Vancouver can do about… conversations, my take on actionable affordability, homelessness, housing insecurity, neighbourhood planning and related policies that our next civic government should focus on—what we can actually achieve versus what we might aspire to (and waste taxpayer money on). They may or may not be the detailed policies of any civic party, but are most closely aligned to TEAM for a Livable Vancouver.
Vancouver’s civic election is October 15th of this year. Lots more damage can still be done to our city before that date—and it will continue, and worsen, unless TEAM elects the next Mayor and a majority (6 of 10) City Councillors—less than 6 and not much will change for the better. A majority TEAM Park Board (4 of 7) will ensure our open spaces are integrated with the city rather than ignoring or fighting it. If you are concerned that the City Conversations you’ve been reading are examples of what’s wrong with our city, feel some affinity to my What Vancouver can do about… conversations and want to bring back Vancouver’s livability, join TEAM and work with us to restore Vancouver as a place we can all afford and choose to call home.
And please let me know what other subjects you are passionate about so we can have that conversation before election day, October 15th.
Today’s questions: Do you think these foundational principles can work? Are they worth trying? What aspects do you like/dislike? Where do you think I have missed or hit the mark?
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I am a Vancouver-based architect, building envelope and building code consultant and LEED Accredited Professional (the first green building system). I am semi-retired for the moment, still teaching and writing, so not beholden to any client or city hall. City Conversations mix real discussion with research and observations based on my 40+ year career including the planning, design and construction of almost every type and scale of project. I am the author of the award winning Amazon best seller “An Architect’s Guide to Construction.” I am also a member of TEAM for a livable Vancouver, a new political party dedicated to restoring a livable Vancouver starting with the 2022 civic election. Although I am not a candidate for TEAM or any other civic party, City Conversations are generally congruent with TEAM policy, so if you like the ideas that I’m writing about, please consider joining TEAM.
How did “reconciliation” become a guiding civic value in Vancouver? It features as a central value in the opening statement of the Vancouver Plan. Did citizens ever knowingly approve the idea that Vancouver should be a “city of reconciliation”? Did we have any idea where it might lead — eg complete capitulation to Squamish demands at Senakw.
Great fundamental principles. Perhaps until the election include a list of where and when voters can hear the TEAM members speaking such as St James Community Centre on August 23 and Kerrisdale in September and others