{"id":31262,"date":"2017-12-18T10:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T18:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/?p=31262"},"modified":"2017-12-14T09:39:46","modified_gmt":"2017-12-14T17:39:46","slug":"a-vancouver-parable-false-prophets-green-illusions-and-vanishing-neighbourhoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/vancouver\/2017\/12\/18\/a-vancouver-parable-false-prophets-green-illusions-and-vanishing-neighbourhoods\/","title":{"rendered":"A Vancouver Parable: False Prophets, Green Illusions and Vanishing Neighbourhoods"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A stroll along Vancouver\u2019s Broadway west of Macdonald offers the pedestrian many small, engaging storefronts. The low awnings provide human-scaled protection from the rain while allowing the \u201cspillage\u201d of goods onto the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

The sights, sounds and smells contribute to a lovely walking experience. Each small storefront is unique, even peculiar, contributing in its own way to a larger visual complexity that cannot be codified by generic design guidelines. Some might refer to this prevailing character as \u201cbeauty.\u201d The mom-and-pop owners are more than just service providers, they are friends and neighbours whose commitment to local community is expressed through their generosity and volunteerism.<\/p>\n

And all of this is under threat from redevelopment.<\/p>\n

The political motivation to encourage more market rental housing is laudable, and city staff should be appreciated for their hard work in trying to make these projects fit with their surroundings.<\/p>\n

But the market\u2019s understandable pursuit of profitability compels land assembly. Assembling land and building one large project makes more economic sense than building a number of smaller ones. Requirements like elevators, stairs, garbage, recycling and underground parking are a heavy financial burden for smaller projects.<\/p>\n