Affordable Housing Rally - Page 2

NetMapel · #21 Posted **May 22, 2015, 2:22 AM**

So Vancitybuzz just published this new article that contains a heat map using census data on the dominant immigrant group as per area.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/05/i...tro-vancouver/

Quote:

Seems like some of the most expensive areas such as Kits, City of West Vancouver, North Vancouver... etc are all dominated by non-Chinese. More specifically, those areas' dominant immigrant seems to be from UK or Iran. Very interesting to see considering the flurry of articles in recent times about the big bad Chinese foreign investors buying up all these expensive houses. However, census data seems to suggests otherwise ? While Chinese do dominate in most other areas north of Fraser river, the truly most expensive areas don't seem to be dominated by the Chinese. What do you guys say about this ?

crazyjoeda · #22 Posted **May 22, 2015, 4:17 AM**

I don't think the city or the province really care about affordable housing.

The city needs to zone for higher density especial along rapid transit routes.

Take Terminal Avenue between Clark and Main for example, the city has allowed the development of several new car dealerships on this prime real-estate on the edge of downtown. It disgusts me, other Metro cities are doing a far better job of developing affordable transit oriented neighbourhoods. Vancouver has only developed high-density affordable neighbourhoods around two station (Marine and Joyce). The city needs to turn it around before all the best land is used up by suburban style office parks.

whatnext · #23 Posted **May 23, 2015, 5:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetMapel

So Vancitybuzz just published this new article that contains a heat map using census data on the dominant immigrant group as per area.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/05/i...tro-vancouver/

Seems like some of the most expensive areas such as Kits, City of West Vancouver, North Vancouver... etc are all dominated by non-Chinese. More specifically, those areas' dominant immigrant seems to be from UK or Iran. Very interesting to see considering the flurry of articles in recent times about the big bad Chinese foreign investors buying up all these expensive houses. However, census data seems to suggests otherwise ? While Chinese do dominate in most other areas north of Fraser river, the truly most expensive areas don't seem to be dominated by the Chinese. What do you guys say about this ?

Umm, since when did Kits become become "one of the most expensive areas" of Vancouver(outside of Pt Grey Rd)? With its preponderance of rentals, multifamily and small lots it is not exactly appealing to wealthy offshore buyers. And you failed to note China was the dominant group in virtually every other area in the city. That kind of demographic upheaval in such a short time usually accompanies events like a refugee crisis.

st7860 · #24 Posted **May 24, 2015, 6:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetMapel

So Vancitybuzz just published this new article that contains a heat map using census data on the dominant immigrant group as per area.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/05/i...tro-vancouver/

Seems like some of the most expensive areas such as Kits, City of West Vancouver, North Vancouver... etc are all dominated by non-Chinese. More specifically, those areas' dominant immigrant seems to be from UK or Iran. Very interesting to see considering the flurry of articles in recent times about the big bad Chinese foreign investors buying up all these expensive houses. However, census data seems to suggests otherwise ? While Chinese do dominate in most other areas north of Fraser river, the truly most expensive areas don't seem to be dominated by the Chinese. What do you guys say about this ?

Exactly. Anyone who actually lives in Vancouver knows that Kits is one of the most expensive areas.

st7860 · #25 Posted **May 24, 2015, 6:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

I don't think the city or the province really care about affordable housing.

The city needs to zone for higher density especial along rapid transit routes.

Take Terminal Avenue between Clark and Main for example, the city has allowed the development of several new car dealerships on this prime real-estate on the edge of downtown. It disgusts me, other Metro cities are doing a far better job of developing affordable transit oriented neighbourhoods. Vancouver has only developed high-density affordable neighbourhoods around two station (Marine and Joyce). The city needs to turn it around before all the best land is used up by suburban style office parks.

The Area around Kingsway & Slocan will supposedly become row houses in the future, and average lots there are going for over 1 million area now in anticipation of that.

hipster duck · #26 Posted **May 31, 2015, 7:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by NetMapel

So Vancitybuzz just published this new article that contains a heat map using census data on the dominant immigrant group as per area.

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/05/i...tro-vancouver/

Seems like some of the most expensive areas such as Kits, City of West Vancouver, North Vancouver... etc are all dominated by non-Chinese. More specifically, those areas' dominant immigrant seems to be from UK or Iran. Very interesting to see considering the flurry of articles in recent times about the big bad Chinese foreign investors buying up all these expensive houses. However, census data seems to suggests otherwise ? While Chinese do dominate in most other areas north of Fraser river, the truly most expensive areas don't seem to be dominated by the Chinese. What do you guys say about this ?

People who can't read maps would think that the majority of the people who live in those areas are Chinese, when in fact all that map shows is that the largest immigrant group in an area are people from China. So, a neighbourhood could be 30% immigrants, and the plurality - say 33%- of those come from China and it would be coloured red. This despite the fact that 10% of the population are immigrant Chinese.

You didn't fall into the trap, but a lot of people did.

Klazu · #27 Posted **Jun 5, 2015, 3:53 AM**

There was a good piece on Al-Jazeera on this thing.

• Video Link

st7860 · #28 Posted **Jun 24, 2015, 11:09 PM**

Another housing rally today by the same haters as the previous one - lol
https://www.facebook.com/events/395794513948536/

trofirhen · #29 Posted **Jun 24, 2015, 11:36 PM**

If people are rallying against million dollar starter homes in a middle-income city, why are they "haters?"

Caliplanner1 · #30 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 4:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trofirhen

If people are rallying against million dollar starter homes in a middle-income city, why are they "haters?"

There are some right wing conservatives/capitalists who just hate the working poor on whose backs much wealth is generated for the lucky few!

Bcasey25raptor · #31 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 6:20 AM**

I've seen those housing marches before and I'm low income.

I have to state that these groups of people don't speak for me. I don't give a damn if house prices are expensive.

whatnext · #32 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 1:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bcasey25raptor

I've seen those housing marches before and I'm low income.

I have to state that these groups of people don't speak for me. I don't give a damn if house prices are expensive.

Why not? Do you plan on renting forever?

st7860 · #33 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 2:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trofirhen

If people are rallying against million dollar starter homes in a middle-income city, why are they "haters?"

Haters is just a more modern word for jealousy

Caliplanner1 · #34 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 3:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by st7860

Haters is just a more modern word for jealousy

.....that's the problem.......right winger conservatives are oblivious to the real issue here.......economic SUSTAINABILITY!!! Those of us who have never studied fully/objectively the MULTIPLE/INTERCONNECTED causes of the Great Depression and the recent Great Recession do not understand the critical point put forth by French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau who argued that modern/industrial capitalism increasingly renders us organic/interconnected/interdependent socially and economically.

Thus, if increasing numbers of workers (e.g. public sector workers such as the police/fire protection workers/teachers/health care providers/city sanitation workers etc.) in a given expensive community are unable to afford to live in said community (or at meaningful distances) due to growing income inequality/fast rising home prices and housing related debt then that community will eventually suffer socioeconomic dysfunctions to harm its very existence by undermining the effective delivery of said key public sector services that promote quality-of-life and public safety variables!

A further liability is the exclusion of younger/less affluent workers and consumers with whom to revitalize the downtown economy over time.

This is thus not about superficial envy/jealousy but rather effective life preserving/long-term community planning (as opposed to short-term business greed)!

st7860 · #35 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 3:53 PM**

Yes I'm aware of that public sector/living close to work concept.

Public sector workers, especially police and nurses, are paid quite well here. (around $80,000 a year for police and $40 an hour for nurses) for those that have passed the first few years of probation etc.

Caliplanner1 · #36 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 4:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by st7860

Yes I'm aware of that public sector/living close to work concept. Public sector workers, especially police and nurses, are paid quite well here. (around $80,000 a year for police and $40 an hour for nurses) for those that have passed the first few years of probation etc.

....being paid "quite well" locally (at say $80,000 per year) is a relatively moot notion if a community's housing stock is being commanded by foreign investors earning incomes of $80 million a year! Go figure the nature of imported inflation!

st7860 · #37 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 9:27 PM**

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...isis-1.3127654

"Despite the increased calls for government intervention on rising house prices in Vancouver, the B.C. government has yet to step in with any policy.

Blame for the increasingly high costs of living in Vancouver has been passed around in recent weeks. Last month, Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson said the federal government abandoned its commitment to affordable housing across the country.

Vancouver real estate prices not the fault of foreign buyers, says new report
Affordable housing issue 'abandoned' by federal government, says Vancouver mayor
Recently, a report by the B.C. Real Estate Association found density and Vancouver's geography, not foreign buyers, are the reasons behind unabated increases to housing prices.

B.C's minister responsible for housing, Rich Coleman says the province is looking for solutions. He spoke to the Early Edition's Stephen Quinn.

According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the benchmark home price index for a detached house in the region was over a million dollars in April this year. What can the province doing about this?

We recognize that home affordability can be challenging at times and the market has the tendency to have its bubbles and move up and down.

We're going to look at things with regarding to building code, issues around development cost charges, and work with municipalities with regards to costs they're putting onto housing.

As we do that, we have to make sure we're not going to do something as a government that would force down the value of people's assets that they work very hard to pay and devalue their equity.

We've seen house prices double and in some cases quadruple in the last 15 years. Why can't that be controlled?

It depends on where you live. We can't react to an issue on housing just based on one small portion of the market in Vancouver.

If you look at condominium and townhouse projects across the regions, there's a number of areas where the costs are quite flat. The reason they're flat is because of supply.

You get these bubbles where there's a shortage of listings and people chase a home and they'll actually outbid each other to buy it. In other areas of the Lower Mainland you could have a situation where people can buy at the asking price or below.

We hear constantly that young people who are employed can't get into the housing market. What can be done for them?

Young people buying their first home get a break in the property transfer tax from the provincial government. The challenge is what you want in the marketplace and what is your want as a first time purchase.

You're not always going to be able to start on a single family home on a 7000-square-foot lot unless you're going to go outside the city itself. That's the choices people make.

For generations people have made these choices in Vancouver. You have to recognize that there's a limited supply, particularly in the single family home."

Jebby · #38 Posted **Jun 25, 2015, 9:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caliplanner1

There are some right wing conservatives/capitalists who just hate the working poor on whose backs much wealth is generated for the lucky few!

That's probably the most ignorant and untrue comment I've read on this forum in a very long time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caliplanner1

....being paid "quite well" locally (at say $80,000 per year) is a relatively moot notion if a community's housing stock is being commanded by foreign investors earning incomes of $80 million a year! Go figure the nature of imported inflation!

Except that's not what's happening.