Chinese Investors Driving Up Metro Housing Prices

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Originally Posted by Vin

Paris's tight and sometimes claustrophobic roads and alleys due to mid-rise apartments and buildings can be tolerated or even enhanced by the excellency in architecture, lots of shops and cafes, and occasionally little parks and historical squares. People actually enjoy looking up at the buildings when strolling down the streets. There are also no single family homes in the city as the entire place is built mid-rise. Hence they can achieve that kind of density, like you claimed, 5x that of Vancouver.

Vancouver is different: with mediocre architecture like what you see in OV and mass areas of SFH and industrial lands that the City isn't willing to give up, we will never achieve any sustainable densities for efficient public transit without going tall, like 50-70 storey tall. Also with our desire to see the ocean and mountains that Paris has none, living in that kind of claustrophobic Paris-style apartments just don't work...kapish amigo?

Having said that, Paris/ London are all establishing new neighbourhoods and going really tall. They have "moved on" from their traditional mid-rise city concept, and are still successful doing that. Vancouver wanting to do the old Parisian/London concept is nothing innovative, and this city would be a very very sad place to live in if it's built like OV everywhere, with dark streets and seafoam glass "in your face" everywhere you walk.

These are very old/congested European cities that you're comparing with a (relatively) young/almost "pre-school aged" city in the form of Vancouver.