Quote:
Originally Posted by seamusmcduff
The geography of Vancouver is literally incompatible with single family sprawl. The only way the region can really sprawl is east, which means most commutes and trips are going one direction. At least in prairie cities, for better or worse they can sprawl in every direction, which really reduces the distance with commutes. In the prairies, a 40km wide city means you'll probably be 20km max from dt. Vancouver being 40km wide means the max commute to DT is 40km.
Single family homes also make it difficult for transit to work, and when most trips are east to west, the geometry for cars doesn't work with how big the highway would have to get if we kept sprawling east.
All sustainability and good urban planning aside, logistically a large percentage of single family homes just don't work in Vancouver. If that's the lifestyle you want at an affordable price, then there's plenty other cities you can move to for that lifestyle.
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We don't, I think, want to emulate Calgary (great city that it is) with an enormous, "wrap-around" freeway serving miles of low-density SF housing sprawl. They have the space.
Vancouver does not. Plus, the land in the Fraser Valley, though development eastward is inevitable in the long haul, should be kept as pristine as possible through the intelligent implementation of denser housing, and town centres linked together with a coherent, effective transit system.
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