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Originally Posted by P'tit Renard
Agreed that Nanaimo has a lot of potential. If Nanaimo can work on building pedestrian friendly multiplex and midrise neighbourhoods to connect to this envisioned interurban, it could become a highly attractive and desirable Côte D'Azur type destination like Nice and Cannes. Same for Kelowna.
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It is single track with in places small setbacks and at-grade crossings. I always thought Nanaimo was underrated too (I go there multiple times a year and to Victoria once a year or so) but on the other hand Vancouver Island has a turbo version of the retiree mindset and outsized political focus that afflicts all of Canada. The infrastructure is basic and undersized there and you see a lot of resistance to change. There is a debate to be had about how to develop beautiful natural areas around Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, etc. but I think it's too far in the BANANA direction with many areas essentially being preserves for longtime residents.
Parts of Nanaimo are also like the DTES in that they have major social malaise and it is hard to develop them even though prices have shot up. You can buy a $600,000 inner city house and there will be ambulances and police coming and going, theft, vandalism, and sometimes violent crime. It's been like that for decades.