If one thing is certain in Vancouver it's that everyone has an opinion on real estate and the future of the upwardly rising price of it. Depending on who you ask there are either too many condos or not enough of them, the market will either take care of itself or it absolutely won't. Regardless of your opinions the question remains: How and where will Vancouver and its region accommodate increased population? Because it's coming.
Longtime V.I.A. community sponsor and partner, the Museum of Vancouver is holding a debate this Wednesday that will attempt to answer that question, or at least have a few educated people with intimate knowledge of it plead the case for or against a bold suggestion: opening ALL of our neighbourhoods to densification.
Urbanarium City Debate #1 asks "In densifying neighbourhoods, where do issues of fairness, democracy, ecology and community preservation come into play? Should any areas be off limits?". Moderated by The Tyee's David Beers, Joyce Drohan (Director of Urban Design at Perkins + Will) and Brent Toderian (former Vancouver Chief City Planner and founding principal of TODERIAN UrbanWORKS) will be arguing in favour of the statement. Mike Goldberg, (Professor Emeritus of Sauder School of Business) and Sam Sullivan (former Vancouver mayor, present MLA for False Creek, and a regular contributor to this blog) will be arguing against it.
The event is currently SOLD OUT but fret not! It's supporting the new exhibit that launches this week looking at the same issue, and there's a ton of other programming around it in the coming months. Your Future Home: Creating the New Vancouver was curated by the big brains at the Vancouver Urbanarium Society. Here's the official word from MOV:
As it explores the hottest topics in Vancouver today—housing affordability, urban density, mobility, and public space—Your Future Home invites people to discover surprising facts about the city and imagine what Vancouver might become. This major exhibition engages visitors with the bold visual language and lingo of real estate advertising as it presents the visions of talented Vancouver designers about how we might design the cityscapes of the future. Throughout the run of the exhibition, visitors can deepen their experience through a series of programs, including workshops, happy hours, and debates among architectural, real estate and urban planning experts.
Don't miss this one! We'll bring you a preview of the show later this week.
