The design community could be a key player in finding a solution to Vancouver’s housing affordability crisis, says Jane Cox, co-owner of Cause+Affect brand consultancy with her husband Steven.
Cox has researched and experienced design around the globe – from Copenhagen to Auckland and London – and believes there is a lot of potential within Vancouver’s design community to take lessons learned and offer new and innovative approaches to solving one of our city’s biggest challenges.
“Vancouver is kind of on the cusp, because it’s becoming a big city and it’s facing big city problems like affordability and housing.” Designers, she adds, can help plan and design cities that meet the needs of current and future residents.
Cox and Jennifer Cutbill launched Vancouver Design Week, which takes place this May 12-14 under the temporary new name of Vancouver Design Week(end), in 2014 to draw attention to Vancouver’s design community. The volunteer-run non-profit enterprise shines a spotlight on local designers and gives residents opportunities to connect with and learn about design, including through a series of open houses and talks.
Mark Busse, director of creativity and engagement at HCMA Architecture + Design, which will be hosting the Vancouver Design Week(end) launch party on May 12,
defines the design community as an interdisciplinary mix of people who solve problems: from architects to graphic, fashion, food and interior designers.
“Design is a concept of making things last longer, feel better, and creating an environment where happy collisions, and the desire to linger and feel welcome and safe, [can happen].”
One of Cox’s concerns when it comes to growing a vibrant design community in Vancouver is that the high cost of living is making it difficult for her firm to recruit and retain staff, who often struggle to secure affordable housing within a reasonable commute to her Gastown office.
“The creative workforce is the first to leave the city when it’s not affordable,” she says. “We [at Cause+Affect] spend lots of our time speaking with our staff about places to live and looking for apartments for our staff.”
It’s also a challenge that Cox believes the design community can be a leader in solving. She points to the Nightingale Model, conceived by Australian architect Jeremy McLeod, that applies the principles of affordability, transparency, sustainability, deliberate design and community contributions to create affordable housing stock. For example, The Commons housing complex in Melbourne, Australia, cut out certain amenities, such as air conditioning and parking, to keep unit prices low.
In Vancouver, Inform Interiors co-owner Nancy Bendtsen, believes developing affordable and sustainable housing will require long-term planning from politicians and design teams.
“You plan really well, you invest really well in your city,” and even though you might not see the payoff for decades, Bendtsen says, “man, when you do, it’s enormous.”
Designers, she adds, can “help educate everybody in this. I think that’s our role: design for a better world.”
Tickets for the Vancouver Design Week public launch party are free and available at eventbrite.ca
