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Entries from January 2016

The stealth marketing campaign by Vision Vancouver

September 30th, 2014 · 22 Comments

Warning: This post contains a mix of serious analysis and some whimsically imaginary facts mixed with real ones. If you can’t tell them apart or if the juxtaposition creates too much cognitive dissonance for you, STAY AWAY. The Vancouver election campaign has been so strangely underwhelming so far that it’s allowed many of us in […]

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Police fines for cyclists

September 29th, 2014 · 23 Comments

This came to my inbox from reader/resident George Muenz. Anyone else noticed this problem? Thousands of cyclists go up the Spanish Banks road to UBC in order to get to the cycling paths on Marine Drive and onwards. I have had reports from several people that police have threatened people with fines and worse if […]

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Vancouver hurls millions of city money into housing and shelter as deadline approaches

September 26th, 2014 · 45 Comments

Since the first day that Vision Vancouver came into power, Mayor Gregor Robertson has turned up the flame on efforts to create new shelter spaces, interim housing, and permanent housing in the city. But this week, as the election and a Dec. 31 deadline for “solving street homelessness” approaches, the city has started doing something […]

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Tags: 2014 Vancouver Civic Election

Bula Blogster Beer Bash: Oct. 2, Tap and Barrel Olympic Village, 7 p.m. Be there or be square

September 26th, 2014 · 6 Comments

So Kirk and Jenables and a few others set a date for a gathering of the blog commenters recently (that week my blog was actually malfunctioning, as it turned out). Kirk has now found a spot for us to gather and reserved a table. See you all there to talk about who is going to […]

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Why should only a few property sellers benefit when everyone has contributed to make Vancouver what it is?

September 25th, 2014 · 38 Comments

That was the provocative question last night from writer, university lecturer and activist Matt Hern last night as he responded to Andy Yan’s big-data presentation on trends that have influenced Vancouver in the past and will in the future. Hern, reflecting on Yan’s data about foreign ownership, speculation, the city’s low incomes and high house […]

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Robertson refuses mayoral debate with developer group over sponsorship and more

September 22nd, 2014 · 34 Comments

This letter from Mayor Gregor Robertson’s people, saying he won’t participate in the Oct. 7 UDI breakfast debate,  is going around in various circles. They say the Urban Development Institute, which represents the region’s builders and developers, gave his office only two days to answer an invitation before putting out publicity suggesting the mayor hadn’t […]

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Tags: 2014 Vancouver Civic Election

City’s first round of urban-design awards generates a mixed response

September 21st, 2014 · 4 Comments

I was very happy to see the city start an urban-design awards program, though I, like the city, mistakenly understood it to mean architectural awards. The city announced the winners last week and, to judge from public and private comments I’m hearing, the process could do with some, shall we say, improvement. Lance Berelowitz weighs […]

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Vancouver Greens: More from developers for low-cost housing, maybe luxury tax, lots more real talking with residents promised

September 18th, 2014 · 27 Comments

Feels like the municipal campaign in Vancouver finally started to pick up some speed today, as the Greens launched their platform and Vision Vancouver had the first news conference with real news, announcing more money for school lunches for poor kids. (And the NPA sniping away at that.) I mostly covered the Green announcement, as […]

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Tags: 2014 Vancouver Civic Election

Does Vancouver have to be a high-rise condo city? Or are there other choices?

September 15th, 2014 · 64 Comments

I try not to fall in sentimental rhapsodizing about mid-rise European cities, as some of my fellow urbanists do. I know that for every chic French or Spanish historic town, there’s a ring of appalling towers on the outskirts that the immigrants and poor have been relegated to. But it is puzzling to me that […]

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Vision, NPA debate the debates

September 11th, 2014 · 39 Comments

  I was just fooling around on Twitter last night to wind down from a long day and then this erupted. 22h Duncan McCue and Wise Monkeys favorited your Tweet 22h: @kirklapointe Aren’t you supposed to be writing a speech or speaking with a large group of people about fiscal responsibility or something? Kirk LaPointe […]

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