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Things you can go to this week if you’re a hopeless urban wonk and this blog isn’t enough

November 18th, 2013 · 19 Comments

Posting for a friend: Urban events

 

PIBC PlanTalk – Availability, Utilization, and Intensification of Industrial Lands – Nov 19

http://www.pibc.bc.ca/events/pibc-south-coast-chapter-15

Metro Vancouver Dialogues – Great City Making Demands Innovation – Nov 19 + 22 + 28 + Dec 10

http://www.metrovancouver.org/REGION/DIALOGUES/Pages/default.aspx

Vancouver Board of Trade – Chair Greg Moore, Long Term Infrastructure Planning: Sustaining a Livable Region – Nov 20

http://www.boardoftrade.com/events/overview.aspx?EventItem=954c06ae-6404-49fe-996c-e22b08b13d42

SFU City Program Lecture – The Same, Only Different: Australian Planners Compare Vancouver and Brisbane – Nov 21

http://www.sfu.ca/continuing-studies/events/2013/11/the-same-only-different-Australian-planners-compare-Vancouver-and-Brisbane.html

ULI BC – Annual Real Estate Outlook – Nov 26
 http://britishcolumbia.uli.org/event/uli-bc-annual-real-estate-outlook/

 

Categories: Uncategorized

  • boohoo

    And this:

    Wetland Workshop for Municipalities

    http://www.eventbrite.com/event/8174418907

  • brian

    Also the Happy City Machine:

    https://museumofvancouver.ca/content/happy-city-machine-public-design-laboratory

  • Silly Season

    The future of the DTES: SFU City Conversation
    November 21, 2013, SFU Harbourside
    (bring your own popcorn, flaming torches and pitchforks).

    Some background and POV from one of the panel members, Michael Geller.

    http://gellersworldtravel.blogspot.ca/2013/11/the-future-of-dtes-sfu-city.html?spref=tw

  • Frank Ducote

    SS@3 – This is a watershed moment in the history of planning in Vancouver. Essentially areawide zoning for tenure, unprecedented in Canada as far as I know.

    I have a hunch developers like it since the DTES can be their dumping ground for the 20% dedication that is usually required of megaprojects in more expensive locations of the city.

    The DTES advocates should like it, and staff probably has been co-opted or brow beaten to go along, as it seems to fit with the Vision Council’s aspirations for the area.

    Everybody wins, except those of us who really, really want to see a more balanced community in this area, along with a decentralization of the core needy housing.

    I wish I could attend to see and hear what I hope is a rich and open-minded discussion.

  • brent granby

    Thanks for posting this list. Here is one more, the Ecology Society of Stanley Park is holding open houses on the restoration of Beaver Lake on Nov. 21 and 23. More details available here: http://www.brentgranby.ca/?p=2240

  • Joe Just Joe

    The rich have the money to make council listen to them.
    The poor have the time to make council listen to them.
    The middle class doesn’t have the money nor time and council treats them accordingly.
    The DTES plan is a farce, an absolute embarrassment of a plan that again drives division among citizens.
    I look forward to hearing council and staff speak on the plan as proposed to see who actually thinks this is a good idea.

  • Chris Keam

    “The average Canadian adult watches a whopping 30 hours of television a week, according to BBM Canada.”

    Perhaps the downtrodden ‘middle class’ just need to take some time away from the tube? Obviously mid-day Council meetings aren’t ideal, but an hour less of TV a day would mean 7 opportunities to write a letter or organize with neighbours.

    http://www.thestar.com/life/technology/2013/04/26/canadians_watch_30_hours_of_tv_but_for_many_web_dominates_free_time.html

  • Joe Just Joe

    Yes because having the tv on in the background while you make dinner, clean the house, and spend some time with the kids is the same as organizing a fight against a council which shows it listens to citzens.
    If you want to paint the middle class as lazy feel free, I certainly don’t share that opinion.

  • Silly Season

    @Chris Keam. #7

    Wow. Just, wow…

    Not even a stab at an insightful comment?

  • Silly Season

    @Frank Ducote #4

    I’m going to try to get there, Frank. Will report highlights.

  • Frank Ducote

    SS – thank you.

  • F.H.Leghorn

    Or worse, watching TV while driving their SUVs, right CK?
    Why vote when you wind up with tools of the hydrocarbon or development industry or alcoholic idiots? BTW nobody really cares what “the poor” think.

  • jolson

    Frank@4,
    Yes, this is a zoning for tenure proposal but only for density over and above1 FSR. Given the context this seems like a good strategy.
    The proposal as per Brian Jackson;
    “For the DEOD, the emerging directions from the local area plan are for any additional residential development over 1FSR (the current outright density), the additional units must be 60% social housing and 40% secured market rental.”
    Please explain the dumping ground risk. How can mega projects move obligations to other areas? If that is the risk, then can’t that be controlled through a bylaw?

  • Frank Ducote

    Jolson@13 – with FSRs potentially reaching as high as 6-8 (I’m guessing here, depending on height of 10-12 storeys, and coverage) or more, that means up to 3/4ths of the floor space in a new development could fall under this formula.

    I can’t easily imagine what the governance of such a mixed tenure building would be like, but the minority strata owners, assuming there are some, might feel rather uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure I would.

    Is only the DEOD area at stake? Earlier reports were that it was for the entire DTES.

    WRT dumping, the money for the affordable component has to come from somewhere so if not senior governments, then from developer contributions. There has been more than one attempt to fulfill required contributions by exporting them from the donor site to the DTES. Just my supposition.

  • Chris Keam

    JJJ:

    I’m not painting anyone as lazy. Just pointing out your sweeping generalization about time doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Sorry about that. 🙂

    SS:

    The insight would be that the story of the “Little Red Hen” is still apt. I think it’s pretty clear that most of the volunteer and activist work done in Canada is handled by ‘middle class’ people. But it’s the same people over and over again.

  • jolson

    @Frank,
    Don’t we just need to state a policy, for example, no transfer of development obligations outside of a neighbourhood? Wouldn’t this be similar to policies already governing density bank transfers?
    As for the question, would anyone build such a project? I doubt it. As the need to separate circulation systems is likely cost prohibitive.

  • Silly Season

    Hi all, and especially @Frank Ducote,

    Unable to make the SFU/DTES talk this afternoon (man, this work thing really cramps my style 😉

    I’ll send Michael a note and see if he’ll post a note here or on his blog.

  • Silly Season

    As I’m on the phone, following the DTES Community Plan action on Twitter at @cityconv

    Shhhhh…;-)

  • tedeastside

    what to do in a cold rainy small town with no pro sports besides hockey hockey hockey