Suburban walking blues

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:50:03 -0700

by Christopher Leinberger

Let me get this out of the way right up front: I am an American. I have been visiting Vancouver for years, most recently on a beautiful spring day last April to give a speech sponsored by UBC and SFU. On the same day, I took a tour of Metro Vancouver’s walkable neighbourhoods with folks from Smart Growth BC, getting a first-hand experience of what it’s like to walk and take public transit in this region.

I must also mention that since Vancouver is widely considered to be one of the most walkable, livable and vital cities on the planet, it is with great humility that I comment on a place that is much more vital than nearly any U.S. city.

But I will comment, because I want to encourage Vancouver to continue to offer the U.S. a model of walkable urban development that we need so badly.

Neighbourhood watch

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:52:34 -0800

By Peter Mitham

When a 300-square-foot house hit the market in Toronto last year at an asking price of $179,000, it was an instant media sensation.

Yes, it was outrageous. But here in Vancouver, a recent Century 21 Canada survey touted a 412-square-foot one-bedroom downtown condo as just the thing for first-time homebuyers. The price? A mere $281,000, or $682 a square foot. The Toronto shoebox? Just $596 a square foot.

Topics

Suburban walking blues

Neighbourhood watch