Neil Salmond writes:
You know those old West End photos you posted, where a single-family home adds a retail frontage where their front yard was, right up to the sidewalk?
(Like this example on Davie Street.)
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I didn’t realise that still happened today, in Portland and maybe elsewhere. @wisemonkeysblog pointed it out to me and I blogged here:
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Do other US/Canadian cities still permit this kind of traditional, strong-towns incrementalism?
This would be a great way to encourage young entrepreneurs to set up shop here in Vancouver. I would love to see this happening more – but am guessing that zoning prevents it. Just imagine if we had little neighborhood coffee shops and service shops along bike friendly streets off the main grid. That is building a community I want to live it.
I can just see the NIMBYs complaining…
(probably a consequence of being over-regulated – if it were a free-for-all, then people would have to be more accepting of their neighbours)
My wife Laura and I saw commercial offices tacked onto the front of houses in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC last fall when we were there. Mostly doctors, lawyers, and other service based offices.