From Ryan McLaughlin: “Here’s an interesting interview with Harvard Urban Economist Edward Glaeser. He talks about Vancouver a bit, among other cities.”
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What about Vancouver as a model for smart planning that accommodates growth in high-rise neighborhoods that are vibrant and livable?
Vancouver is a great model, sure. This is the doctrine of Sullivanism, right? They had this amazing mayor, Mayor Sullivan. He was a quadriplegic, had an accident early on. Through this amazing personal journey, he brought himself back, joined the city council and became mayor. He was a real hero. He certainly was one of the guys who really supported the idea of Vancouver embracing height, embracing density and doing so in a way that is beautiful and compatible with nature. It just makes Vancouver a spectacular city. And Vancouver has this asset of being very smart in their immigration policy. So a lot of smart Asians help make the city hum.
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I expect no Liberal more than Sam Sullivan, the MLA for Vancouver-False Creek, fears a negative vote on the referendum.
Here’s his response to the Price Tags questionnaire, with this notable quote:
A no vote would substantially reduce the quality of life of people in the region and would take a long time to recover from.
As a representative of the government that forced the referendum on us, how does he think we can recover in the face of a No vote? As an internationally recognized hero of smart growth, how will he characterize a Vancouver that, in the process of becoming a more aggressive carbon dealer to the world, voted against transit?
No disrespect to Sam and his “EcoDensity (TM)” mantra, but Vancouver’s success in taming modernism and creating livable high density neighbourhoods is properly shared amongst a much wider group of far more influential characters.
As an elected representative of the government that provided democratic choice through referendum, it’s not up to him to decide “how we can recover” in the face of a No vote. It’s a regional vote and the solutions are regional.