tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969156847256652198.post7695410766601142623..comments2023-06-21T11:58:47.093-04:00Comments on West Side Action: Is Smart Growth Smart?Eric Darwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01042460139621819388noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969156847256652198.post-6187506031135188202009-08-17T21:54:45.496-04:002009-08-17T21:54:45.496-04:00Of note is that Vancouver recently changed their p...Of note is that Vancouver recently changed their parking rules for new condos. Before it was min 1.2 spaces and max 1.8 (per unit). Now it is min 0.6 and max 1.2. And the early word is that the developers are jumping over the 0.6 (because heated garages are, of course, expensive to build and maintain)Chris Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969156847256652198.post-49064236736962713612009-08-16T22:56:47.598-04:002009-08-16T22:56:47.598-04:00Vancouver is a great case example of a particular ...Vancouver is a great case example of a particular type of urban planning that appeals to me visually, but like most Canadians I simply cannot afford to live in Vancouver. <br /><br />Vancouver is also rather unique, in that the penninsula is an interesting geographic place that is more a hybrid of city-resort than typical city. <br /><br />People are paying a huge premium to move into these neighborhoods because they offer easy walking and cycling, so I hope their walking and cycling will increase. I do notice that the new infill areas have less walking, more driving than the older city areas. Will this change in time? <br /><br />Of course I do expect people living in the city to drive less than suburbanites. This is my key question: can we import affluent people used to car driving into the inner city and change their behaviour? Will moving suburbanites into a downtown high rise condo in a auto-orinted city like Ottawa change their behaviour? Or do they maintain their suburban friendships, jobs, and networks, and drive out of the inner city.<br />-EricEric Darwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01042460139621819388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-969156847256652198.post-14445235175218627262009-08-16T22:45:41.196-04:002009-08-16T22:45:41.196-04:00Eric,
15 minutes of research on infill. I took th...Eric,<br />15 minutes of research on infill. I took three census tracts in (Greater) Vancouver:<br /> <br />0063.00 - one of the West End (long established dense area and very dense - 19,605 ppl/sq. km - compare at Manhattan at 27K/sq. km)<br />0059.05 - Yaletown (New dense area - tripled in population in the last 10 years)<br />0504.05 - Walnut Grove (Suburb)<br /> <br />On transportation:<br /> <br />63 - 34% drove to work (670/1990) as either driver or passenger (625 drver, 45 passenger)<br />59 - 42% drove to work (2535/6090) as either driver or passenger (2330 driver, 205 passenger)<br />04 - 92% drove to work (2850/3110) as either driver or passenger (2700 driver, 150 passenger)<br /> <br />Biking or walking goes, respectively, 41%, 37%, 3%<br />Public Transit is: 23%, 20%, 4%<br /> <br />So, in terms of going to work, clearly the infill has resulted in a difference. I am not sure about shopping patterns, but I do know from my experience as being a PART of the infill in Vancouver, it is far more convenient to walk to do almost every errand imaginable. <br /> <br />So there is my 2 cents worth! At least a tiny little bit of research. And I have trouble believing that this would only result in a 1% decline in personal emissions of greenhouse gasses.<br /> <br />Cheers<br />ChrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com