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These attempts at increasing density in Vancouver and surrounding areas fail to account for the lack of services and infrastructure to support a growing populat

These attempts at increasing density in Vancouver and surrounding areas fail to account for the lack of services and infrastructure to support a growing population. Metro Vancouver already is one of the most congested regions in North America. There is a severe health care shortage with more than a million people struggling to access family doctors and specialists. The region also routinely experiences drought conditions and water usage advisories during spring and summer months. The municipalities understand these factors limiting growth, but the province and federal government seem to believe we can grow the population forever. It’s a disaster in the making, in my opinion as a long time resident.

helen___keller 3y ago
Services and infrastructure can and must grow as well. It’s one thing if you disbelieve your government is prepared to solve these problems, but the difficulties of managing a growing population are neither novel nor intractable > It’s a disaster in the making, in my opinion as a long time resident. Unaffordable housing is already a disaster.
SpecialistK 3y ago
The region is experiencing hugely fast growth and the strain is definitely being felt. Zoning and infrastructure decisions made decades ago are really biting us in the ass. Plots of land cost millions yet there are several gaping holes in the Skytrain network. Major thoroughfares like Hwy 1 exits get incomplete maintenance. Locals who went to UBC, SFU, or BCIT can only afford to live in deep Maple Ridge or Cloverdale and then pay our gas prices for the privilege of working in the CoV. The same CoV that has single family density like you'd expect in Surrey. It's a mess, and big solutions like expanding the West Coast Express to all-day service with a few more stations so that suburbs can reliably grow into the valley aren't even being mentioned. One level of government says "$amount of immigration" and it's up to the province (or delegated to municipalities) to try to adapt. Meanwhile the residents of those municipalities resist any changes to density or zoning. And as a result, we get the mess we're in now.

helen___keller 3y ago

Services and infrastructure can and must grow as well. It’s one thing if you disbelieve your government is prepared to solve these problems, but the difficulties of managing a growing population are neither novel nor intractable > It’s a disaster in the making, in my opinion as a long time resident. Unaffordable housing is already a disaster.

SpecialistK 3y ago

The region is experiencing hugely fast growth and the strain is definitely being felt. Zoning and infrastructure decisions made decades ago are really biting us in the ass. Plots of land cost millions yet there are several gaping holes in the Skytrain network. Major thoroughfares like Hwy 1 exits get incomplete maintenance. Locals who went to UBC, SFU, or BCIT can only afford to live in deep Maple Ridge or Cloverdale and then pay our gas prices for the privilege of working in the CoV. The same CoV that has single family density like you'd expect in Surrey. It's a mess, and big solutions like expanding the West Coast Express to all-day service with a few more stations so that suburbs can reliably grow into the valley aren't even being mentioned. One level of government says "$amount of immigration" and it's up to the province (or delegated to municipalities) to try to adapt. Meanwhile the residents of those municipalities resist any changes to density or zoning. And as a result, we get the mess we're in now.