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Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

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Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#151

Post by smallmancontrov »

munificent wrote: post #123
reso wrote: post #105

I say this all as a YIMBY who is very happy to see 20k new units added to vancouver: something feels off about the plans for the Jericho lands but I can't describe it. I feel like when you have these mega developments where 10 condos go up all at once in the space of a few blocks, they end up as "bedroom neighborhoods", where people sleep but don't do anything else. There are a lot of these happening in Canada right…

It's not exactly what you're getting at, but you might enjoy Christopher Alexander's essay "A City is not a Tree". It also talks about why highly planned cities can end up not working and feeling "right" in the way that older more incrementally-grown ones can.

It would be more convincing to rage against planning if the backdrop wasn't a situation clearly created by the complete absence of planning. Obviously there's a middle ground. This isn't it.

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#152

Post by dr_kretyn »

comeonbro wrote: post #129
guardiangod wrote: post #65

The native nation, Squamish Nation, used to own the entire parcel of land immediately north of the 10 acres land mentioned in this article as a reservation granted by the former-colonial government (a native village stood in Vancouver downtown but the colonial gov forced them to move across the inlet). But thru multiple forced relocations and unceded land take over, the reservation was gradually taken over. >Slowly,…

I don't know if it's fair to call a bridge a stroad

Where does the bridge start and end? It's an embankment onto the bridge from a stroad. You're both right.

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#153

Post by nikitaga »

stonogo wrote: post #127
ximus wrote: post #120

It's comforting to see first nations of canada recovering a central role in modern canadian society. However, having lived here for a year a year now, I have observed a concerning aspect of this re-integration, which is mentioned in the article: First nations aren't just propped back up and re-integrated in society, it goes further in that they are given special rights that go beyond what any other class of canadian…

> On moral grounds, I find it questionable to give some citizens special birth rights greater than others. Kind of the point here is that it was happening the other way for a couple hundred years, so just abrogating current inequality still leaves one party as a disadvantage. The hard part is deciding when these catch-up priveleges have run their course. Since first nations metrics along the lines of economic status…

> Since first nations metrics along the lines of economic status are still below the national average, it's clear we're not there just yet.

Instead of rushing for race-based policies, how about implementing policies that would help all disadvantaged people equally without looking at their race.

You can't compensate for past racism with modern racism. It will never end. Canada will learn that the hard way, it seems.

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#154

Post by Tiktaalik »

systemstops wrote: post #95
fckgw wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does acceptable use of their own land look like to you? What would meet your specific approval?

It's acceptable to me - none of my business. But it's corporate money building this project, which we should be clear about. It's just built on native land.

At the end of the day you need to pay someone to swing a hammer.

When the City of Vancouver built its own below market city owned apartment at Main and 7th they hired local developer Marcon to build it. Marcon also builds for-profit condos all across the region.

"Corporate money" being involved in the creation of housing is pretty unavoidable.

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#155

Post by elefanten »

smallmancontrov wrote: post #142
stonogo wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> On moral grounds, I find it questionable to give some citizens special birth rights greater than others. Kind of the point here is that it was happening the other way for a couple hundred years, so just abrogating current inequality still leaves one party as a disadvantage. The hard part is deciding when these catch-up priveleges have run their course. Since first nations metrics along the lines of economic status…

So why not run programs along the lines of current economic status, which is relatively easy to objectively determine and relatively light on ethnic, racial, and national animus? It is impossible to do a good job of litigating history and it is guaranteed to make people hate each other.

This is absolutely the correct answer, all identity-based solutions are coarse and imprecise ways to solve a directly measurable problem (relative economic hardship). But the identity-based lever has proven too effective rhetorically and creates ample rent-seeking and self-enrichment opportunities to those wielding political power with an identity-based community. Plus, general means-based intervention is generally scary to the “wealthy” identity (cutting across all other identity divisions).

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#156

Post by ipaddr »

fckgw wrote: post #121
ipaddr wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question is could someone build a similiar structure beside or does zoning prevent this. If so parent has a valid point

It's not our land, zoning is meaningless. Who cares about a hypothetical if something "could" have been built here

[flagged]

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#157

Post by r00fus »

ipaddr wrote: post #100
freitzkriesler2 wrote: post #59

The fact that the PNW is as expensive as the Bay area or even SoCal is a travesty. At least the first nation people figured out how to break the planning commission nonsense and took charge in their own communities. So long as they keep out the foreign hot funny money that made the regular cities too expensive they'll do just fine.

Hong Kong changing hands created a huge wave of freign. This project captures some of it

Foreign what? bodies? cash? That cash is busy going everywhere else too.

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#158

Post by elevaet »

nvy wrote: post #137
ximus wrote: post #120

It's comforting to see first nations of canada recovering a central role in modern canadian society. However, having lived here for a year a year now, I have observed a concerning aspect of this re-integration, which is mentioned in the article: First nations aren't just propped back up and re-integrated in society, it goes further in that they are given special rights that go beyond what any other class of canadian…

>But on more practical grounds, this is creating a great big loophole for the traditional resource extraction companies to circumvent environment regulation by partnering with first nations on projects. There's a certain demographic that can't accept that indigenous people might not be nature-worshipping druids that never pollute and are infallible stewards of the land, so through that lens of course they don't need…

That may be true, but fundamentally this is about autonomy. These Nations do not necessarily fall under the jurisdiction of the National or Provincial government since they never ceeded their territory.

It's a bit of a grey area for sure, but this isn't about "giving the people of the forest" stewardship of the land in order for them to protect it, it's recognizing that they didn't sign up to be governed under the nation/province.

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#159

Post by smallmancontrov »

janalsncm wrote: post #131
Seattle3503 wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a mistake to blame the high cost of housing on market forces. It is largely the product of local housing policy. It is a choice.

I think it’s both. Housing policy can help or hurt but overall many places in the world have stuggled to keep housing prices affordable.

> stuggled to keep housing prices affordable.

The political system does not strive for affordability, it strives to make housing a good investment. Unaffordability is just the inevitable consequence.

Re: Vancouver’s new mega-development is big, ambitious and Indigenous

#160

Post by Tiktaalik »

The housing itself is badly needed and I'm looking forward to that, but beyond that, as an appreciator of NW Coast Indigenous art, I'm looking forward to the public realm art. This is a fantastic opportunity for the Squamish and other MST nations to showcase art from their best and from young emerging artists in their community.
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