Housing in the City: Beyond the Headlines
2015, Summit We the City, Cities, Equity + Justice
Headlines remind us constantly of our housing crisis: prices run amok, renovictions, and near-zero rental vacancy rates. This evening of storytelling dug deeper into the story of housing in Vancouver and beyond, with an eye on working households at or below median income in urban centers across Canada.
Seven experts spoke about their efforts to move us closer to the goal of affordable, suitable, and secure housing for all.
We heard from:
Robert Brown (Catalyst Developments), on working with community organizations to leverage land assets, and create more affordable housing.
Gail Joe (Consultant in First Nations housing initiatives) on Aboriginal-led housing development and financing;
Tom Lancaster (Metro Vancouver) on how to build more rental;
Christine McLaren (Happy City), on what kind of housing makes us happy, and builds communities in our city;
David Ley (UBC Geography) on regulating foreign investment;
Marla Zucht (Whistler Housing Authority) on market-controlled ownership for local residents, and others;
Jeremy Loveday (Councillor, City of Victoria), on how affordable housing makes livable cities more lively.
Audience members were invited to submit their questions to Tyee Solutions Society’s journalists to be used in follow-up features over subsequent weeks.
About We the City
Beyond the Headlines: Solving Canada's Housing Crisis
By Nicole Strutt
Communications Volunteer, SFU Public Square
Student, SFU School of Communication
The recent increase of Vancouver housing prices affects everyone, no matter if you’re 5, 25 or 105. On November 2, 2015, Housing in the City showcased 7 housing experts who addressed possible solutions and generated discussion around the current housing issue in Vancouver. This public event was presented in partnership with the Tyee Solutions Society as part of a year-long project called The Housing Fix, which aims to promote a national non-partisan dialogue and real policy changes on affordable housing through open source journalism and invited-expert workshops in Vancouver and Ottawa.
The evening’s particular focus was on individuals who were at or below household median income. The event was unique in providing a variety of perspectives including: housing issues in Victoria, Whistler, First Nations communities, public spaces and utilizing alternative resources for housing.
Read More
Suspect I'll not be only one tweeting Housing in the City: Beyond Headlines #actions4housing https://t.co/fZ9RclR7j7 pic.twitter.com/9CzdBVEdY6
— Michael Geller (@michaelgeller) November 3, 2015Housing is a basic human right... #actions4housing
— Sarah Canham, PhD (@slcanham) November 3, 2015Full house for tonight's "Housing in the City" event! #wethecity #actions4housing https://t.co/Jz5Dq99MLm pic.twitter.com/dyVlUb1ZYl
— Yuri Artibise (@YuriArtibise) November 3, 2015The majority of solutions generated across the evening were taken from cities who all experienced an inflation in housing prices in the past. For instance UBC Geography professor David Ley used London, England to demonstrate how transfer taxes were used to help “cool-down” the hot market, that was generated by foreign investment.
@JeremyLoveday We can't solve the housing crisis through housing policy alone. Have to address #incomegap #actions4housing
— Jill Atkey (@jfatkey) November 3, 2015@JeremyLoveday recommends an immediate implementation of a $15/hr minimum wage to deal with housing crisis #actions4housing
— Brent Holmes (@BrentHolmes240) November 3, 2015200k people have immigrated to BC on our invitation but wealth has gone into property says Ley #actions4housing #wethecity @SFUPublicSquare
— Shauna Sylvester (@ShaunaSylvester) November 3, 2015David Ley: It's imperative that we protect social #housing investments that are currently expiring #actions4housing
— Jill Atkey (@jfatkey) November 3, 2015
Similarly, Whistler Housing Authority General Manager Marla Zucht spoke on how Whistler has been able to provide 82% of employees with accommodation. This was accomplished through strict policies established in the early 1990s. These policies included inclusionary zoning, long term affordability and ensuring employees of Whistler had housing. Moving forward, Zucht believes that although Whistler is a resort-city, that the same practices can be applied to Greater Vancouver.
#actions4housing did the fresh mountain air enlighten Whistler councillors to be proactive in providing workforce housing?
— Kira Gerwing (@KiraGerwing) November 3, 2015Good housing policy turns NIMBYS to YIMBYS --Marla Zucht #actions4housing
— Tabrina (@TabrinaExplores) November 3, 2015Whistler Housing Authority =fantastic strategy although market fundamentals of resort community allows market to bare cost #actions4housing
— Pete Fry (@PtFry) November 3, 2015Advice for non-resort cities: ideas are transferable if there's the strength to put restrictions in place! - Marla Zucht #actions4housing
— City Conversations (@cityconv) November 3, 2015Other speakers focused on solutions that dealt with the actual units of the housing themselves. Metro Vancouver planner Tom Lancaster brought about the importance of innovative planning of long term housing solutions to sustain future generations. The idea Lancaster proposed, is as Vancouver’s population grows, movable walls can be rearranged to provide more housing units for families within the same amount of space. Robert Brown, president of Catalyst Community Developments Society brought up the topic of utilizing resources within the community that haven’t been used for housing yet. This includes unlocking untouched resources for housing: utilizing churches and non-profits to generate more available housing.
Lancaster's slide deck on housing stats are incredible and depressing! #actions4housing #wethecity @SFUPublicSquare
— Shauna Sylvester (@ShaunaSylvester) November 3, 2015Filing this for later, Tom Lancaster urban designer slide construction cost v sales cost #actions4housing pic.twitter.com/Q6Prp77p1u
— Pete Fry (@PtFry) November 3, 2015
@tyeesolutions #actions4housing Robert Brown's np model is great. Build on it and make it 3 ways - City, Developers, non-profit
— Tom Lancaster (@Yazapapa) November 3, 2015Churches can be housing spaces too-its about rethinking real estate, says Robert Brown of @catalyst_cds #actions4housing
— Cherise Seucharan (@CSeucharan) November 3, 2015Heard of a non-profit real estate developer? Robert Brown of @catalyst_cds shares some projects, like homes w/ 60yr leases. #actions4housing
— City Conversations (@cityconv) November 3, 2015
Gail Joe says that All Nations Trust has a very low loan loss rate with aboriginal communities #actions4housing #wethecity @SFUPublicSquare
— Shauna Sylvester (@ShaunaSylvester) November 3, 2015Highly agree that you can't expect to use a cookie-cutter model for communities with diversity. Thx Gail Joe! #wethecity #actions4housing
— Jennifer Liu (@jenn278) November 3, 2015
Interactive portion on the intersection of happiness & urban planning @csgmclaren @thehappycity #actions4housing pic.twitter.com/ctDyogr3mS
— SFU Public Square (@SFUPublicSquare) November 3, 2015The reality of the situation addressed by all 7 speakers, is that the housing issue can’t be fixed by itself. Government intervention is needed to implement strict policies that generate the inflation of housing prices as well, consider alternative solutions to solve the housing issue.
Answers to Affordable Housing Are ‘Everywhere’ — David P Ball, The Tyee (November 18, 2015)
Pete Fry: Everybody's talking about foreign investment; let's talk about renter tax credits — Pete Fry, The Georgia Straight (November 13, 2015)
Solving The Housing Crisis at SFU: Part 1 — Ulduz Maschaykh, Spacing Vancouver (November 9, 2015)
On Nov. 2, a Storytelling Night in Search of Vancouver Housing Solutions — Tyee Solutions Society, The Tyee (October 5, 2015)
This public event is presented in partnership with the Tyee Solutions Society as part of a year-long project called ‘The Housing Fix,’ which aims to promote a national non-partisan dialogue and real policy changes on affordable housing through open source journalism and invited-expert workshops in Vancouver (Nov 3rd) and Ottawa (Jan 2016). Find dozens of in-depth articles on housing issues, as well as information about where the major political parties stand on housing, here: thehousingfix.ca
#actions4housing
Supporters
Tyee Solutions Society’s Housing Fix project supported by:
Media Partners
-
Indigenous City Gathering
Our final event of the 2015 Community Summit was a stirring evening featuring extrodinary Indigenous leaders, artists and community members exploring the theme of city building. From storytelling to live painting, traditional foods and memorable performances, the first Indigenous City Gathering sparked conversation and connection.
Read More →
-
Thrive! Surrey in 2030: A Residents’ Lab on the Future of their City
Think like a city planner, take part in a unique city-building simulation, and experience what it feels like to live in the Surrey of 2030. Selected residents came together to build a vision for their city where everyone can thrive.
Read More →
-
Open City: One Book, One SFU
Teju Cole was in conversation with CBC Radio’s Eleanor Wachtel as they explored the power of cities and the lure of literature in this inaugural event of SFU Library’s One Book, One SFU.
Read More →
-
Leading and Learning: Innovative Tools for Advancing Sustainability in Surrey
The City of Surrey is updating the Sustainability Charter, our 50 year vision for becoming a more sustainable city. Participants convened for an engaging evening with thought leaders who presented their ideas on innovative tools for creating more sustainable cities - with keynote speaker Chris Ragan, Chair of the Eco-Fiscal Commission.
Read More →
-
Downtown Vancouver Re-Imagined
We are thrilled to announce the release of the Re-Imagine Downtown Vancouver findings with the Downtown Vancouver Business Imporvement Association (DVBIA).
Read More →
-
Would cities be different if they were designed by women? | City Conversations
This special edition of City Conversation focused on women’s perspectives on city building, bringing a gender lens to the theme of our 2015 Community Summit.
Read More →
-
ReThink Food: Sustainability Innovation Challenge
ReThink Food was a one-day innovation challenge for high school students across Metro Vancouver. Participants designed a solution to our sustainability challenge question and competed for seed funding to implement their projects. Over 150 students came together on November 5th, 2015 to generate innovative projects that will have real impact in their schools.
Read More →
-
We The City: An Evening at the Centre
Cities are a reflection of our human needs and values. Our signature event considered how the arts create, reveal, critique and enhance the identity of our urban centres and powerfully foster connection, incite social change and build capacity for healthy communities. Candy Chang, Teju Cole, and Buffy Sainte-Marie provided compelling talks and Mo Dhaliwal guided us through the signature event of the 2015 Community Summit, co-presented with Vancity.
Read More →
-
TILT City: Engaging the Streets
In partnership with HCMA Architecture and Design and their TILT curiosity labs, TILT City engaged the streets of downtown Vancouver with urban interventions. Engaged citizens had the chance to temporarily transform spaces in the public realm during this one-day interactive event.
Read More →
-
Actions for Housing Now: Creating Affordable, Suitable, and Secure Housing in Canadian Cities
In partnership with the Tyee Solutions Society and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, we hosted Actions for Housing Now. Attendees collaborated on real-world policy solutions for affordable, suitable, and secure housing for working households in Canadian cities, to be presented to Canada’s new federal government.
Read More →
-
Housing in the City: Beyond the Headlines
Headlines remind us constantly of our housing crisis: prices run amok, renovictions, and near-zero rental vacancy rates. This evening of storytelling considered the landscape of housing in Vancouver and beyond, with an eye on working households, at or below median income, in urban centers across Canada.
Read More →
-
Resilient Renewable Cities
A number of global cities, including the City of Vancouver, have adopted a 100% renewable energy target in one or more of their electricity, heating & cooling, and transportation sectors. While reaching these goals will require a shift towards renewables, the foundation lies in changing the way we plan and build cities and consume energy. The purpose of this event was to discuss how to best reconcile increasing renewable energy supply while reducing energy use and ensuring resiliency.
Read More →
-
Campus to City
SFU Public Square, in partnership with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, hosted a one-day national conversation on the role of colleges and universities in city-building.
Read More →
-
Researching the City
Presented in partnership with SFU Vancouver and related faculties, departments, schools, programs and institutes, this storytelling event showcased how research activities have a positive impact on cities – in public policy, economic development, social justice, health and well-being. We looked at how university research contributes to and learns from the city's communities.
Read More →