City Debate #7: THE VACANCY TAX WILL WORK (VIDEO)
Vancouver just enacted a 1 per cent tax on empty homes. Will that make housing more affordable or fail to do so while creating new problems?
City Debate #6: VANCOUVER REPELS CREATIVE PEOPLE (VIDEO)
Vancouver has been a creative hotbed for environmentalism, urban design, art and social policies – but is that coming to a halt due to high prices and other factors?
Meet Vancouver's New Chief Planner (VIDEO)
Welcome to Vancouver’s new Chief Planner!
Gil Kelley is the City of Vancouver’s new General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability. Please join the Urbanarium in welcoming him to his new role.
Gil will speak on: West Coast Cities: On the Leading Edge of Change
Gil’s talk will be followed by a Q and A and a reception in the Playhouse lobby:
5.30 Doors Open/Check-in
5.30 - 6.30 Networking and No Host Bar
6.30 - 8.00 Talk and Q+A
8.00 - 9.00 Reception
City Debate #19: HIGH RISES ARE MORE SOCIABLE THAN LOW RISES
Which form of housing development supports a stronger community fabric and greater sociability? Do low-rise housing forms make it easier for neighbours to get to know each other and build stronger social connections? Or does being more spread out make it harder to stay connected? Do the higher population densities of condo and rental towers make it easier for residents to form tight social networks? Or does the high-rise form lead to residents being surrounded by people, but all avoiding eye contact in the elevator?
City Debate #18: MASS TIMBER IS NOT WORTH THE RISKS
Mass timber is widely touted for it’s potential for speedy, low carbon construction. However, market acceptance in BC remains elusive. Do the risks (cost, supply chain, trades, maintenance etc) outweigh the benefits? Our panel debates the position: “Mass timber is not worth the risk(s)”.
ADFF Panel on Living Together: The Story of De Warren & Where We Grow Older
Living Together follows a group of young people during the creation of a housing cooperative that aims to be sustainable, social, and affordable. The project is ambitious. Not only is it the first of its kind in the Netherlands, but the group of young residential pioneers has the added challenge of having no house-building experience.
Sustaining Apertures: A Black and Indigenous Design Collective Panel Conversation
A panel conversation between the Black and Indigenous Design Collective (BIDC) collaborators Lys Divine Ndemeye, Sierra Tasi Baker and Krystal Paraboo. Moderated by Sara Stevens.
Meet Vancouver's New Head Planner
Meet Josh White, the City of Vancouver’s new General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability. Josh will be speaking on citymaking ideas and influences over his career with a small panel of established urban practitioners:
City Debate #17: THE PROVINCE WAS RIGHT TO ASSERT ITS AUTHORITY ON LAND USE
Who should decide what scale and type of development should go into an existing neighbourhood? Should it be the City which has close relationships and an overall perspective of development and housing needs across all neighbourhoods? Or should it be the Province who understands the urgent need for development and sees that many local governments are not doing their part to allow change and growth?
City Debate #16: REDUCE BUILDING CODE REGULATIONS
Are we too safe; have we gone too far with the building code?
Building regulations are in place for many good reasons, including keeping residents and first responders safe. At the end of 2023, the BC Government announced adjustments to the Building Code. They are aiming to “right-size” the code, mostly through seismic and accessibility provisions. But, with ambitious housing supply goals, are the proposed reforms enough or are the years of accrued regulations getting in the way of good and affordable housing design?