Blog to Save Barnston

While protecting farmland is key, I know that something must be done to effect the trend of urban sprawl.  Coming up with some type of solution to this issue that has long term sustainability has been difficult.  History has shown us that everyone who explicitely tried to target urban sprawl has bitten off too much to chew.  Concepts like new urbanism, Vancouverism, and all the other various “isms” have attempted to make a systematic change in the way people look at cities and the way people choose to live.  Frankly, people are not going to make significant changes to the way they live simply because you come up with some fancy name and some urban planners thell them that that is the way it should be done.  This is where these solutions have gone wrong.  Too much scope and too many stakeholders.

I contend that we simply make the end of urban sprawl a business decision.  Ater all, business typically holds the most power in a society.  Throughout the many posts I have made on this blog I wrote many times of the effects that real estate values have on urban sprawl.  By catering to city core real estate developers, I believe we could significantly reduce urban sprawl.

Plain and simple, developers want to make money.  In order to make money, they typically want to build big.  By adding a dozen stories to their building, they are going to be able to make more money on a project.  This is why I believe the city needs to change its zoning laws.  By allowing more units to be placed on the same property, density will certainly increase and condos can be sold with smaller margins.  This should result in more, cheaper housing available in the downtown core. 

Now, how sustainable is this.  The opportunity is certainly there.  Changing city zoning will, without a doubt, cause developers to build taller buildings.  This in turn increases the density in the downtown core.  Also, building a condo building in the downtown core will become more profitable, reducing the benefit of building in the suburbs.  As for people and capital, they tend to come together.  If the government was to change the zoning rules, developers with significant capital would come to them.

Of course, while there is always a risk of a real estate collapse or recession hurting the demand for these condos, well priced condos at the bottom of the market tend to perform better in these types of markets.  First time buyers would still be buying in this situation.

Overall, I believe that there is the potential for simple changes in zoning rules to take a big bite out of urban sprawl.

One more of these.

Find a New Place to Park

I was reading the newspaper the other day when I came across an article on parking in downtown Vancouver.  Of course, the first thing I thought was that they were trying to reduce congestion in the city and trying to reduce pollution from commuters across the Lower Mainland.  By limiting the amount of on street parking, city officials were also on the way towards taking a bite out of urban sprawl.  The underlying effect is clear.  When it is tougher to find affordable parking in Vancouver, the cost of the commute rises.  When the cost of the commute rises, people are less willing to live further from their job.  The difference in parking costs of $10/day adds up to $200/month and significantly narrows the gap between suburb and city rent costs.

Now, how sustainable is this solution.  Once again, there is no doubt that the opportunity is there.  Tens of thousands of people a day drive into Vancouver for work and need a place to park.  If the demand for parking outpaces supply even greater, costs will rise and people will look for alternatives.  The people envolved in this solution is another important factor.  Government officials must be interested in using this solution or it will go nowhere.  A good thing is that costs are extremely minimal.

There are some negatives to using this solution to fight urban sprawl.  While increased parking costs may get people off the road, many will simply use other transportation alternatives.  Also, when parking spaces are lost, people are unable to patronize businesses.  Fearing a lack of customers, many businesses may decide to locate out of the city, increasing the effects of urban sprawl.

There is no doubt that this solution has the potential to reduce urban sprawl, but it must be implemented in combination with several other options.