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Â¥
2010 Feb 12, 3:10am
I want to live in either Bellingham or Point Roberts.
The funny thing is that the boundary is so arbitrary -- half the small alluvial fan that Vancouver is built on is in NW Washington.
10 hours through Banff to get to Calgary. Vancouver is in its own little terrane., except for the easy access southwards to the Seattle metro. I was last there the summer of '85.
Canada has the population of California but the natural resources of 80 acres per person. If economics were rational and fair, everyone would be millionaires in Canada. Alberta has 200 years of 4.4 m bbl of production a day. At a $50/bbl citizen's dividend, that would be an income stream of $2,600/yr per person, enough to basic healthcare (I'm paying $2400/yr on a BlueXYZ plan).
Of course, economics doesn't work that way -- surplus income will ALWAYS chase land values. And Vancouver is in one helluva bubble right now.
Vancouver reminds me a lot of Singapore and HK, actually. Isolated spit of land in a good trade location. Both of those cities incorporated rather strict land controls to reign in speculation and parasitical rentierism of ground rents, to good effect I guess.
Peter P
2010 Feb 12, 11:29am
"Beautiful city" is an oxymoron. That said, Vancouver is the least ugly city in the world.
Vancouver Island is much nicer though.
elliemae
2010 Feb 13, 4:10am
“Beautiful city†is an oxymoron. That said, Vancouver is the least ugly city in the world.
Amen! But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My daughter thinks that New York is beautiful, vibrant & exciting. I found it to be congested, dirty, and devoid of plant life. It's all in how ya look at it.
Â¥
2010 Feb 13, 7:04am
Cities could be beautifully laid out, but the free market does not value public beauty, only private beauty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramercy_Park
is a primary example of that. Exceptions like Central Park and GG Park kinda prove the rule, the public's got to reserve the commons before the free market gets there to destroy it.
This is an example of market failure since green cities restrict housing and ceteris paribus have higher rents. Existing residents want greenspace, but developers have the force of money to individually enrich themselves while reducing the common weal. Tragedy of the unmanaged commons.
The upcoming winter oympics in Vancouver brought fresh thoughts to big cities around the world, and from a shere beauty standpoint, I sincerely think is the most beautiful city in the world. I guess those who have been to Vancouver knows why I feel that way. Thoughts?