GRIDS Vancouver
@grids.reillywood.com
An account for Reilly Wood's bad takes about cities. Computer stuff is at @reillywood.com
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
Interestingly, I’m getting ads on Instagram paid for by the UniteHere union trying to portray the hotel shortage as the idea of rolls royce driving rich guy and in opposition to housing
February 9, 2026 at 5:55 AM
Interestingly, I’m getting ads on Instagram paid for by the UniteHere union trying to portray the hotel shortage as the idea of rolls royce driving rich guy and in opposition to housing
Q: anyone know if the Burnaby Fire Department will give people shit for bike storage sheds in car parking spaces?
I know the VFD is more chill about this now but I have no idea about Burnaby vancouver.ca/files/cov/st...
I know the VFD is more chill about this now but I have no idea about Burnaby vancouver.ca/files/cov/st...
February 9, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Q: anyone know if the Burnaby Fire Department will give people shit for bike storage sheds in car parking spaces?
I know the VFD is more chill about this now but I have no idea about Burnaby vancouver.ca/files/cov/st...
I know the VFD is more chill about this now but I have no idea about Burnaby vancouver.ca/files/cov/st...
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
The federal government has the power of the purse. They just tried to use it to push cities into rezoning, a powerful strategy, and then caved at the first sign of pushback.
Lots of blame to go around.
Lots of blame to go around.
February 7, 2026 at 3:09 PM
The federal government has the power of the purse. They just tried to use it to push cities into rezoning, a powerful strategy, and then caved at the first sign of pushback.
Lots of blame to go around.
Lots of blame to go around.
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
Downtown olympic flame lit.
February 7, 2026 at 4:52 AM
Downtown olympic flame lit.
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
Well here's your problem.
February 6, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Well here's your problem.
I did some digging through my development permit data for Vancouver, and... nearly 9 months to get a decision on whether to allow a daycare, cool cool cool cool cool gist.github.com/rgwood/38570...
February 6, 2026 at 5:20 PM
I did some digging through my development permit data for Vancouver, and... nearly 9 months to get a decision on whether to allow a daycare, cool cool cool cool cool gist.github.com/rgwood/38570...
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
[Toronto is a nice city with low energy use per person]
[homes there become ridiculously expensive]
[people try to build homes]
Toronto government: Don't build tall buildings in this city. Too tall!
[people start building underground homes]
Toronto government: no no that's too carbon-intensive
[homes there become ridiculously expensive]
[people try to build homes]
Toronto government: Don't build tall buildings in this city. Too tall!
[people start building underground homes]
Toronto government: no no that's too carbon-intensive
Toronto targets 'iceberg homes' over flooding, tree loss and carbon costs
The luxury workaround to restrictions on height limits for single-family homes in the city saw multi-storey basements that could host anything from underground tennis courts to movie theatres.
www.nationalobserver.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:13 PM
[Toronto is a nice city with low energy use per person]
[homes there become ridiculously expensive]
[people try to build homes]
Toronto government: Don't build tall buildings in this city. Too tall!
[people start building underground homes]
Toronto government: no no that's too carbon-intensive
[homes there become ridiculously expensive]
[people try to build homes]
Toronto government: Don't build tall buildings in this city. Too tall!
[people start building underground homes]
Toronto government: no no that's too carbon-intensive
you ever think about the cheap (psf), huge, mostly-tasteless 1990s condos in the annoyingly-far-from-SkyTrain part of the New West riverbank? www.zealty.ca/property/bc/...
February 5, 2026 at 1:39 AM
you ever think about the cheap (psf), huge, mostly-tasteless 1990s condos in the annoyingly-far-from-SkyTrain part of the New West riverbank? www.zealty.ca/property/bc/...
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
There is an irony these types of people go their entire elected careers not understanding; they position themselves as free market adherents everywhere else, and fail to see the inconsistency of wanting parking management that is akin to a Soviet politburo allocating space for cars from on high.
"I just can't imagine current requirements being adequate," says Cheng of visitor parking. She rejects the idea that the "market" should decide the amount of visitor parking in a new building, because people buying units just assume parking will be available and don't think about it before they buy.
February 4, 2026 at 6:29 PM
There is an irony these types of people go their entire elected careers not understanding; they position themselves as free market adherents everywhere else, and fail to see the inconsistency of wanting parking management that is akin to a Soviet politburo allocating space for cars from on high.
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
Agree, I would worry for a left that doesn't recognize how critical the shortage of homes is to the crisis. The supply shortage isn't the only thing, but it's a fundamental driver.
Tried to synthesize some of the evidence for a progressive audience here: bcpolicy.ca/2025/12/16/h...
Tried to synthesize some of the evidence for a progressive audience here: bcpolicy.ca/2025/12/16/h...
This is why BC’s housing crisis hasn’t been solved yet
The magnitude of the housing shortage is huge, the problems chronic, but the housing crisis is solvable.
Throughout the province and country, the housing crisis is marked by high rents and prices, ...
bcpolicy.ca
February 4, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Agree, I would worry for a left that doesn't recognize how critical the shortage of homes is to the crisis. The supply shortage isn't the only thing, but it's a fundamental driver.
Tried to synthesize some of the evidence for a progressive audience here: bcpolicy.ca/2025/12/16/h...
Tried to synthesize some of the evidence for a progressive audience here: bcpolicy.ca/2025/12/16/h...
tuned into Vancouver council briefly just in time to enjoy this question to staff from Councillor Klassen www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhBR...
February 4, 2026 at 5:25 AM
tuned into Vancouver council briefly just in time to enjoy this question to staff from Councillor Klassen www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhBR...
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
So generally we whack these families with outrageous hotel rates, but more specifically we make them travel out to the ritzy neighbourhood where these hospitals are located where hotels are not generally permitted
February 4, 2026 at 2:29 AM
So generally we whack these families with outrageous hotel rates, but more specifically we make them travel out to the ritzy neighbourhood where these hospitals are located where hotels are not generally permitted
This is unironically what I want to spend a year trying to change when I retire. It is egregious that Vancouver forbids hotels near a specialty hospital for the entire province and I think some sympathetic news coverage could fix that
In a big city where people live in apartments it’s not a frivolity that people can come visit and have a place to stay. As my friend @grids.reillywood.com has previously pointed out, an exceptionally egregious example is B.C. Women’s and Children’s Hospital
February 4, 2026 at 2:32 AM
This is unironically what I want to spend a year trying to change when I retire. It is egregious that Vancouver forbids hotels near a specialty hospital for the entire province and I think some sympathetic news coverage could fix that
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
So it’s broadly recognized that Vancouver needs more hotel rooms, that high room rates driven by high occupancy are a drag on the local economy, that the city needs to facilitate the construction of more hotels. All of this is true
I want speak to the human importance of hotels
I want speak to the human importance of hotels
February 4, 2026 at 1:36 AM
So it’s broadly recognized that Vancouver needs more hotel rooms, that high room rates driven by high occupancy are a drag on the local economy, that the city needs to facilitate the construction of more hotels. All of this is true
I want speak to the human importance of hotels
I want speak to the human importance of hotels
I'm hearing that the open house for this was cancelled due to threats made against staff and the applicants. Not looking good; a bunch of psycho West End retirees are probably going to stop this
Anyone know who's behind the "Stop 2030 Barclay" posters NIMBYing a hotel in the West End? The whole thing's a little too professional+anonymized and it has my spidey-sense tingling drive.google.com/file/d/16mTU...
February 3, 2026 at 11:35 PM
I'm hearing that the open house for this was cancelled due to threats made against staff and the applicants. Not looking good; a bunch of psycho West End retirees are probably going to stop this
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
February 3, 2026 at 4:34 AM
pretty good layout in this Gastown/Chinatown place; 3BR in only 885 sqft and it still manages to have a decent living space www.realtor.ca/real-estate/...
February 3, 2026 at 4:46 AM
pretty good layout in this Gastown/Chinatown place; 3BR in only 885 sqft and it still manages to have a decent living space www.realtor.ca/real-estate/...
traffic decks over Broadway are coming down trafficcams.vancouver.ca/mainBroadway...
February 3, 2026 at 12:51 AM
traffic decks over Broadway are coming down trafficcams.vancouver.ca/mainBroadway...
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
Sanctions-busting hero Hamed Zarepoor has uploaded tons of new Google Street View shots of Tehran. He used to only have the main streets, but now there are lots of side streets. You can see what the city actually looks like, not just what architects wished it looked like:
February 1, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Sanctions-busting hero Hamed Zarepoor has uploaded tons of new Google Street View shots of Tehran. He used to only have the main streets, but now there are lots of side streets. You can see what the city actually looks like, not just what architects wished it looked like:
I was at a Spencer Krug show 2 weeks ago where he was like "people have been into this old song lately, here's a new version" and hahahaha this is not what I expected
January 31, 2026 at 7:54 PM
I was at a Spencer Krug show 2 weeks ago where he was like "people have been into this old song lately, here's a new version" and hahahaha this is not what I expected
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
Fry is a nice man from Strathcona with bad views on housing - a shame to see him running when a nice man from Strathcona with good views on housing is already in the field.
Vancouver councillor Pete Fry has announced he’s running for mayor.
Here’s my interview with him on his candidacy, priorities, and the current state of the race.
And we’ve got a BONUS FRIDAY podcast episode with him coming out today as well.
Here’s my interview with him on his candidacy, priorities, and the current state of the race.
And we’ve got a BONUS FRIDAY podcast episode with him coming out today as well.
Coun. Pete Fry announces run for Vancouver mayor | CBC News
Pete Fry is hoping that for the first time since 2005, Vancouverites might elect a city councillor as its next mayor.
www.cbc.ca
January 30, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Fry is a nice man from Strathcona with bad views on housing - a shame to see him running when a nice man from Strathcona with good views on housing is already in the field.
the SFU Harbour Centre profs who (successfully?) NIMBY’d the last proposal here are going to love this
DP: 601 W Cordova Street. 22-storey office tower with retail at grade, 7.05 FSR, public plaza https://engagevancouver.ca.engagementhq.com/601-w-cordova-st
January 31, 2026 at 2:05 AM
the SFU Harbour Centre profs who (successfully?) NIMBY’d the last proposal here are going to love this
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
"[T]he city is allowed to use the church and gym as warming sites under the B.C. Building Code, as long as those accessing the space do not fall asleep."
I see, so as long as people are regularly poked with sticks, they could stay there.
The Code's not helping...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
I see, so as long as people are regularly poked with sticks, they could stay there.
The Code's not helping...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Unhoused people left without shelter in freezing temperatures in Trail after failed building inspection | CBC News
Trail Mayor Colleen Jones says she was surprised to learn the district ruled the church basement did not meet B.C.’s building codes since it did not have an indoor sprinkler system.
www.cbc.ca
January 30, 2026 at 5:13 PM
"[T]he city is allowed to use the church and gym as warming sites under the B.C. Building Code, as long as those accessing the space do not fall asleep."
I see, so as long as people are regularly poked with sticks, they could stay there.
The Code's not helping...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
I see, so as long as people are regularly poked with sticks, they could stay there.
The Code's not helping...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by GRIDS Vancouver
Oh yeah, can London do THIS
January 30, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Oh yeah, can London do THIS