Liveable City Planning Ltd.
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liveablecity.bsky.social
Liveable City Planning Ltd.
@liveablecity.bsky.social
Michael Mortensen MCIP, RPP is Director of Liveable City Planning Ltd.
Well the fact that TEAM for an Unaffordable Vancouver got skunked in today's by-election is something to celebrate. Council seats should only go to those who come with solutions and the ability to reason through different alternatives.
April 6, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Passionate about what we are doing to create Liveable Cities! Plenty of turbulence in 2025 but we're on track for a busy year!
February 11, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Whoever drafted the Broadway Plan Opposition Letter included a whopper of a lie. Prove me wrong.
January 30, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Vancouver Island developers: you can change lives by putting development homes to temporary use! My friend Louis James runs refugee settlement programs for the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society and is always on the hunt for accommodations.
linkedin.com/in/louis-james-1b881b259
January 28, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Limits to Chinese state Artificial Intelligence
January 28, 2025 at 3:59 PM
@liveablecity.bsky.social honoured to co-lead this learning journey with Perkins+Will, PWL, and a wider team for Nch’ḵaỷ Development Corporation +Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation - listening to stories of the lands to imagining and modelling new futures in 'plans and pro formas'. Story here: tinyurl.com/msexsypx
January 27, 2025 at 3:47 PM
To give you some frame of reference, here's the benchmark annual return on capital invested from the BC Municipal Pension Plan from their 2023 Annual Report.
January 26, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Fresh thread on @cityhallwchvan.bsky.social financial illiteracy. If this project generates $4.6M in Y1 net operating income, where do they get the stupid idea this generates $107M in "wealth". No clue what it costs to develop and finance such a building? cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/2025/01/22/2...
January 26, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Vancouver's DCL Waiver for Secured Rental Housing at Market and Below Market rates is a small fraction of the unit cost. It's in fact a credit for affordable housing that is the target of DCL funds. Appalling is the almost $47,000/unit Regional & City taxes levied on a typical new apartment.
January 25, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Spacing Magazine published an uninformed article critical of Vancouver's Broadway Plan, alleging City didn't consider economics of alternate intensities of rental.

Facts:
Appendix K of the City's report: council.vancouver.ca/20220518/doc...

and Tenant Protection:
vancouver.ca/people-progr...
January 22, 2025 at 5:21 PM
January 20, 2025 at 1:15 AM
January 20, 2025 at 1:14 AM
January 20, 2025 at 1:14 AM
January 20, 2025 at 1:14 AM
January 20, 2025 at 1:13 AM
NEW RENTAL HOUSING, Vancouver BC
Against all the noise and biased negativity, here are six randomly selected applications showing typical floors with very livable suites.
www.shapeyourcity.ca/1270-1290-w-...
January 20, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Food for thought for the design of homes, shared common areas and public spaces for new higher intensity developments ...
January 15, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Vancouver's Broadway Plan rental incentives are creating FAR MORE AFFORDABILITY than what exists on the ground today, creating an enormous redevelopment multiple vs existing units.
December 24, 2024 at 1:45 PM
Heres' the Studio
December 8, 2024 at 9:00 PM
The Broadway Plan is generating affordable housing. New Policy requires factual comparisons of alternatives, how they fit with local incomes and impact financial viability. Here's Liveable City Planning's math:

lnkd.in/gGsbfaeP
December 8, 2024 at 8:58 PM
1) Are foreign investors really at the heart of our housing market problems? 2) Why is CPP more heavily invested in rental housing ABROAD vs Canada? 3) Can we use the energy + capital of foreign investors like the Australians do by restricting new investment to new RESI real estate only?

Thoughts?
December 8, 2024 at 8:54 PM
An old summary article I prepared years ago remains relevant.
1/ Vancouver is land constrained ...
2/ Metro Vancouver's population is growing
3/ We need to focus on housing price stability
4/ We can't have low housing prices & low density
wordpress.com/post/michael...
December 6, 2024 at 8:02 PM
Douglas Todd (Van Sun) suggests multifam apts are a "disconnect" b/c a survey shows '43% prefer detached homes; only 22% want apartments'. Such cognitive dissonance. A bit of financial literacy needed .... Far less than 10% of Vancouver households can afford a detached home based on income.
December 1, 2024 at 2:16 AM
Lazy journalists are falling for the "Birdshit Architecture" critiques of those opposed to the Broadway Plan. All applications feature ground level renders that illustrate landscaping, public amenities, local shops, street trees etc. We can have +Intensity and +Amenity
November 30, 2024 at 4:29 AM
Find me ANY planning incentive program in North America that has created as many new rental home planning applications in such a short time ...
@mikeklassen.bsky.social @petermeiszner.bsky.social @ptfry.bsky.social @lisadominato.bsky.social @christineboyle.bsky.social @fabulavancouver.bsky.social
November 30, 2024 at 2:22 AM