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razzberryyams.bsky.social
Jimmy Scrambles 🐞🤠🪩🚈
@razzberryyams.bsky.social
1.9K followers 230 following 2.2K posts
Likes: Vancouver, Skytrain, dense walkable mixed use neighbourhoods, trans rights, sports, Vancouver Canucks, CANWNT, romance media, trans rights, pop music, AOC

Reading The Power Broker is my personality

he/him
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razzberryyams.bsky.social
It's the 2023-2024 net intraprovincial migration number! I found it by directly using 21901 as a search term.

Not a great act of journalism to conflate that with net migration.

www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/daily-...
July 11, 2025 at 11:29 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Somehow the complaint is always about car traffic, as if the West End isn't one of the most bikeable neighborhoods.

These people need to focus on cars rather than apartments.
I am writing to oppose. I’m a mother of two young children, and we live just across the street from the proposed rezoning site at 520-590 West 29th Avenue. I want to express my deep concern and opposition to this current development plan. I know we need more housing in Vancouver. But this proposal — with two large six-storey buildings and over 200 units — feels extreme for our quiet residential block. It’s not just the size that worries me. It’s the everyday impact on my family’s life. We walk our kids to school. We ride bikes to Hillcrest and Queen Elizabeth Park. Right now, we feel safe doing that. But with hundreds of new residents and cars coming into a space with very limited parking, it’s hard not to imagine the traffic, the noise, and the stress this will bring to our small streets. As parents, we spend years trying to build safe, stable environments for our kids. When a development of this size is proposed just across the street, it’s not NIMBYism — it’s a natural protective instinct. I hope the City will hear from families like ours who are invested in this neighborhood for the long term. Please consider scaling this project back and creating something more balanced that respects the families and children who already call this area home. Warm regards, Shirley ShumAlthough I think more rental housing is needed in the city, not every site is suitable for building a densely populated rental housing. There are already many new buildings and proposed rental buildings in the Cambie area. I strongly oppose to the re-zoning proposal of building over 200 units in such a small site. The quiet vibe of the QE Park neighbourhood will be destroyed. Concerns have already been raised regrading the parking, traffic congestion and safety issues in the area and 29th avenue in 2024. However, these concerns have not been addressed properly and no resolution is provided. If this re-zoning proposal is passed without resolving the fores…
July 9, 2025 at 6:18 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
What we need people to understand is that the housing is a benefit. It's housing that thousands of residents will enjoy, and it'll reduce competition for housing amongst tenants and buyers.

And debt financing infrastructure is totally normal.

www.proquest.com/canadiannews...
Craig Ollenberger, chairman of the Grandview-Woodland Area Council, expressed similar concerns this week to city council about the project's affordability. After the meeting, Ollenberger said: "They've set a whole new and much lower bar." Ollenberger understands that Vancouver's ABC-majority council was elected on a promise to build more housing faster, and they need to adapt to market conditions. But, he said, a series of recent decisions "seems like part of a trend to abandon the effort to ensure public benefits for these projects." "They seem to be not minding the store." "It comes down to a fundamental question: If we're building, what are we building for? If we're not getting affordability, if we're not getting public benefits - and if we're now, in fact, even taking on debt to build these things?" Ollenberger said. "What are we doing it for? You don't build for the sake of building, that's not good enough. You have to build to make improvements in some of these things that matter."
July 3, 2025 at 9:33 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Never is it actually described how upzoning too much would ruin the walkability and amenities aimed at seniors.
Yes, South Oak Bay is renowned for its historic homes, tree-lined streets, lush vegetation and iconic views – all of which are central to residents' sense of place and identity. But our community character here is not just about this. It is also about the social fabric, walkability and the unique environment that makes Oak Bay special. Rather than jam unattractive multi-family homes onto 50-foot lots, let's manage densification in a way that respects our heritage and community values. By applying thoughtful design standards and engaging the community, South Oak Bay can grow in a way that is both welcoming and true to its character. Let's design a new future of aging in place with dignity and choice. Should you agree, please let your MLA know that you would prefer gentle densification in your community. Kate Wickens-Jobling Oak Bay
July 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
The GDP mistake is made twice, in the first example and this one, where Musk's paper wealth is illustrated with an example of him attempting to buy SA, but the premise that SA's market value is equal to its annual GDP is nonsensical.
July 2, 2025 at 12:35 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
This 3.2M view video has some decent critiques of the rising profitability of powerful middlemen like algorithmic platforms and real estate owners, but the scale of the hysteria is premised on two classic misunderstandings: stocks vs flows and the aging population
July 2, 2025 at 12:35 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
It's fun to read old articles because you get poorly aged takes like "London, England is getting housing policy right because if its 50% IZ"

spacing.ca/vancouver/20...
Locally, the public is constantly bombarded by politicians and municipal officials who state that they are doing everything within their means to tackle affordability. At best, this is a delusion created through ignorance. At worst, it is rhetoric addressed at fooling the populous and prolonging the need for action. Such a statement can be substantiated by pointing out that the call to truly address affordable housing—as it relates to economic and social sustainability—has been answered by several other cities worldwide. One of the most aggressive and courageous examples has taken place in London, England. Being one of the world’s most economically successful and socially vibrant cities, the municipality recognized that a lack of affordable housing was adversely affecting their economic growth. As a means of ensuring long-term economic prosperity and protecting Londoners from spiraling house prices, they mandated a requirement that up to 50 percent of any new housing project must consist of affordable housing. Not only for families on waiting lists but also for those key service workers (nurses, firefighters, police officers, etc.) whose skills are required for the proper functioning of the city but who were being priced out of the market. These actions from such an economically powerful global city should be an eye-opener for all Vancouver’s municipal leaders and decision-makers. It is time to openly accept that affordability is an issue “outside City control” and left to market forces are simply untrue. Affordability is ‘designed’ ….as is unaffordability.
June 28, 2025 at 5:09 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
I love these boomer NIMBY urbanist comics on spacing.ca so much because they're so dumb.

Like, the for lease sign is right there on the left.
A comic of King Eby saying "don't whine about democracy when we're in the middle of a crisis" while looming over towers under construction, land being assembled, a landlord claiming they have to raise the rent because of their property tax assessments going up, and a couple saying "where do we move now?"
June 28, 2025 at 7:34 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
I've been thinking about this all day because somebody writing this as if it's a rebuke of filtering is a level of obliviousness I cannot comprehend.

Like yeah, filtering goes both ways because market segments are linked!

spacing.ca/vancouver/20...
Alain Bertaud, in his book Order Without Design, offers a sharp yet balanced critique of this approach. He argues that while the trickle-down effect might occur in limited ways, it cannot address the full complexity of housing supply and demand. For example, in Shanghai, even large-scale construction of new housing didn’t alleviate affordability challenges for lower-income groups because the new supply wasn’t distributed in a way that matched their needs. Bertaud also sheds light on the opposite phenomenon—the “trickle-up” effect. When supply is constrained, wealthier households outbid poorer ones for existing housing, often displacing the latter in the process. This dynamic, seen in cities with restrictive zoning and high demand, often worsens inequality. In Chennai, for instance, subsidized housing meant for lower-income groups was frequently purchased by higher-income households able to pay more. Such examples highlight how housing markets respond to economic forces, not intentions, and why simplistic models fail to deliver equitable outcomes.
June 28, 2025 at 7:23 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Well, I don't think this is that well evidenced. Like, 30,000 homes is not and earthshattering amount for a megacity like New York. And that's not even factoring in demolitions.

Plus, vacancies are rare and the the uber rich convert brownstone apartments to live in occasionally as well.
June 2, 2025 at 6:39 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Literally Downtown Vancouver next to the stadiums and False Creek
A photo of a Costco beneath glass condo towers in Vancouver
June 1, 2025 at 6:10 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Shoutout to Elections Canada for doing campus voting, I did not expect to be able to vote today and it was really easy. Basically works like a mail-in.

I did look up my federal riding post-redistricting for the first time and it totally changed lol. Had to do some quick candidate googling.
April 15, 2025 at 6:46 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
I'm pretty consistent in taking the expansionary definition of what it means to be human to its logical conclusion.

The soft-hearted lib in me runs deep. I mourn them both and hope Cold Harbour Gemma can be saved.
March 24, 2025 at 11:05 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
There's a lot to learn about the economics of urban land using farmland as an example, but farmland becoming so relatively cheap has made people stop caring about it.

The way farmland values were driven down is actually one of the great triumphs of society. We should try to relocate it!
March 17, 2025 at 3:23 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Vancouver NIMBYs are trying to save these plain boxes from Broadway Subway induced redevelopment so I really don't want to hear about how aesthetics matter.

They recognize that homes matter more than aesthetics when convenient. There's no point in appeasing them.
March 9, 2025 at 3:40 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Shaughnessy still remains Vancouver's most blatant unused potential
March 2, 2025 at 7:04 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
The whole piece just throws around stats and percentages but never actually answers the question "does strategic voting decrease the odds of a Conservative winning a riding"

They handwringing about uncertainty and then cherrypick counterexamples
February 20, 2025 at 5:21 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
The oh, oh, oh, oh is the most important lyric
February 19, 2025 at 9:22 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Remnants of liberal hegemony
February 19, 2025 at 8:20 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Inshallah they will get a sibling
February 19, 2025 at 5:54 PM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Evergreen
February 18, 2025 at 5:01 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
One difference between Canada and America is that our opposition parties have basically been pressured to hold the line while Trump's closest allies aren't even backing him

I do not believe Americans have the stomach for enduring the negative effects of a trade war
February 2, 2025 at 8:44 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
I'm reading The Choice rn and Joe Biden really feels like a combination of both Dole and Clinton.

Dole has the failed past bids for president. Clinton has the 2 years of a trifecta with not much legislation that resonates with the public.

Also, Cheney having a gay relative probably saved America.
January 29, 2025 at 5:27 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
I think this is still the best summation of what drives Trump. There is no real trade policy. The point is to win trade wars. You roll over and he'll eventually pick another fight.

www.salina.com/story/news/p...
“We’re going to win. We’re going to win so much. We’re going to win at trade, we’re going to win at the border. We’re going to win so much, you’re going to be so sick and tired of winning, you’re going to come to me and go ‘Please, please, we can’t win anymore.’ You’ve heard this one. You’ll say ‘Please, Mr. President, we beg you sir, we don’t want to win anymore. It’s too much. It’s not fair to everybody else.’” Trump said. “And I’m going to say ‘I’m sorry, but we’re going to keep winning, winning, winning, We’re going to make America great again.”
January 28, 2025 at 6:30 AM
razzberryyams.bsky.social
Strong Towns showing Times Square as a positive example let's go

www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
January 27, 2025 at 11:33 PM