Density

Walking around our neighbourhood I started thinking about population density and the growth of cities.  I saw some of the new day-care centres that were just completed nearby.  This area of the city of Vancouver is growing rapidly and the demand for these services is also growing.  Those that were built years ago were all single storey buildings.  There are about ten or so of these.  The news ones are also single storey buildings.  I wondered why they chose single storey?  Zoning should not be an issue since there are eighteen storey apartment buildings backing onto some of the daycare.  All of these could have fit into one building with a slightly larger footprint and about six storeys high.

My thoughts than moved on to my trip to Japan and an entry in my Autumn in Japan blog comparing the sizes of Tokyo and Vancouver as well as their population densities.  Greater Vancouver's population is about 2.1 million.  The surface area it covers is about 2877 square kilometres.  If Vancouver was as densely populated as Tokyo it would only need to cover 500 square kilometres - a square with sides twenty-two kilometres long.  Today its 2877 square kilometres require an area that has side fifty-three kilometres long.  Those extra 1377 square kilometres could have been left in their natural state (forests, bogs, marsh, etc.).  Alternatively we could have larger parks, more green belts, farms, etc.

Of all the cities I have been to in my life the two that I enjoyed the most were the two most densely populated ones I visited - Tokyo and London.  They have a vibe, a level of energy, a busyness about them.  Density does not mean that we all need to live in small apartments.  It just means that we need to build up rather than across as we seem to love so much.  There are also lots of advantages to density.

Easier and cheaper to run services - water, sewer, electricity, telephone, cable to homes
Easier to justify infrastructure like community facilities (pools, parks, community centres, schools, gyms, arenas)
Increased awareness of our impact on others - noise, garbage.

London and Tokyo are fantastic places.  They are busy but there are also many places to hang out and have your peace (especially in Tokyo).

Densify!

Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Visiting a dense city is very different than living in a dense city. Be careful what you wish for
January 23, 2009
Olivier said…
Hi FrankV. First thanks for reading! Yep that is true - there is nothing like living in a city to really understand it. I wonder whether by compressing living quarters (btw, this should not imply uninteresting lodgings) we could have more natural settings left for us to enjoy. I guess the extreme I'd like to avoid is the 4000 sq. ft homes on 1/4 acre lots that pop up in suburbs. We don't need that much room. Later FrankV! Thanks again.
January 23, 2009
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Banning Russian Teams and Athletes

Speaking Tuesday to legislators in London about Wimbledon, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: "Absolutely nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed. Many of us would be willing and able to [allow them to] compete as non-aligned, non-flag-bearing entities. But I think it needs to go beyond that. We need some potential assurances that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to try and get some assurances along those lines." (source =  https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/wimbledon-british-government-in-talks-about-russian-players-1.6386102 ) The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has sparked much debate in the world of sports.  Should Russian teams be banned from competing?  Should individual Russian athletes be banned?  Should teams of athletes be allowed to compete but without flag, uniform, country name, anthem, etc.? Some athletes have said that it is unfair to mix politics and sports.  They rightly state t
Read more

A Personal Request

To my readers, Yesterday I registered to run the 5K HSBC 2009 Childrun.  This is an event that is being held June 7, 2009 for the 24th year.  It raises funds to help provide care and treatment to children who suffer from cancer.  I consider it a worthwhile cause and I am therefore asking you to donate whatever you can.  Here is a link to my personal web page where you can make a donation.  Thanks in advance for your support. Olivier Let me know what you think about what you have just read. Please and thanks!
Read more

Ash Barty

The news that Ash Barty has taken the decision to retire at the age of 25 has caused many people to react.  Some understand, others question, others accuse.   Her decision has touched off a few ideas of my own. When is enough actually enough?  When do we decide we have enough?  When can we stop and just be content with what we have? At 25 she has achieved so much.  I have seen words accusing her of lack of character, of quitting or of not having the mental fortitude (one person I saw was wondering what was wrong with women's tennis?)  I think none of these people can really speak with any authority.  First of all most of these people, writing the drivel, can hardly speak from a place of success.  How many grand slams have they won?  How many tens of millions of dollars have they earned, how many weeks at number one have they spend and how well known are they in the world?   At some point, enough is enough.  I respect Ash Barty for taking a personal decision.  She has enough.  She h
Read more