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New Taxes and Higher Density Aren’t Fixing Vancouver’s Housing Problem

To combat the exodus of its working and middle classes, the city needs an aggressive affordable housing strategy—and fast.
Vancouver’s geography and climate make it a heavily sought-after city, for both aspiring residents and real-estate investors from abroad.
Vancouver’s geography and climate make it a heavily sought-after city, for both aspiring residents and real-estate investors from abroad.Chris Helgren/Reuters
By
Tracey Lindeman

In many ways, Vancouver is a perfect city.

Tucked into the southwesternmost pocket of Canada, it’s one of the only places in the country that doesn’t experience cold and snowy winters. Vancouver is a nature lover’s paradise, surrounded by the Pacific to the west, and mountains and massive provincial parks to the north and east. Just 24 miles north of the U.S. border, and with daily nonstop flights to Asia, it’s accessible too.