Affordable housing: how a problem could become a solution

Most of the people who work in Vancouver can’t afford to live here. That’s why Vision Vancouver’s 2008 platform pledged to create “an affordable housing boom” to tackle one of Vancouver’s most persistent problems: the lack of affordable rental or market housing for the vast majority of citizens who make our city work. I’ve been working with Councillor Raymond Louie on a motion for council debate that seeks to make our campaign commitment a reality.

If we’re successful, the benefits could be even greater than we expected during the campaign. This shrewd and insightful comment by Marc Lee indicates that a major casualty of the economic slide — housing construction — could be the place where government stimulus would do the most good. It will not only generate jobs, it will make our cities more socially inclusive and sustainable.