A planned rally will be taking place at Vancouver City Hall this weekend, and it’s in opposition to some aspects of the Broadway Plan in what some are calling another case of NIMBYism.
The protest is being called “Pause the Plan,” some key complaints in the event poster include the claim that affordable housing will be demolished and tenants will be evicted.
A more general theme of the event is to “voice discontent with the Broadway Plan.”
According to the group planning the protest, a key goal is to raise the visibility of the plan’s impacts on Broadway and to have people rethink the narrative that mass demolition and construction will improve Vancouver’s housing situation.
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It starts at 1 pm and will have several speakers, including emcee Theodore Abbott, who is a coordinator with TEAM for a Livable Vancouver and UBC professor Patrick Condon.
The City of Vancouver asked for the public’s feedback on the Broadway Plan this summer, and it shared the results of that engagement in a summarized report this September. Some of the concerns shared with the City included the idea that increased density could have led to a loss of green space and a negative impact on infrastructure. There were also some concerns about increased congestion and overpopulation.
Some opposed potential policies that would increase urban density and “fear of worsening living conditions.”
Another concern expressed in the report was that “there is too much density and too little consideration for public amenities, especially green spaces and free light cones. ”
“Our opposition is based on concern that increased tower heights will destroy the character of individual neighbourhoods & the parkades will increase traffic in residential lanes.”
Someone on Reddit shared that they received a slip about the protest in their mailbox, asking others if they had. The event poster shares some additional details about the protest.
Anyone else receive this in their mailbox today?
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Many have called out the planned protest, making the point that density is the solution.
“How is Vancouver supposed to grow with only single family residences? Make it make sense people. No large metropolitan city stays with single family plots like this forever. It’s time to let go of this weird idea. Smh.”
Some took issue with calling the area quiet.
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“Missing middle would have made sense 20 years ago if we had allowed it throughout the city, and it would have met our housing needs. Now we’re in such a housing deficit, and land prices are so high that towers are the only thing that seems financially viable. We (or nimbys rather) did this to ourselves,” one Redditor said.
Someone else brought back an older debate, bringing more density to Shaughnessy.
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The City of Vancouver responded to our request for comment, saying it supports the public’s right to peaceful protest.
“Regarding the Broadway Plan, it was passed in 2022 to guide growth and integrate new housing, job space and amenities along the Broadway corridor,” the City told Daily Hive.
“The Broadway Plan is intended to be a flexible framework that will respond to evolving opportunities and challenges in the area and the city over the 30-year life of the Plan. As a result, the Broadway Plan is considered a living document that will be updated over time. Additionally, as part of the Broadway Subway Project, the City has an agreement with TransLink to continue to monitor and review land use policy in the area to ensure we are seeing the desired land use outcomes near the new rapid transit investment.”
You can find more information about the protest here. What do you think of this protest and the overall state of the City of Vancouver’s Broadway Plan? Let us know in the comments.