VREP #463 | Vancouver's Broadway Plan Could Become a Planning Disaster with Frances Bula

Is Vancouver's ambitious Broadway Plan creating a housing solution or a planning nightmare?

This week Globe and Mail award-winning journalist Frances Bula sits down with Adam & Matt to unpack the plan transforming Kitsilano, Fairview, and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods along the Broadway corridor. And the early signs are concerning. From poor street integration to the shocking focus on a single building type, Bula breaks down how what was sold as a West End-style transformation has so far resulted in 150 near-identical tower proposals that could turn cherished Vancouver neighborhoods into something closer to a Soviet-era suburb.

Has Vancouver entirely abandoned its historically thoughtful approach to neighborhood planning? How can the city better balance the urgent need for more housing with creating neighborhoods that actually work for both new and existing residents? And what does a botched Broadway Plan potentially mean for transit improvements across Metro Vancouver for decades to come?

Plus, hear Frances's surprising take on Vancouver's recent by-election results that could signal a dramatic shift in the city's political landscape just two years after ABC's sweeping victory. This one is for anyone who loves Vancouver!