Critical Analysis: “Worried About Infrastructure Costs? Then End the Apartment Ban”
This article highlights the economic advantages of ending apartment bans to address infrastructure costs but misses a critical aspect: the integration of social infrastructure, particularly schools, into densification efforts. While densification is essential for efficiency, systemic dysfunction persists due to siloed planning and the absence of cohesive frameworks that tie urban development to educational infrastructure.
1. Social Infrastructure and Densification: The Missing Link
1.1 Lack of School Integration in Densification Plans
The article emphasizes the need to end apartment bans but fails to address how densification, without concurrent investment in schools, leads to overcrowding and community discontent.
Dunbar Village and QEA:
Dunbar Village is set to densify under the city’s plans, but the closure of Queen Elizabeth Annex (QEA) directly contradicts the need for accessible schools in walkable, family-friendly neighborhoods. Closing QEA not only removes a critical community resource but also forces children into schools farther away, undermining livability and sustainability goals. Parents have taken the VSB to court—learn more here.
Oakridge Park:
As one of Vancouver’s largest developments, Oakridge Park projects thousands of new residents without including school spaces. Neighboring schools like Jamieson Elementary and Churchill Secondary are already at capacity, and the absence of a school integration plan reflects a systemic failure to align urban growth with community needs. Contact Quadreal here.
1.2 Fleming Elementary: A Case Study in Misalignment
Fleming Elementary exemplifies how systemic dysfunction in social infrastructure planning undermines equity and livability:
Despite operating at 107% capacity, a portion of Fleming’s land was leased for a mere $7,000/month over 99 years. This shortsighted decision prioritizes short-term revenue over long-term community needs and restricts the school’s ability to expand to meet future demands.
2. Systemic Dysfunction in Governance and Planning
The article’s failure to address systemic governance issues highlights a critical gap in its argument. Densification is not inherently efficient unless paired with proactive, integrated planning.
2.1 Reactive Decision-Making
Vancouver’s governance structures encourage reactive planning, where schools are built—or closed—only after housing developments materialize. This approach leaves communities underserved for years, as seen in Oakridge Park and Dunbar Village.
2.2 The Vancouver Charter and Funding Limitations
Unlike every other city in BC, Vancouver is constrained by the Vancouver Charter, which prohibits school site acquisition charges. This legal limitation prevents the city from raising funds directly tied to educational needs, deepening the misalignment between housing and school planning.
2.3 Siloed Planning Across Stakeholders
The absence of collaboration between municipalities, developers, and school boards creates a fragmented approach. For example, developments like Oakridge Park proceed without input from the Vancouver School Board (VSB), leading to predictable overcrowding in adjacent schools.
3. Solutions: A Vision for Integrated Social Infrastructure
To address the systemic issues highlighted above, we need a Developers for Schools Program (DFSP) that offers a transformative framework for tying densification to social infrastructure investments.
3.1 Framework for Integrated Development
Developer Contributions for Schools:
Require that a portion of developer contributions be allocated specifically for schools and daycare facilities within or near new developments.
Shared-Use Facilities:
Incorporate multipurpose spaces, such as daycare centers, libraries, and recreational areas, within schools to maximize land use and foster community cohesion.
Density Bonuses for Social Infrastructure:
Provide developers with expedited approvals and increased density allowances in exchange for funding or building school spaces.
3.2 Leadership
Mayors need to lead boldly, ensuring schools are prioritized in every development decision.
3.3 Address Legal and Policy Gaps
Amend the Vancouver Charter:
Advocate for changes to allow school site acquisition charges, enabling Vancouver to fund educational infrastructure in step with urban growth.
Align Zoning and Enrollment Projections:
Mandate that the VSB and City of Vancouver collaborate on enrollment projections tied to zoning changes, preventing closures like QEA that contradict future population trends.
4. Conclusion: Densification Without Schools Is a Failure
While the article effectively argues for ending apartment bans to reduce infrastructure costs, it overlooks the critical role of schools in creating livable, equitable urban communities. As developments like Oakridge Park and Dunbar Village illustrate, the absence of educational infrastructure planning perpetuates systemic dysfunction and undermines the benefits of densification.
To break this cycle, bold leadership is needed to integrate housing and social infrastructure through frameworks like the Developers for Schools Program, ensuring that every densification effort supports thriving, family-friendly communities.
We’re a sprawling country.
That last recommendation is land value tax, creating the right incentives to build density where it's needed most. It works everywhere it's used.
Critical Analysis: “Worried About Infrastructure Costs? Then End the Apartment Ban”
This article highlights the economic advantages of ending apartment bans to address infrastructure costs but misses a critical aspect: the integration of social infrastructure, particularly schools, into densification efforts. While densification is essential for efficiency, systemic dysfunction persists due to siloed planning and the absence of cohesive frameworks that tie urban development to educational infrastructure.
1. Social Infrastructure and Densification: The Missing Link
1.1 Lack of School Integration in Densification Plans
The article emphasizes the need to end apartment bans but fails to address how densification, without concurrent investment in schools, leads to overcrowding and community discontent.
Dunbar Village and QEA:
Dunbar Village is set to densify under the city’s plans, but the closure of Queen Elizabeth Annex (QEA) directly contradicts the need for accessible schools in walkable, family-friendly neighborhoods. Closing QEA not only removes a critical community resource but also forces children into schools farther away, undermining livability and sustainability goals. Parents have taken the VSB to court—learn more here.
Oakridge Park:
As one of Vancouver’s largest developments, Oakridge Park projects thousands of new residents without including school spaces. Neighboring schools like Jamieson Elementary and Churchill Secondary are already at capacity, and the absence of a school integration plan reflects a systemic failure to align urban growth with community needs. Contact Quadreal here.
1.2 Fleming Elementary: A Case Study in Misalignment
Fleming Elementary exemplifies how systemic dysfunction in social infrastructure planning undermines equity and livability:
Despite operating at 107% capacity, a portion of Fleming’s land was leased for a mere $7,000/month over 99 years. This shortsighted decision prioritizes short-term revenue over long-term community needs and restricts the school’s ability to expand to meet future demands.
2. Systemic Dysfunction in Governance and Planning
The article’s failure to address systemic governance issues highlights a critical gap in its argument. Densification is not inherently efficient unless paired with proactive, integrated planning.
2.1 Reactive Decision-Making
Vancouver’s governance structures encourage reactive planning, where schools are built—or closed—only after housing developments materialize. This approach leaves communities underserved for years, as seen in Oakridge Park and Dunbar Village.
2.2 The Vancouver Charter and Funding Limitations
Unlike every other city in BC, Vancouver is constrained by the Vancouver Charter, which prohibits school site acquisition charges. This legal limitation prevents the city from raising funds directly tied to educational needs, deepening the misalignment between housing and school planning.
2.3 Siloed Planning Across Stakeholders
The absence of collaboration between municipalities, developers, and school boards creates a fragmented approach. For example, developments like Oakridge Park proceed without input from the Vancouver School Board (VSB), leading to predictable overcrowding in adjacent schools.
3. Solutions: A Vision for Integrated Social Infrastructure
To address the systemic issues highlighted above, we need a Developers for Schools Program (DFSP) that offers a transformative framework for tying densification to social infrastructure investments.
3.1 Framework for Integrated Development
Developer Contributions for Schools:
Require that a portion of developer contributions be allocated specifically for schools and daycare facilities within or near new developments.
Shared-Use Facilities:
Incorporate multipurpose spaces, such as daycare centers, libraries, and recreational areas, within schools to maximize land use and foster community cohesion.
Density Bonuses for Social Infrastructure:
Provide developers with expedited approvals and increased density allowances in exchange for funding or building school spaces.
3.2 Leadership
Mayors need to lead boldly, ensuring schools are prioritized in every development decision.
3.3 Address Legal and Policy Gaps
Amend the Vancouver Charter:
Advocate for changes to allow school site acquisition charges, enabling Vancouver to fund educational infrastructure in step with urban growth.
Align Zoning and Enrollment Projections:
Mandate that the VSB and City of Vancouver collaborate on enrollment projections tied to zoning changes, preventing closures like QEA that contradict future population trends.
4. Conclusion: Densification Without Schools Is a Failure
While the article effectively argues for ending apartment bans to reduce infrastructure costs, it overlooks the critical role of schools in creating livable, equitable urban communities. As developments like Oakridge Park and Dunbar Village illustrate, the absence of educational infrastructure planning perpetuates systemic dysfunction and undermines the benefits of densification.
To break this cycle, bold leadership is needed to integrate housing and social infrastructure through frameworks like the Developers for Schools Program, ensuring that every densification effort supports thriving, family-friendly communities.
The links did not get over in the cut and paste - here they are!
Parents have taken the VSB to court – learn more here: https://save-qea.ca/
Contact Quadreal here: https://www.quadreal.com/contact/