Jericho Coalition

05/19/2026

🏘️ In his Vancouver Sun column, Douglas Todd shares new survey results showing that many B.C. homebuyers want ground-level homes — not condos in the sky.

Many buyers are looking for townhomes, front doors, parking and outdoor space. Most are also planning to actually live in the homes they buy.

“Over half of all end-user buyers identify townhomes as their preferred choice,” says the Homes of Tomorrow report.

Read: “B.C. homebuyers yearn to feel grounded, literally” — View in Bio and click the Blog tab.

05/11/2026

Urban planner Larry Beasley explains that some of the world’s great cities — like London and Paris — achieve density through lower, more human-scale forms of development.

Follow Jericho Coalition to help champion a human-scale, livable urban community — and say no to the planned massive luxury high-rise tower development.

04/28/2026

🏘️ In their Vancouver Sun column, Douglas Todd highlights perspectives from urban planners calling for a shift away from high-rise and speculative development, opting for human-scale housing instead.

“We should pursue a model of human-scale development,” says David Ley, “which respects the integrity of neighbourhoods and limits towers to select major transit nodes. Secondary suites, lane houses and four-plexes should be the prevalent modes of development in most neighbourhoods.”

Read: “10 ways to take advantage of Canada’s housing 'correction'” — View in Bio and click the Blog tab.

04/20/2026

🏘️ Housing affordability isn’t just about supply.

Urban planner Larry Beasley explains how many forces all shape what actually becomes affordable.

Follow Jericho Coalition to help champion a human-scale, livable urban community — and say no to the planned massive luxury high-rise tower development.

11/25/2025

🏙️ Why are Canadian apartments so small — and why is it so hard to build anything better?

In this article, Erica Alini uncovers how a maze of outdated codes, zoning rules, and mounting development costs has shaped the small condos and rentals that dominate our cities. From dual staircases to strict density caps and oversized elevators, these policies make it nearly impossible to build the spacious “missing middle” homes that other countries take for granted.

If the right changes are made, Canada could introduce livable, family-friendly, and light-filled apartments in multiplexes and mid-rise buildings that are incorporated into existing neighbourhoods.

Read the full article at the link in bio. Click the Blog tab and go to 'November 23, 2025'.

11/08/2025

🏘️ A new proposal from the Neptis Foundation, Impossible Toronto: On the Courtyard, reimagines city living with four-to-six-storey courtyard buildings — bright, mid-rise homes arranged around shared green spaces.

Inspired by European cities like Basel, this “density as generosity” approach would bring neighbours closer, create child-friendly courtyards, and offer livable, light-filled apartments — if only Canada’s building codes allowed it.

Architects Studio VAARO and Gabriel Fain argue that with a few regulatory changes, Canada could create a more connected and sustainable urban future — a vision echoed by the Jericho Coalition’s own alternative plan for the Jericho Lands, which proposes low- and mid-rise, human-scale housing rooted in the same principles of livability and community (see videos at JerichoCoalition.org).

In his Globe and Mail piece, Alex Bozikovic explores how this “impossible” city could become a reality.

Read: “Impossible Toronto: On the Courtyard” — View in Bio: click the Blog tab and go to 'November 6, 2025'.

10/31/2025

🚫 Canadians: do not fund the UBC SkyTrain Extension.

This extension is too expensive and would massively subsidize the construction of luxury high-rises on the Jericho Lands.

Instead of spending likely up to $10 billion for 7 km of SkyTrain, build 4-8 story affordable and family-friendly housing. Then students and staff could live nearby rather than being funnelled from far away via the SkyTrain.

“The most rapid thing about the UBC SkyTrain extension is how rapidly it would take money out of taxpayers’ pockets,” says spokesperson Murray Hendren.

Learn more and read the Coalition’s alternative plan by following the links in bio.

10/22/2025

The consultation about Vancouver's Official Development Plan has started. If approved, rezonings in line with the plan will no longer need a public hearing.

The draft plan could bring major changes to neighbourhoods across Vancouver — including Point Grey, Kitsilano, Dunbar, Kerrisdale, and the East Side.

It builds on the Vancouver Plan, the Broadway Plan, and the Jericho Lands ODP, allowing for massive development while reducing opportunities for public input.

This means the Jericho Lands proposal could move ahead without any further public hearings.

The City is proposing even greater height and density than required by provincial legislation, with large increases planned around transit areas.

Public consultation is happening now!

Join one of the three open houses or the virtual session, and learn more in the latest CityHallWatch article. Link in bio.

10/15/2025

🏙️ Vancouver’s skyline keeps growing — but at what cost?

1,500 high-rises across Metro Vancouver, along with lots of cramped condos and rental units cynically referred to as “dog crates”, result in high-in-the-sky units that starkly separate families from green play spaces and friendly streetscapes.

People are more depressed in towers, where mental illness increases at higher floor levels, where more crowding reduces the amount of neighbour support, where one’s sense of community attachment is diminished, and where, overall, people are less satisfied.

Developers make more profit per square foot on opulent penthouses than on unpretentious, ground-oriented, six-storey residential buildings. So, only a few well-designed homes are being built for families and couples.

If we want a livable, connected city, we need to start asking: who are we really building for?

In his Vancouver Sun article, Douglas Todd explores how investor-driven development and weakened design standards are shaping the city we live in — and what’s being lost along the way.

Read: “Why good family homes aren’t getting built in Vancouver.” Link in bio.

09/16/2025