G Price can talk about Urban Planning in Vancouver like nobody's business. I can't count the times we were gathered around him, like children at his feet, sprawled out on a curbside, some grass, or steps, learning about the history, architecture and politics of the city. There wasn't a question I heard asked that wasn't answered, with great detail and a Canadian quip on the side. By the end of the day, I didn't think twice about how "aboot" sounded different coming from G Price, I just knew I wanted more. Yes, by the end of it all, I felt like I had undergone a kind of initiation into the world of an expert......and if G Daddy ever starts his own religion of Urban Planning, you can bet he will have no shortage of dedicated followers.
We met one such individual at the beginning of the day, a older man from San Fransisco who claimed that "After his last G Price tour...... I was sold" He moved on up to Vancouver, to be closer to the glory that is the swift planning process under the parliamentary system.
The people of Vancouver were incredibly well informed about planning issues, or at least those that argued with G Price over a morning garden, or those employees of the coffee shop we asked opinions of. Vancouver had a Mayor Sam, as Portland may soon, who was on his way out due to scandal, controversy, or some other political mishap. The biggest issue seemed to be his decisions around placing a residential tower in a suburb. It sounds like the politicians of the city go out of office just as quick as the towers go up.
Although the city is a model for urban density, G Price made it clear that was has been achieved and constructed is still not sufficient. The current urban core houses about 80,000 people, and this is after 30 plus years of development. If Vancouver is to meet its housing needs and density desires, it is going to have to continue to sit on the political see saw.
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