Editor:
Re: If Burnaby allows laneway houses on my street, I’m moving, NOW Letters
I would like to direct this letter to Mr. F. Wilson's response to recent developments in Burnaby’s view on laneway houses.
I think that the author of said letter and myself would agree on more things than we would disagree on.
Unfortunately, we will have to agree to disagree with respect to our views on increasing density in what currently is exclusively single-family zoned areas of Burnaby.
I would hazard to guess that both the author and I grew up in Burnaby, or an urban area like it. I'll describe my experience and he can respond, if he’d like. Hopefully readers can find some positive messages woven into this narrative.
I have lived in Burnaby fifty-five of my fifty-seven years. I LOVE this community! We are surrounded by beauty. It is understandable that a normal human reaction to such great beauty is to try and capture as much of it for themselves. I do not, however, think this is a virtuous or noble pursuit, neither in theory or in practice. This is definitely not the mindset that creates good community.
If we had to choose a word to describe our early childhood experiences, I bet we would come close to choosing the same one.
“Privileged” would be mine (“lucky” would be a close second). I am privileged to have grown up with a loving family in this beautiful area, with neighbours that became friends for life.
Our parents probably still live in that same house. Such is the way in an inflexibly zoned community. In my experience, both my parents are healthy and aging gracefully in the same Burnaby home in which they raised three children. They worked hard to afford all the luxuries that we were so privileged to receive. It wasn't just money that they gave freely, hoping we would be happy; our parents lead by example! They worked hard so their children could play: they coached, transported multiple children, raised money for local sports clubs; they paid taxes to develop local amenities like schools, hospitals, parks and green spaces, public transportation, and libraries! This is what I call a privilege! And perhaps it is, in the end, that very same privilege that prevents us from further expanding our community so that more people might enjoy similar privileges.
I'm not asking to bring anything negative into a neighbourhood, quite the opposite! If my children can stay close and others are welcomed into the neighbourhood along with their families, we should feel obliged to make the community we choose to live in the best it can be.
Humans, I think, are more inclined to care for things that have intrinsic beauty, if the character and landscaping of the area is well maintained, there's no reason to believe that introducing additional density will do anything but add to its positive attributes.
From the perspective of sustainability, the amount of usable land is limited. We need to make living in our neighbourhoods attainable and sustainable by providing more people with the opportunities we were so privileged (not to mention lucky) to inherit from our parents’ sweat and work ethic. We should invite as many people as possible to be exposed to the joys of watching the young grow up, raise families of their own, and accomplish these most life-affirming joys in sight of each other — with the balance of privacy purposely designed into the buildings.
This privilege we have grown up with is certainly not an equitable one. I think we all need to reflect on the costs of choosing to maintain a community that refuses to change. We need to make sure that the benefit from homes is well governed and spread to many, not exclusive to a well-placed few. That’s why these proposals would have to be matched with measures that end speculation and the enrichment of some. We shouldn’t be buying and selling homes like we sell stocks. We need regulations that make doing the "right thing" easy. If the sweet, independent, nonagenarian widow across the street wants to have a home that meets her current needs as she ages, she is faced with a difficult decision in Burnaby, but whatever choice she makes, it’s most likely at the cost of the neighbourhood she’s come to love. Why prevent her from building an additional dwelling appropriate for her current needs? Why shouldn’t we allow her to apply exterior insulation to her current family-sized dwelling and bring it up to the highest performance standards that modern building science offers? She would benefit from living out her days in the neighbourhood she calls home, while her property can be enjoyed by an additional family, at least.
Some of the first steps look like they are going to be undertaken, to their credit, by the Provincial Government. The announcement made by the honorable David Eby on the 23rd of January is a threat I hope he is prepared to keep! And the commitment to post secondary education improvements at BCIT is one of the first steps in making affordable living in Burnaby feasible. If these motions are brought forward, the citizens of Burnaby will be rewarded with a well-planned commitment to improving the life and comfort of each and every one of us.
We are not the only region that is experiencing this issue. Our government needs to cooperate and move forward with initiatives that advance the Speed and Scale of improving homes. This oftentimes means keeping structures standing with major energy retrofits applied by newly trained professionals (who would earn a living wage that allows them to inhabit the communities they are striving so hard to improve), versus demolishing everything with each successive generation and perpetually building new. Updating the housing that was mass-produced starting shortly after the second world war is a viable option to meet climate accords. These accords set the minimum targets. We have the means to bring planet-saving climate solutions and technology forward to the world; all we need is the will.
These lofty goals are achievable only by moving swiftly and with the best technology and practices available. We have the framework, we just need to get moving in a similar direction, one that allows an always increasing amount of people to experience the joys of sharing life's moments, big and small.
It's not hard to live in smaller and or shared spaces that are ideally designed. Urbanarium runs a contest every other year, showcasing the potential for densifying with style that is possible for communities that plan for the future. Google just ordered three hundred modular homes to be installed on company property to provide a place for their highly trained engineers. The manufacturer of these homes, Factory OS, appears to be using technology to drive down the cost of construction, allowing for short assembly durations that make achieving the desired goals as painless as possible by shortening the time spent on noisy construction to days, rather than months. Cost savings of 40% are tossed around and would be welcome news to making the newly created living places affordable.
Newcomers are what sustain neighborhoods. Moving forward, in many circumstances, people will share the high costs of living in our beautiful city out of necessity. There's no reason that the experience of increasing density needs to be a negative one.
No one is going to be forcing people to densify their properties. The choice is with the homeowner. I'm hoping that many people choose the path that allows more families to have a similarly positive experience while living out their lives in Burnaby.
Clark Campbell, Burnaby
