Tuesday, January 7, 2025

The (stumpy) Post in Vancouver

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/sony-pictures-imageworks-global-headquarters-vancouver-the-post

https://storeys.com/quadreal-graeme-scott-the-post-vancouver-heritage-revitalization-amazon/

What could have been a nice, impressive double 55 story office complex is just another Vancouver stumpy building+complex. In that part of the very restrictive city, the building complex wasn't even allowed to have a 25th floor.

It's all part of the Vancouver stump agenda.

Had Bankers_Hall 1 & 2 in Calgary only been 26 stories, they would just be another stump complex. However, at 52 stories, they remain impressive.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Bankers-Hall-Szmurlo.jpg

Although Bankers_Hall isn't quite as tall as City_National_Plaza in L.A., both are 52 story complexes. 

Capilano Mall redevelopment

 https://www.northshoredailypost.com/capilano-mall-redevelopment-developer-plans-to-submit-ocp-amendment-application-in-spring/

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/capilano-mall-north-vancouver-redevelopment-concept-quadreal

https://www.northshoredailypost.com/developer-reimagines-capilano-mall-with-3100-homes-40-storey-towers-and-new-park/

British Columbia Highway 7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_Highway_7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewdney_Trunk_Road

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewdney_Trail


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=BC

Toronto's-regional-transit-map-in the future

 https://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto-regional-transit-map-future

Monday, January 6, 2025

Geotechnical work for new Richmond-Delta tunnel planned

 https://www.richmond-news.com/local-news/geotechnical-work-for-new-richmond-delta-tunnel-planned-10039388


The pros and cons of living in Edmonton over Vancouver

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/edmonton-vancouver-living-pros-cons

https://dailyhive.com/edmonton/edmonton-detatched-home-sales-neighbourhhods


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Edmonton

Two rental housing towers proposed next to Main Street - SkyTrain station

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/1220-station-street-vancouver-rental-housing-gwl-realty-advisors

Major construction now underway on 16-km-long Surrey-Langley SkyTrain

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/surrey-langley-skytrain-construction-begins


Shangri-La hotel and condominiums

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-hotel-shangri-la-1128-w-georgia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Shangri-La

https://www.shangri-la.com/vancouver/shangrila

North American cities by population

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_cities_by_population

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area#Largest_urban_areas


Greater Vancouver behind the scenes

Vancouver has always been a small city with a backwater mentality, when compared to many other cities. Vancouver is smaller in area & population than 7 other cities in Canada. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_municipalities_in_Canada_by_population

However, the Greater Vancouver Region is still the 3 largest metropolitan_area_in_Canada. Yet, it remains a mystery as to where all the big city scale infrastructure went, because what's mostly built in Greater Vancouver is half-sized or half-assed stuff. Indeed, a watered-down approach to things has been the name of the game for generations. Thus, after several decades of not properly building for the future, SW BC is still very congested and backwards.

There is nothing wrong with being small or thinking small. However, Vancouver and Victoria have perpetuated a small-scale mentality for several decades. Of course Vancouver would opt to have shorter underground train stations than Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton & Seattle. A short BC train just can't transport as many people as an 8-10 car train can. Just because the Skytrain is an automated system, the 50m to 80m trains just can't match a 152.5m Montreal Metro trains capacity. 

The bridges are narrow, but not just to prevent induced demand. It's almost impossible for backwards Greater Vancouver to have an efficient rapid-bus or proper truck-lanes, when many of the bridges are only 2 lanes each way. Whether its a multigenerational, backwards power-structure, or its just part of the backwater BC mentality, there should be a point of realization.

Why pretend to have an efficient rapid-bus network, when there is a refusal to build a series of proper regional bus & truck bridges? In order for busses to be fast & efficient, there has to be dedicated bus-lanes on new bridges. An efficient regional port using a lot of trucks to the airport & seaports, also requires dedicated truck-lanes in order to efficiently move things around.



https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/global-bc-anchor-behind-the-scenes

https://x.com/YvonneSchalle/status/1875616820088176984

Saturday, January 4, 2025

The O-Train Line 2 and 4 launch

"The lines will begin a five-day service on Jan. 6 (Monday through Friday) and will continue for a minimum of two weeks. Buses through routes B2 (formerly called Line 2 buses), 99 and 97 will run parallel seven days a week in case of any issues." https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2025/01/03/heres-what-to-know-before-o-train-line-2-and-4-launch

This makes a lot of sense & not just because Ottawa is far away from Vancouver & the backwards BC mentality. Trains & people can break down causing a disruption on the tracks. Plus, there is no urban rail or commuter rail line in Canada that's running 24hrs a day. This means that its a good idea to have an express bus route that closely follows each train line 24hrs a day.

Greater Vancouver seems to always be a sleep at the wheel, or just inept with proper urban planning. Once the public was informed that the Skytrain won't be a 24hr system. Therefore, it would be a good idea to have express busses running parallel to each line 24hrs a day. 

Unfortunatly, the backward BC planning mentality never allowed for the SkyBridge_linking_NW_and_Surrey_with_SkyTrain to have enough space for 2 bus-lanes, 2 bike-lanes & 2 footpaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skybridge_(TransLink) The bridge has none of that, as if to conform to a BC bottleneck agenda. 

The 4 lane Pattullo_Bridge and the 4 lane Queensborough_Bridge were never designed with wide sidewalks & 2 wide emergency lanes. For if they were, then a few decades ago both bridges could have provided 3 lanes each way & have adequate space for bike lanes. A 3rd lane each way would have been great for buses, but that might improve the congestion.

While the new Pattullo_Bridge will actually have wide sidewalks on each side, no serious consideration was given to having 2 bus-lanes, despite the Skytrain not being a 24hr system. So buses, trucks, ambulances & cars will all have to be funneled into only 2 lanes each way. Having 2 bus lanes & 2 wide emergency lanes would actually go against the BC bottleneck mentality.

Even considering budget limitations, the new Pattullo-Bridge should have been designed with a provision for a future lower deck & open with 3 lanes each way & have 2 wide emergency lanes. Apparently, having the Pattullo-Bridge-Replacement with only 2 lanes each way & no emergency lanes somehow will make it easier for emergency vehicles to cross. Of course its the opposite effect, but this is backwards BC.

SurreyDelta & all of Langley, already have as many people, if not even more people than Ottawa, but the infrastructure is so lacking in BC. Thus, a new 4 lane bridge will be an instant chokepoint between NW & SurreyDelta & Langley. A 10 lane bridge & a 10 car Skytrain is what a proper urban area of over 3 million people would plan for.  

While Vancouver has less people than Ottawa, the BC Lower_Mainland has more people than Calgary, Edmonton & Winnipeg, combined. Thus, its very strange that Vancouver & BC insist on a congestive planning approach.

The 4 lane Queensborough_Bridge in NW has enough space to accommodate a parallel 4 lane bridge. While some backwater BC types might freakout with an 8 lane crossing there, they don't realise that a 4 lane bridge is very limited. Thus, by having two 4 lane bridges, there could be a bus & a truck lane each way as well as 2 general lanes each way. Not having dedicated bus & truck lanes for what is supposed to be a major port is absurd, but its OK for backward BC. 

In backwards BC its desired to not have a rail transit component on any of the current road bridges. Indeed, most of the bridges are so narrow that there isn't enough room for either bus lanes or HOV lanes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensborough_Bridge

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Pattullo+Bridge

SkyTrain stations' ridership jumps, due to Boxing Day frenzy at McArthurGlen Vancouver Airport Outlet Mall

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/skytrain-templeton-station-boxing-day-ridership-mcarthurglen-airport-outlet-mall

https://www.google.com/maps/place/7899+Templeton+Station+Rd,+Richmond,+BC+V7B+0B7/@49.1969695,-123.1420947,920m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x548674c3322e87ad:0x1f8a0090e26297f5!2sMcArthurGlen+Designer+Outlet+Vancouver+Airport!8m2!3d49.1973479!4d-123.1405334!16s%2Fg%2F11b90fg20b!3m5!1s0x548674dccf3e97eb:0xd3974f7f943ae275!8m2!3d49.196971!4d-123.1394714!16s%2Fg%2F11bw401q8x?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Calls for Metrotown Station overpass continue after man left seriously injured by bus

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metrotown-overpass-man-struck-bus

The irony is that it has been standing unused for several years. Yet, all it needed was a new connecting stairway.

Some assessed values of Metro Vancouver landmarks and major properties

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/metro-vancouver-landmark-properties-assessed-value

Friday, January 3, 2025

Telus Towers in Canada

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ceo-vancouver-telus-highest-paid-canada

https://www.vanmag.com/city/business/telus-garden-is-green This is one of the ariticles that still say that the complex in Vancouver is over 50 floors. The tower wasn't allowed to rise above the 40s and the office stump doesn't even 25 floors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telus_Garden The residential tower isn't 55 or even 50 stories. It was tough enough just to get the city to even allow it to have 46 floors.

https://www.rew.ca/buildings/8822/telus-garden-vancouver-bc It should have been 65-70 stories, but 46 floors is all you get there.

https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/telus-garden-residential-tower/14081 46F 135.6 m / 445 ft

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Telus_Garden_201807.jpg Its no taller in overal height than the Telus_Tower_in_Montreal.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Telus_Garden_view_201807.jpg The stump part of the site isn't even 25 floors, when it should have been at least 50-55.

https://telusgarden.com/the-building Their website states that the office part of the development is only 24 stories. https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/complex/598

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telus_Harbour The Toronto version ended up being like another half-size building from Vancouver. 

https://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/telus-house-25-york-street.2272 This would have been a nice tower if it was 60 floors.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATB_Place Edmonton


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telus_Sky , a 60-storey, 222.3 m (729 ft) tower in Calgary.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telus_Sky#/media/File:Telus_Sky_September_2017.jpg

2024 was Vancouver’s wettest year so far this century

 https://vancouversun.com/news/2024-was-vancouvers-wettest-year-so-far-this-century

Too much rain when so many other cities on the planet hardly have any.

The-most-expensive-homes-in BC

 https://vancouversun.com/business/real-estate/bc-most-expensive-homes-2025-chip-wilson

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/01/02/bc-assessment-top-valuable-homes-2025/

https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-property-values-stabilize-assessments

Mixed-use development proposed for False Creek’s emerging health district

 https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/projects/2025/01/mixed-use-development-proposed-for-false-creeks-emerging-health-district

four-seasons-hotel-vancouver-tower-demolition-redevelopment

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/four-seasons-hotel-vancouver-tower-demolition-redevelopment

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2025/01/03/vancouver-four-seasons-hotel-nordstrom-cf-redeveloped/

nordstrom-pacific-centre-vancouver-demolition-redevelopment

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/nordstrom-pacific-centre-vancouver-demolition-redevelopment

First new generation SkyTrain cars to enter service early 2025

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/new-skytrain-mark-v-cars-entering-service-2025

While a 5 car Mark-V-Skytrain is an improvement, the first 2 lines should have had stations that could eventually accomodate 10 car trains.

https://www.ticorp.ca/projects/surrey-langley-skytrain-project

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/08/15/surrey-langley-skytrain-cost-increase/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/surrey-langley-skytrain-costs-1.7295904

https://canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/infrastructure/2024/09/contracts-in-place-for-6b-surrey-langley-skytrain-project

https://www.infrastructurebc.com/projects/projects-under-construction/surrey-langley-skytrain-project-sls-project-3

https://globalnews.ca/news/10702469/surrey-langley-skytrain-delay-cost-reaction So many cities are able to have LRT as well as subway & elevated trains. Greater Vancouver should have never gotten rid of its streetcars & tram-trains.

The 3rd line should have been designed to eventually accommodate 8-10 car trains. Its not even designed to have 5 car trains, it was only designed to ultimately have 2.5 car trains.  


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=SkyTrain

Development differences between Surrey and Langley leave road at literal dead end

 https://globalnews.ca/news/10940725/development-differences-surrey-langley-road-dead-end/

Surrey & Langley should have a better regional planning perspective.

What good is a carbon tax when roads are so narrow that its almost impossible to have bus lanes?

Thursday, January 2, 2025

Canada's population and its lacking infrastructure

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-607-x/71-607-x2018005-eng.htm

Despite being the 2nd largest nation in overall area, Canada is far off from housing just 1% of the world's population. 

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/corporate-initiatives/levels/population-growth-2014-2027.html 

There aren't enough big cities in the vastness of Canada.

It's strange that Halifax hasn't become a big city like Boston or Montreal. Since the 2020s, a lot more people work from home and there isn't always an industrial base in major urban areas. More people are retiring and like people working from home, might like living in a town of 1000-10,000 people just as easily as a city with over a 1,000,000 people. The point being, that the top 30 towns in Canada could be built up to at least a million people each. Winnipeg has yet to have a million people. Then the top 10 cities could be built up to 5-10 population regions. Greater Montreal has yet to reach the 5 million point and the Greater Toronto Area has yet to reach 10 million people like Greater Chicago or, CHICAGOLAND. The San_Francisco_Bay_Area is getting close to having 10 million people.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_municipalities_in_Canada_by_population Vancouver is only the 8th most populated city.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_census_metropolitan_areas_and_agglomerations_in_Canada#List However, the Greater Vancouver Region is still the 3rd largest urban area in Canada. Yet, it's so far behind with the necessary infrastructure. Indeed, When Greater Toronto & Greater Montreal each exceeded the 3 million point, they had longer trains & wider roads. It seems that Vancouver & BC in general, have perpetually opted for a congestive planning approach.

Will Canada's Next Prime Minister be Pierre Poilievre? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dck8eZCpglc

Why is anti-immigration sentiment on the rise in Canada? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txyjmNXcWiU

https://www.norden.org/en/information/population-nordic-region

https://www.nordicstatistics.org/news/population-growth-in-the-nordics Whether its Canada or the Nordic_Countries, places with cold winters can accommodate a lot of people. However, without setting up the proper amount of infrastructure first, its utterly foolish.

Canada hasn't kept up with building enough school & hospital facilities, as well as the overall necessary  infrastructure. 

https://www.definitivehc.com/resources/healthcare-insights/top-largest-canadian-hospitals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_General_Hospital

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foothills_Medical_Centre

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Hospital_and_Health_Sciences_Centre#Facilities

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul's_Hospital_(Vancouver) , https://helpstpauls.com/why-give/new-st-pauls-hospital

https://www.infrastructurebc.com/projects/announced-in-procurement/richmond-hospital-redevelopment-project-phase-2-3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_Health#Regional_hospitals 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrey_Memorial_Hospital

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Columbian_Hospital 

https://www.infrastructurebc.com/projects/projects-under-construction/burnaby-hospital-phase-2-and-bc-cancer-centre-project/


Unlike the Montreal Metro which can accommodate 9 car trains, the strained Skytrain is only running 4 new-car trains & the inept Canada Line only runs 2 car trains. The Skytrain stations should have been designed to gradually accomodate 8-10 car trains. The Montreal Metro was built with 500 foot long or 152.5m stations right from the start. Apparently, to save money, the first 2 Skytrain lines only have 80m stations & the line to Richmond only has 50m stations, not 152.5m like Montreal. 

The inadequate new Pattullo-Bridge was designed to be so narrow that there won't be any emergency lanes. There won't be any bus lanes, even though the Skytrain doesn't run 24 hours. There won't be any truck lanes, despite the region being a major port. Thus, everything is supposed to be funneled into just 2 lanes each way. https://www.pattullobridgereplacement.ca/about/projectoverview Apparently, the bridge can eventually be upgraded, but to only 3 lanes each way. Of course there is no provision for a lower train & truck deck. This is another fine example of backward BC planning. Even if small-thinking NW only wanted 2 lanes each way for cars, there still should have been an extra 2 lanes each way so that there is a dedicated bus lane & a truck lane each way. 

2 lanes were removed from the Burrard Bridge, 1 removed from the Cambie Bridge & 2 lanes removed from the Granville Bridge. Many other cities can actually build bike bridges so they don't have to take away any traffic lanes from their bridges. 

Even the new Highway-99-Tunnel is designed to become just another BC bottleneck. There will only be 3 lanes each way & a bus-lane each way. However, there won't be any truck lanes & no emergency lanes. https://www.highway99tunnel.ca/project-overview-frt Of course there won't be any provision for a train tunnel, because the government doesn't see a good reason to connect the Delta ferry terminal with Richmond & the airport. They never bothered to have a train from Horseshoe Bay to Park Royal & downtown Vancouver either.

So while the Federal Government charges a carbon tax, Greater Vancouver is left with short trains & mostly narrow bridges. It's utterly foolish to not properly upgrade the infrastructure & build a lot of affordable housing, yet encourage a bunch of people to move into a country that hasn't kept up with building more housing stock. I thought that some of the carbon tax would help to properly upgrade the BC infrastructure, because backward BC just can't seem to even catch up to what Calgary & Seattle have. The trains in Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary & Seattle are all longer than the short Skytrains. Yet, there is more demand in Vancouver to have longer trains, due to the narrow roads & bridges. Frequent short trains arent enough, there has to be proper big city long trains. 


lululemon founder Chip Wilson's Vancouver property now valued over $82M

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-assessment-2025-chip-wilson

New Westminster business leaders talk about the city's economic future

 https://www.newwestrecord.ca/local-news/new-west-business-leaders-to-talk-citys-economic-future-at-this-forum-9999877

The growth for some of Australia’s cities

 https://soe.dcceew.gov.au/urban/pressures/population

https://www.app.com.au/insights/bridging-gap-australias-next-infrastructure-boom

https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2023/australian-infrastructure-and-transport-statistics-yearbook-2023/infrastructure-economy

https://www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-06/future-cities-paper-web.pdf

If you are from Perth you might expect that the transportation infrastructure might be of a similar caliber in the BC part of Canada. 

Fortunately, the Vancouver mentality didn't make it over to Perth, causing a lane to be removed from the 6 lane Windan_Bridge. Unfortunatly, that was the case with the Cambie_Bridge in Vancouver. Had the bridge been designed to have wide sidewalks on both sides, or a lower level bike path, a traffic lane wouldn't have been removed. 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Windan+Bridge

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mooro-Beeloo+Bridge Lower shared-use path

https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/projects-initiatives/projects-initiatives-news/tonk-221223-tonkin-gap-bridging-the-gap While the City of Vancouver & the region became obsesd with preventing bridge duplication or twinning, a key aspect was ignored. Since so many bridges in backwards BC are already narrow, they are unable to properly accommodate bus & bike lanes, or even truck lanes. A port region like Greater Vancouver really needs truck lanes, as well as bus & bike bridges. Fortunately, the narrowmindedness of BC hasn't been adopted in WA. Otherwise, this would be a 4 lane chokepoint.

https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/travel-information/paths-and-cycling

Perth,WA like Seattle, WA aren't so quick to take away lanes, because foot & bike paths are better integrated into the city. That's also the case with Portland, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg & Montreal...

Perth has an excellent bike path system. https://uncoolcyclingclub.com/perth-swan-river-cycling-loop The Greater Vancouver region has refused to build a proper network of buss & bike bridges, even though that would help to relieve congestion.

https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/perths-mining-boom-to-blame-for-lack-of-heritage-20130315-2g4xl.html 

Perth+and+Seattle have been able to do so much more than backwards Vancouver, because they aren't hindered by anything like the BC Mind Virus.

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

The Seattle Space Needle and the Calgary Tower

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Needle 1962

Antenna spire605.00 ft (184.404 m)
Top floor518 ft (158 m)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Needle#Architecture

https://www.spaceneedle.com , https://www.spaceneedle.com/webcam

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Aerial_Downtown_Seattle_November_2011.jpg

https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/slideshow/Towers-that-resemble-the-Space-Needle-115913.php

https://www.king5.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/evening/the-tallest-tower-in-north-america-dwarfs-our-space-needle/281-b7329809-15a8-4d9c-8dcf-07a0589df22b


 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Tower 1968 

Antenna spire190.8 m (626 ft) 
Roof171 m (561 ft)
Top floor157.6 m (517 ft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Tower#Later_history

https://www.calgarytower.com/

https://everydaytourist.ca/globe-trekking-international-travel/2015/9/4/seattle-vs-calgary

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Aerial_Downtown_Calgary_2021.jpg

The Seattle Space Needle and the Calgary Tower are of a similar size and shape, yet each tower is unique for its city. 

Both 600+ft. towers were possible in the 1960s, because they didn't have anything like the extremely restrictive Vancouver height limits. In the 1960's, no building was even allowed to reach 400 ft.

Seattle https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107972617&offset=50 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=27&status=15 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=27

Calgary https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107972625&offset=25 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=3&status=15 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=3

Vancouver https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107972642&offset=50 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=1

Langley Township new road into Surrey won't open right away

 https://www.surreynowleader.com/local-news/langley-township-says-new-road-into-surrey-wont-open-right-away-7732981

https://www.surreynowleader.com/home/2-inured-in-early-sunday-morning-shooting-in-surrey-7732309


The WORST part about living in Surrey BC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktozhUDjT7M

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Langley Township says new road into Surrey won't open right away

https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/local-news/langley-township-says-new-road-into-surrey-wont-open-right-away-7732981

So much for proper regional planning.

 https://www.cloverdalereporter.com/local-news/langley-township-says-new-road-into-surrey-wont-open-right-away-7732981

Vancouver & Burnaby were able to have a better connective road agreement, the same between NW & Burnaby.

Vancouver to ring in 2025 without family-friendly events downtown

 https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/12/31/vancouver-2025-new-years-eve-no-events/

Fortunately, most real cities around the world don't take such a watered down approach.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-new-years-eve-fireworks-cancelled-2025

Somehow, many other cities around the world have a better formula for NY Eve celebrations.

https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/no-fireworks-show-planned-for-vancouver-on-new-years-eve-10014552

Thus, many other cities are actually able to have awesome NY's events.


"It's no secret that, compared to other world-class cities, Vancouver is rather boring, and it's on New Year's Eve that this reality comes crashing down on those who turned a blind eye to the lack of fun for the past 364 days.

As residents of Sydney, Taipei, Cape+Town, London, Rio+de+Janeiro, New York, and even Seattle ring in the new year with elaborate, family-friendly parties, Vancouverites are left yet again wondering what to do.

While there may not be any public events downtown, those hoping to end 2024 on a high note can cross the Burrard Inlet to the north shore, where festivities — and fireworks — are planned atop two of the three ski hills." https://www.westernstandard.news/news/looking-for-something-fun-to-do-in-vancouver-on-new-years-eve-head-for-the-hills/60816?utm_source=website&utm_medium=related-stories

Vancouver vs. Seattle

 https://versus.com/en/seattle-vs-vancouver Seattle never imposed the harsh level of restrictions that Vancouver has.

https://www.postalley.org/2024/02/05/tale-of-two-cities-why-vancouver-and-seattle-downtowns-look-so-different/

https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/new-years-eve-fireworks

https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article297812518.html



https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=Seattle

Vancouver vs. Calgary

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/josh-white-vancouver-chief-planner-interview

Unfortunately, even when people are brought in from real cities, they are thwarted by the Vancoverization agenda. 

https://versus.com/en/calgary-vs-vancouver Unlike Vancouver, Calgary is allowed to function like a proper big city. https://www.westernstandard.news/news/whats-happening-in-calgary-for-nye/60811

https://www.justinhavre.com/blog/calgary-ab-vs-vancouver-bc.html

https://calgaryhomes.ca/blog/calgary-vs-vancouver.html

https://newhomesalberta.ca/calgary-vs-vancouver-cost-of-living/

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Canada&city1=Calgary&country2=Canada&city2=Vancouver


columbia-square-in new-westminster-development-plan-approved

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/columbia-square-new-westminster-edgar-development-plan-approved

Of course the Skytrain stations weren't designed to eventually accommodate 10-12 car trains. NW like backwards Vancouver, refuses to build proper bus and truck bridges. Apparently, it's better to funnel the trucks and busses into a 2 lane each way bottleneck. 

First Canadian Centre In Calgary

 https://storeys.com/armco-g2s2-first-canadian-centre-calgary BMO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Canadian_Centre

“In addition, we’re excited to share the potential for a residential tower on-site, leveraging the existing foundation originally designed for a 64-storey structure in 1981. If developed, this project could further enhance the property’s position as a dynamic, mixed-use destination, integrating living, working and retail spaces in Calgary's downtown.” https://renx.ca/calgarys-first-canadian-centre-office-tower-sold-to-armco-capital

https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/first-canadian-centre/2963

The BMO tower in Toronto is 72 stories & the stump version is in Vancouver, which only has 32 floors.

Los Angeles City Hall (454 ft or 138 m)

The LA_City_Hall should have been at least 500' tall, but it's only 454'. That still makes the Los_Angeles_City_Hall one of the taller ones around the planet, but it's become a stump of a building in downtown L.A.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_City_Hall#History "...was completed in 1928. Dedication ceremonies were held on April 26, 1928. It has 32 floors and, at 454 feet (138 m) high."  

"A City Council ordinance passed in 1905 did not permit any new construction to be taller than 13 stories or 150 ft (46 m) in order to keep the city's architecture harmonious. City Hall's 454 ft (138 m) height was deemed exempt as a public building and assured that no building would surpass one third its height for over three decades until the ordinance was repealed by voter referendum in 1957.[9] Therefore, from its completion in 1928 until finally surpassed by the topping off of Union Bank Plaza in 1966, City Hall was the tallest building in Los Angeles..."

https://laist.com/news/entertainment/city-hall-tall Not 451 feet, but 454 feet, because there was no F 451 novel yet. The 454' LA City Hall was like an unofficial F-you to the taller buildings in NYC and Chicago. Perhaps even Metropolis_(1927_film).    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(1927_film)#Influences 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick PKD was born in 1928, the same year that the LA City Hall opened.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451 "The writing and theme within Fahrenheit 451 was explored by Bradbury in some of his previous short stories. Between 1947 and 1948, Bradbury wrote "Bright Phoenix", a short story about a librarian who confronts a "Chief Censor", who burns books. An encounter Bradbury had in 1949 with the police inspired him to write the short story "The Pedestrian" in 1951. In "The Pedestrian", a man going for a nighttime walk in his neighborhood is harassed and detained by the police. In the society of "The Pedestrian", citizens are expected to watch television as a leisurely activity, a detail that would be included in Fahrenheit 451. Elements of both "Bright Phoenix" and "The Pedestrian" would be combined into The Fireman, a novella published in Galaxy Science Fiction in 1951. Bradbury was urged by Stanley Kauffmann, an editor at Ballantine Books, to make The Fireman into a full novel. Bradbury finished the manuscript for Fahrenheit 451 in 1953, and the novel was published later that year." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451#Title

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/LA_San_Gabriel_Mountains.jpg If you look hard enough you can see how small the LA City Hall actually is now in the 21st century.

https://laist.com/news/entertainment/city-hall-tall From 2016.

The agenda to not permit any building in LA to be taller than City Hall was the case for several decades. Even Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane & Perth weren't allowed to have buildings taller than the LA_City_Hall for a long time. Of course it took until the early 1970s for Vancouver to allow a building to be a little taller than the LA_City_Hall

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Los_Angeles_with_Mount_Baldy.jpg

City Hall is really like a stump on the modern LA skyline. It can easily be obscured by the taller towers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Los_Angeles#Tallest_buildings 


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Bank_Plaza Completed in 1968.

Roof157.28 m (516.0 ft)
Technical details
Floor count40
Floor area68,525 m2 (737,600 sq ft)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Bank_Plaza#History Not only the first building permitted in LA to be over 500 feet, but having at least a 40th floor.  

Just as LA got its first 40 story building in 1968, PKD had a book out in the same year. Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep? 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Androids_Dream_of_Electric_Sheep?#Plot

https://medium.com/@ejasp2/metropolis-v-s-blade-runner-1982-871baea0eea0

https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Comparison-between-Metropolis-and-Blade-Runner-P3JDKCLEC8BRS#  

While Philip_K._Dick set E. Sheep in SF, Blade_Runner was set in LA.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner#Production


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=LA+City+Hall

https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=stumps

CC in Toronto

There are even bigger plans for CC.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commerce_Court_North It took several decades until Vancouver would allow some buildings to be taller than CCN.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Toronto_-_ON_-_Toronto_Skyline2.jpg

https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2017/05/16-giant-heads-touring-historic-commerce-court-north.26843

https://tayloronhistory.com/2013/02/18/torontos-architectural-gemsthe-bank-of-commerce-cibc-on-king-street Of course CCN has become like a stump in Toronto, but in Vancouver, it would still be a prominent building.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/toronto-feature-canadian-imperial-bank-of-commerce

https://www.torontojourney416.com/canadian-bank-of-commerce-building

https://torontopics.me/2016/05/29/commerce-court-north Like the LA City Hall, CCN would be the equivalent of the tallest buildings in Vancouver for several decades. Yet, for the past few decades, the LA+City+Hall & CCN have become stumps in their cities.


https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=stumps

Monday, December 30, 2024

The tallest buildings that joined the Toronto skyline in 2024

 https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2024/12/tallest-buildings-joined-toronto-skyline/

West Vancouver isn't so livable for the thousands who have left

"West Vancouver council’s own decisions mean seniors, young people and workers cannot stay" https://www.nsnews.com/opinion/letter-west-vancouver-isnt-so-livable-for-the-thousands-who-have-left-10014663

https://www.nsnews.com/local-news/west-vancouver-falls-75-short-on-new-housing-targets-9741852

Tour KPMG, Montreal vs. Cathedral Place, Vancouver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KPMG_Tower 34F 146 m (479 ft)

 https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1363 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107856968&offset=250

Of course Vancouver has the watered down or scaled back version. 

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Place

https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=546 23F 118.6m 389', https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107857003&offset=75

British Columbia should have standardized construction bylaws

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/british-columbia-standardized-construction-bylaws

It's so difficult to turn things around for the better in backwards BC.

BC Stumps

 There are a lot of stumpy towers around the world that would actually be among the tallest buildings in Vancouver, BC. The Scotia_Tower was never the tallest in Vancouver, but it's been a prominent building on the skyline since 1977. https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=65 34F 138m/452' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855260&offset=50 The windows only go up to 34, then there are 2 windowless floors above that. In contrast, the Scotia_Plaza is double the height & twice the width. That's because such tall buildings in Toronto don't have to be watered down to Vancouver standards.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Vancouver_Skyline_and_Mountains.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Concord_Pacific_Master_Plan_Area.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Vancouverdowntown2019.jpg 

Seattle, WA https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=6965 38F 141m/462" , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=27&searchname=timeline

Calgary, Alberta https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=370 39F 147m/481' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855241&offset=25

Perth, WA https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=1593 33F 140m/459' , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=168&searchname=timeline

Dubai https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/16/story-of-cities-43-dubai-world-trade-centre-turned-sand-gold-uae , https://www.dubaidesertsafaris.com/dubai-world-trade-center , https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=3245 , https://gulfnews.com/business/dubai-world-trade-centre-marks-40th-anniversary-1.62395318 , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=23&searchname=timeline It would be stupid & pointless if the towers of Dubai had to be watered down to Vancouver standards.

Bank Bumi Daya Plaza https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=14799 32 floors , https://www.skyscrapercenter.com/jakarta/bank-bumi-daya-plaza/15474 143 m/469 ft , https://www.bumidayaplaza.co.id , https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?cityID=750&searchname=timeline

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

611 Place in L.A. and Place Ville Marie, Montreal

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/611Place_LosAngeles.jpg , 
https://calisphere.org/item/c808aa829349df0b62b97853207d216f

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/611_Place Its a 42-story, 189 m (620 ft) skyscraper at 611 West 6th Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It was completed in 1969, some 7 years after PVM in Montreal. 611 Place is a few feet higher or a meter taller, but PVM is much wider building. It would take until the early 21st century before strict Vancouver would permit a building to rival their height.


PVM:

https://mtltimes.ca/business/have-a-look-at-the-changes-on-the-45th-and-46th-floor-of-place-ville-marie The building is equvalent to a 51_story tower, but the main widowed floors stop at 46. Some of the floors and of course the roof, have no windows, as they are mechanical or building plant operation levels.

Although it's not quite the tallest in Montreal, PVM is the tallest wide building in Quebec. It really should have been in the 55-60 story range, but Montreal wasn't ready for a big, bulky NYC office tower on the scale of 28_Liberty_Street or the MetLife_Building. Montreal has some view corridor restrictions, which prevent it to rival the tallest buildings in Austin Texas. However, Montreal is still allowed to have taller buildings than stumpy Vancouver.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Boulevard_Ren%C3%A9-L%C3%A9vesque.JPG Unlike narrowminded Vancover, Montreal has allowed for some tall wide buildings and even some wide streets or boulevards. Wide streets can allow for better accomodation of bus & bike lanes. The Vancouver approach is to try to cram everything into 4 lanes.

"This widening to 8 lanes was requested by the real estate developer planning the construction of Place Ville-Marie . This urban gesture allowed the arrival of several tall buildings, especially in the city center. It is without a doubt the boulevard of skyscrapers since it is on this artery that the largest buildings in Montreal and Quebec are located."
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulevard_Ren%C3%A9-L%C3%A9vesque_(Montr%C3%A9al)#Historique

 https://montrealjemesouviens.blogspot.com/2012/07/place-ville-marie.html

https://www.voirvert.ca/projets/projet-etude/ecologisation-place-ville-marie

https://www.pcf-p.com/projects/place-ville-marie PVM opened in 1962 & 6 years later, 777-Hornby a stump building in Vancouver with a similar shape, wasn't even allowed to have half as many floors as PVM. However, it would be an impressive building compared to what's in Victoria-Prince+George-Kamloops, but not most real cities.

https://pcfandtypecodewebstuff.s3.amazonaws.com/images/2.lin.PCF.5503_plan-section.max-1600x1600.jpg

https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=937 43, 46 or 50F. 188m/617' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855813&offset=75

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=375x375&zoom=18&center=45.501488%2C-73.568466&maptype=satellite&key=AIzaSyCNedHKUJhos7_OH_zp9Xtyw-eV8ylf-78 The Montreal tower.

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=375x375&zoom=18&center=49.282982%2C-123.121780&maptype=satellite&key=AIzaSyCNedHKUJhos7_OH_zp9Xtyw-eV8ylf-78 The watered down Vancouver version is just a stump by comparison.

777 Hornby Street
Vancouver BC Canada 
https://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=4904 20F 72m/237' https://skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?searchID=107855260&offset=25 It opened in 1968.

https://www.cityfeet.com/cont/listing/777-hornby-st-vancouver-bc-v6z-1s4/cs4415499

"777 Hornby is a 20 storey office, retail and parking complex strategically located at the corner of Hornby Street and Robson Street within walking distance of Vancouver's many amenities and top restaurants." https://www.777hornby.com



The former World_Trade_Center_in_New_Orleans was converted to a 34 story hotel. The building was first completed in 1967 as a 33 story, 407 feet (124 m) structure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Seasons_Hotel_and_Private_Residences_New_Orleans

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/(former)_World_Trade_Center_in_New_Orleans.jpg



https://jfdatalinks.blogspot.com/search?q=611+Place

Monday, December 23, 2024

MetLife Building, NYC

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetLife_Building

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MetLife_Building#Architecture

Court rules against BC government on methods for advancing Kitsilano supportive housing project

 https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/kitsilano-arbutus-supportive-housing-bc-government-appeal-court-ruling

Metro Vancouver's tiny industrial lands drive $43B economy

 https://www.biv.com/news/economy-law-politics/metro-vancouvers-tiny-industrial-lands-drive-43b-economy-finds-report-9998620

Industry represents employment, production and development, at least before AI and robotics might take over most human jobs. Unfortunatly, BC has quite a history of so many restrictions, which makes growth or expansion difficult. Its been part of a multigenerational BC mentality or agenda. Fortunately, the backwater BC mentality hasn't been able to take over all of Western_Canada and the Pacific_Northwest

Despite that Switzerland could fit into BC almost 2 dozen times, it's been tough for BC to even have the population of one CH. 

Surrey City Centre

Will the first 40 story office tower in BC happen in Burnaby or Surrey? It sure wont happen in Vancouver, because the city wont permit any office tower to have 50 floors, let alone 40.

https://www.biv.com/news/real-estate/surreys-tech-hub-gets-housing-boost-from-private-partnership-8403636

https://www.citycentredistrict.com/

https://www.citycentredistrict.com/#location