[dleung]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Yeah, it’s odd how many one here, Americans it seems especially, see it as binary situation. Either you have a car and drive everywhere, or you are poor and must take transit...

Growing up in Vancouver and now living in Japan it is much more dynamic than that.

In Vancouver nearly all my friends have cars, and yet nearly all of them also regularly take transit (and walk, and bike).

There is a strong desire in most to live near a transit station (not just for the transit access but also all the amenities within walking distance that often accompany such stations) Seeing how only so much space is available around transit stations this leads to higher densities and towers. Most people who live in towers near train stations in Metro Vancouver can afford single detached houses in the far flung suburbs (Maple Ridge, Langley, Abbotsford and the Valley) but they choose the condo because it better fits their preferred urban lifestyle.

Yes, not every station has high density around it even in Vancouver (that is largely due to the city dragging its heels with zoning in some neighborhoods) and yes not every tower is located near a train station, but using such outliers to prove your counter point is an obvious straw man argument.

My current life in Japan I have a car, a bike, and a train pass.

Going somewhere near my neighborhood that only requires a small basket (haircut, quick 1 or 2 bag shop, seeing a friend for coffee, etc...) I ride my bike.

Going somewhere to pick up something heavy / that is far away and not near a train station. I take my car.

Going somewhere for white collar style work that is within a 20 minute walk of a train station / going out to party with friends (especially if drinking). I take the train.

I would hate to live somewhere that required me to drive for every outing and small errand. Hence I would always choose a condo near a train station over a detached house in the far flung burbs if given only those two choices.

Also, yes, as an elementary child many of us walked, took transit and rode bikes to school. Especially after 10 years of age. Sucks that you guys didn’t have the same experience.

I remember reading somewhere that while Toronto has a bigger percentage of people living in condos vs SFH than Vancouver, Vancouver has a bigger percentage of its luxury market in condos vs SFH, meaning that condos are more of a lifestyle choice here rather than simply being priced out of SFH.