This took me by surprise. Maybe someone more familiar with city hall can weigh-in, but to me it appeared that Jackson is as pro-market as it gets in Vancouver urban planning circles.
Frances Bula has the best write-up on the news.
What's particularly upsetting is one of the main reasons he cited for his decision: the ceaseless sniping by a band of development-averse former city officials. The article only mentions Scot Hein, but I suppose Spaxman and Condon are the other culprits.
Quote:
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Last fall, a former urban-design specialist, now working at the University of British Columbia, also created a minor sensation related to Mr. Jackson days before the November civic election. In a comment on a local blog, Scot Hein implied that Mr. Jackson pushed staff, against their wishes, to produce a plan for a cluster of high-density towers around the Commercial-Broadway station, in response to pressure from above him at city hall.
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Because god forbid that the civil service carry-out the will of the elected officials they're appointed to serve.