What I'm about to say will make me unelectable in Vancouver, but I'm going to say it anyway.

All new social housing in Vancouver needs to be built in the most affluent neighbourhoods in the City such as Shaughnessy, Point Grey, Quilchena and Coal Harbour.

Why?

Thread 1/

The utilitarian argument is that you can build more social housing if you build it in areas where land is cheapest. But this argument fails to take into account why land is cheap in some parts of the city.

2/

Land is cheapest where there are most obstacles and fewest opportunities for success. Land is cheapest where schools are underfunded, crime rates are high and high paying jobs are scarce.

3/

That's why I have been advocating for #SHARE: Social Housing and Affordable Rentals Everywhere. The true exclusionary zoning is market zoning that shuts out working class from areas where they can better their lot in life. It's economic apartheid, plain and simple.

4/

The people in the affluent neighbourhoods are well connected and make big donations to politicians. So, even suggesting that we build social housing in those areas is political suicide.

These wealthy elites also don't want to see their kids mingle with underprivileged kids.

5/

So, there's zero political will to build #SHARE in Shaughnessy, Point Grey, Quilchena and Coal Harbour. Instead, the underprivileged are pushed into DTES and other underserved areas, creating pockets of poverty out of sight of the wealthy.

6/