[mykalberta]

The reason for the Sprawl is becuase Calgary doesnt want to lose the dollars that would otherwise go to the leach communites of Airdrie, Cochrane etc. Families will always want houses with yards for their kids. You cant stop that. And they will find that house, whether that be in Calgary or Airdrie. Vancouver and Calgary are not even on the same plane to be considered.

Vancouver's density is a result of need and not want, they build up not because people want to live in 900sq foot concrete prisons, but because they would rather live near the ocean, and the best way maximize your investment dollar is by selling 8*50*1mil condos rather than single family homes. The other reality is that its a lot more expensive in Vancouer to own a home than it is in Calgary. When I was was flown out there for a job interview I simply couldnt afford to live anywhere close to the provincial building where I would work in downtown Vancouver.

Me and my dad did a test of what I could afford (approx 1800K max/month in rent) and I would have to transfer to multiple different trains to get to work every day. Because of that i took a slightly lower paying job in Calgary simply because I could live in Sunnyside and walk to work and only pay 800/month in rent.

I myself live a nice (not so nice in the winter) 20 minute walk to downtown. I do that not because I enjoy paying over a 1/4 of a mil for a 900 Sq foot condo, but because I dont like driving durring rush hour. Would I prefer a house, of course but not as much as I like walking to work and not having to spend alot of my time in traffic.

Also, I dont kow what people are saying about Calgary's crap public transit. Calgary has one of the most efficient LRT's in all of North America. Could they have more lines, sure but those lines cost money and when police and fire station costs balloon over 50% of proposed, how expensive do you think LRT lines would be.

Also as for culture, of course Vancouver has more. Vancouver is one of the top 3 cultural hubs in Canada, its also a major port of entry for immigrants and has the best airport in Canada. Of course that culture also includes high as a kite ferry workers, safe injection sites, and the wonders of the downtown Vancouver.