Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainYooh
See, this is where you are so wrong. There will be less options in Calgary. New homebuyers, especially young families, will be choosing between a studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom, if they wish to remain in the City. Affordable new single-family homes will only be available outside at some point.
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You're making the assumption that everyone, especially young people, wants to live in a single-family home. I happen to be a young person, and I want to live in a condo in a dense urban neighbourhood that has almost every amenity within walking distance. When my wife and I bought our home, we had to pay about a $100k premium for a place in that kind of area; that is, a comparable home in the suburbs would have cost us $100k less or we could have purchased a much larger/nicer home in a less desirable (by our criteria) suburban neighbourhood for the same price.
Demand for housing in walkable communities near the core greatly exceeds supply, which has driven up prices significantly. Nobody is saying that suburban development has to stop completely, but there needs to be a much better balance than what is currently being offered. The price premium of urban living was worth it for us, but I can see why the economics of that decision would drive many people to the suburbs even if they'd prefer to live in a denser community.