What are you sick of doing?

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by peter12

I’ve lived in a couple and didn’t mind them at all.

I’ve lived in two wood-frame walk-ups, and several concrete high-rises. You couldn’t bribe me back into a wood-frame multi-family building, I would rather live in a PoV condo so long as it was concrete.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Shin Pad

I can't imagine living in a Condo building with 400 or more units. Then again, it seems like a lot of people like it. I guess you have a different perspective when you are young and single than you do when you are an old geezer like me.

I don’t think it would be as bad as you think it would be - Depending on how much of a yard you currently have and how much you use it. A lot of living is pretty similar, you don’t see your neighbours as much as you think you would think. Heated parking. Secure package areas (package pirates are non-existent depending on the building) you don’t have to go outside to get the Mail or take out garbage (no garbage days). No shovelling or mowing lawns (if that isn’t your thing). Balconies for bbqs and bistro set for outdoor eating. If you’re in a concrete building the noise isn’t as bad as people say. I don’t hear my neighbours. I can hear my top neighbour workout a bit (a Covid thing) but it could just as well be my wife on the the second floor jumping around.

You can have some pretty sick views and rarely do you see right into peoples places. I remember living in the burbs and it was so strange at first being effectively on display to my backyard neighbours. Modern suburban homes with massive picture windows looking straight into your neighbours living room

[GGG]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Which services are you referring to? Technically in the SE, I'm closer to not only the power plant, but also the waste water treatment plant, the landfill, and we have our own firehall etc. I don't import services from the inner city.
On the note of sewer, most of the inner city water services require pumping to get it to the associated plant at a much higher cost, and the system is aging. Technically services in the inner city cost the city more per year than the equivalent in the burbs.

Roads, Transit, Fire, Police all scale with total square footage of the city to varying degrees. That covers about 60% of the city budget. These services all cost more as the city gets larger in physical size.

Some thought should be also put into an individuals collective impact into time wasting commutes.

[JohnnyB]

My favourite home I've lived in out of the many over the years was a 1930s lane house in the French Concession in Shanghai. There were three floors I think. You would enter through a shared kitchen on the ground floor and there were very steep old wooden stairs up to floors above. We never had to use any of the shared facilities as our space had been developed into a modern apartment, but that's the way people used to live in Shanghai and how our neighbors still did. Our neighbor on the same floor was a lady in her eighties who had lived there since she was a teenager. The lanes between homes were maybe 10 feet wide, and there was even an old covered well in the little square. Our neighbor right across from us had also lived there for most of his life. I always had a really hard time understanding the lady next door because her Shanghainese was so strong, but we developed a good relationship and we all took care of each other. I went to visit them and brought them gifts from Canada the last time I passed through Shanghai. In terms of the financial status of the people around me, it was the poorest community I've ever lived in and a strange place to find people doing the work my wife and I were doing, but it was a real community and I haven't loved living anywhere else as much as I loved there.

You can read about it and other communities like it online. There's even a picture from right outside my front door in this article:
https://www.smartshanghai.com/articl...es-of-shanghai

In his book Lanes in Shanghai, professor Luo Xiaowei writes, “there would be no Shanghai if there were no lanes, nor would there be any Shanghainese”. Academics think that the lanes have shaped the fundamental character of the people. How?

Lanes are dense neighborhoods, with many perpendicular branches running off a main artery. They jam all kinds of people, of all different ages and social classes, together. The public and shared spaces, like kitchens and courtyards, mean residents are always in contact with their neighbors.

As anyone who has actually lived in a lane can tell you, that’s not always a good thing. Disputes and disagreements are inevitable when you shove so many people together in a tight space. But lanes force people to resolve their differences, the thinking goes, because where else are they going to go? There’s no hiding in a lane.

There’s a Chinese proverb that sums up the positives of lane life: Good neighbors are more helpful than far-away relatives.

At least part of the Shanghainese reputation for open-mindedness and business savvy are said to come from lane culture. So they say.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by peter12

I’m sick of pointless whiny posts like this one.

You're one to talk. Go #### up the covid thread some more.

[FurnaceFace]

I read above people saying Calgarians hate condos yet with the recent zoning changes the houses at the edges of our community are being bought and turned into condo buildings. (There’s one nearby that’s just finishing called The Giordano.) it seems developers feel there is enough demand for condos to keep building them. There must be some people who still like them.

I struggle with them. I like the concept, easy to just lock the door and leave for vacation as someone deals with the maintenance. The downsides are neighbours and less space. My introverted nature likes having space to myself. Our house isn’t huge but getting the same size condo is tough to find or much more costly.

[Shin Pad]

Originally Posted by Cappy

I don’t think it would be as bad as you think it would be - Depending on how much of a yard you currently have and how much you use it. A lot of living is pretty similar, you don’t see your neighbours as much as you think you would think. Heated parking. Secure package areas (package pirates are non-existent depending on the building) you don’t have to go outside to get the Mail or take out garbage (no garbage days). No shovelling or mowing lawns (if that isn’t your thing). Balconies for bbqs and bistro set for outdoor eating. If you’re in a concrete building the noise isn’t as bad as people say. I don’t hear my neighbours. I can hear my top neighbour workout a bit (a Covid thing) but it could just as well be my wife on the the second floor jumping around.

You can have some pretty sick views and rarely do you see right into peoples places. I remember living in the burbs and it was so strange at first being effectively on display to my backyard neighbours. Modern suburban homes with massive picture windows looking straight into your neighbours living room

I don't live in the city or even in a small town. I live out on an acreage in the middle of nowhere (just like I want it - nice and quiet without any nosy neighbours). It's not for everyone - I see why young people would rather live in an urban or suburban location (especially if you work in the city). I'm retired, so a rural country life style suits me. I can take my dogs for a decent walk and not even leave my property.

[monkeyman]

I think the correct answer to the original question is; "your mom"

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

I think the correct answer to the original question is; "your mom"

I believe that is correctly pronounced 'yo moma!'

[I_H8_Crawford]

I'm sick of looking for a home to buy. Seriously all the inner city infillls look the same and are garbage build quality, yet are asking for $800K for the right to live in a place that is going to break down in 5 years.

[TorqueDog]

Where are you looking? Seems to be a lot within $100k of $800,000 that looks worth considering.

[I_H8_Crawford]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Where are you looking? Seems to be a lot within $100k of $800,000 that looks worth considering.

Have probably seen them lol. We have probably seen 50 properties over the past 3 months. Looking on the north side of downtown from Mount pleasant to Winston Heights.

Found one we offered on, and after the home inspection will be withdrawing the offer. So I am bitter right now because it's back to looking for something that we like AND doesn't have massive flaws and code violations.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Lol $800k purchase price? That barely covers the down payment on my summer house.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Have probably seen them lol. We have probably seen 50 properties over the past 3 months. Looking on the north side of downtown from Mount pleasant to Winston Heights.

Found one we offered on, and after the home inspection will be withdrawing the offer. So I am bitter right now because it's back to looking for something that we like AND doesn't have massive flaws and code violations.

Ah, that explains it, I'm always looking at south of the river, between Crowchild and Macleod, north of Glenmore.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by GGG

Roads, Transit, Fire, Police all scale with total square footage of the city to varying degrees. That covers about 60% of the city budget. These services all cost more as the city gets larger in physical size.

Some thought should be also put into an individuals collective impact into time wasting commutes.

How much does police service scale with city size? I suspect density creates more interpersonal conflict due to extra human contact, increasing policing cost. The only thing they do that probably scales with size is traffic enforcement, but that is self funding.

Compare the City of Vancouver (population 675k) to the City of Calgary (almost exactly double population at 1.336 MM). Vancouver had a 2020 police budget of $340.6 MM. From the 3 year budget cycle document, Calgary Police had a 2020 budget of $401 MM.

The city of vancouver is way, way more dense than Calgary, and spends 66% more money per capita on police services. I think if there is any positive correlation with city land area it must be very slight, as calgary is much, much less dense than the city of vancouver. In fact Vancouver has more than 3x as many people per square km. If density was a big savings for police services they should be seeing that savings.

[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

How much does police service scale with city size? I suspect density creates more interpersonal conflict due to extra human contact, increasing policing cost. The only thing they do that probably scales with size is traffic enforcement, but that is self funding.

Compare the City of Vancouver (population 675k) to the City of Calgary (almost exactly double population at 1.336 MM). Vancouver had a 2020 police budget of $340.6 MM. From the 3 year budget cycle document, Calgary Police had a 2020 budget of $401 MM.

The city of vancouver is way, way more dense than Calgary, and spends 66% more money per capita on police services. I think if there is any positive correlation with city land area it must be very slight, as calgary is much, much less dense than the city of vancouver. In fact Vancouver has more than 3x as many people per square km. If density was a big savings for police services they should be seeing that savings.

I don't think that's a fair comparison. 675k people live in Vancouver, but how many people work and visit there on a daily basis?

Burnaby's population is 232,755 and has a police budget of $67 million. That's way higher per capita than Vancouver's. Why? It has half the population density of metro Vancouver so shouldn't it have a lower police budget?

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

I don't think that's a fair comparison. 675k people live in Vancouver, but how many people work and visit there on a daily basis?

Burnaby's population is 232,755 and has a police budget of $67 million. That's way higher per capita than Vancouver's. Why? It has half the population density of metro Vancouver so shouldn't it have a lower police budget?

Assuming your numbers are correct then Burnaby has a police budget per capita much lower than Vancouver.

Population is slightly over 1/3, Police budget only ~20%.

I never said there was an inverse correlation to density of any meaningful size, just that police spending is mostly related to population not density. I agree daytime commuter population is probably a factor.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Lol $800k purchase price? That barely covers the down payment on my summer house.

We've been looking for another place in Vancouver this year and $800k is our baseline for something decent. It's so depressing to just peek at the Calgary market and see what $800k gets you.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

How much does police service scale with city size? I suspect density creates more interpersonal conflict due to extra human contact, increasing policing cost. The only thing they do that probably scales with size is traffic enforcement, but that is self funding.

Compare the City of Vancouver (population 675k) to the City of Calgary (almost exactly double population at 1.336 MM). Vancouver had a 2020 police budget of $340.6 MM. From the 3 year budget cycle document, Calgary Police had a 2020 budget of $401 MM.

The city of vancouver is way, way more dense than Calgary, and spends 66% more money per capita on police services. I think if there is any positive correlation with city land area it must be very slight, as calgary is much, much less dense than the city of vancouver. In fact Vancouver has more than 3x as many people per square km. If density was a big savings for police services they should be seeing that savings.

I don't know that this is a reasonable assumption, or that Vancouver is the best comparison. A port city where drugs flow into the country and the homeless hold out through the winters doesn't make for an apples to apples comparison with Calgary.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

I don't know that this is a reasonable assumption, or that Vancouver is the best comparison. A port city where drugs flow into the country and the homeless hold out through the winters doesn't make for an apples to apples comparison with Calgary.

Also Vancouver has pitifully low crime rates compared to virtually any other rural small town in British Columbia.

Rural Canada is dangerous. Urban Canada is almost ridiculously safe.