Terry Project on CiTR #47: Zombie City
Are high housing prices turning Vancouver into a “zombie city?” Are young people and working class families being priced out of the market?
Listen to our investigation:
Chapter One: The Tear Down Kids
Vlad and Andrew pose in their “Tear Down House.”
Vlad and Andrew have discovered the secret to living cheaply in Vancouver. They also throw an epic party.
Further reading: Emi Sasagawa’s Tyee Article: “Meet Vancouver’s Tear Down Kids.”
Chapter Two: Zombie City
An urban planner–Andy Yan–and a journalist–Frances Bula–discuss the rising cost of living in Vancouver. What is it doing to the character of the city? And which political party has the answer?
Further reading: Frances Bula’s article in the Globe and Mail: “Vancouver’s vacancies point to investors, not residents.”
And “How young Vancouverites are Crashing the real estate party.”
Also, Pete McMartin’s “To have (expensive houses) and have not (money).”
Chapter Three: Welcome House
Zeena Al-Hamadani is a refugee from Iraq. Now she helps other refugees find housing in the midst of an affordability crisis.
Zeena Al-Hamadani is an Iraqi refugee. When she came to Canada with her two sons, she struggled to find affordable housing. Now she helps other refugees do the same.
We also speak with professor Daniel Hiebert and researcher Jenny Francis about the state of refugee housing in Canada. (It’s not good).
Further reading: “Shaky Foundations: Refugee’s in Vancouver’s Housing Market.”
Chapter Four: Millionaire Migrants
UBC geographer David Ley says people who question the government’s economic immigration program have been called racists since the 1980s. But he thinks that that’s a “smokescreen.” Hear the story of this controversial public policy and how it continues to shape our city today.
Further reading: Millionaire Migrants: Trans Pacific Life Lines
Find out more about the team that makes this program.
