UBC Sociology Professor Nathan Lauster is speaking out against single-family homes in Vancouver. His soon-to-be-released (November 2nd, 2016) book “The Death and Life of the Single-Family House: Lessons from Vancouver on Building a Livable City” addresses his concerns for creating a city focused on better environment, greater urban vitality, and health of the citizens.
While a single-family home is becoming increasingly difficult to attain; Lauster is busy promoting the idea of multi-family living.
According to Lauster, one of the largest issues arising from single-family dwellings stems from the large amount of large needed to house a single family – the amount of space is not considered to be energy efficient as it encourages the family to drive rather than walk or bike. An issue, he says, that is as bad for our health as it is for the environment.
Lauster also states that encouraging us to be out in our environment would also encourage us to be more multiculutrally-friendly, as citizens would be near their neighbours rather than hidden away on a private property. Lauster disputes the idea that living in a single-family dwelling reflects a successful life; a mindset that he says causes a lot of people feeling like failures that they can’t afford a big house on a private property for their families to live in.
Vancouver is already starting to move in the direction of replacing the older single-family homes with new development – one such example can be found along the Cambie Corridor. According to Lauster, Vancouver is already well on its way to eradicating the single-family home; but believes that this process in Vancouver will see an increase in the speed at which it’s changing.
Do you covet the single-family home? Do you agree with Lauster on his views of Vancouver’s future? Let us know in the comments.