Looking Homeward in 2018 Vancouver Sun December 30, 2017

     Over the past 11 years, I have been flattered to be invited to write a half-dozen or so year end columns in The Vancouver Sun's WestCoast Homes, putting forward predictions for the coming year. As I look back on these musings, many things that I predicted or put forth as optimistic, self-fulfilling prophesies have come true: more multi-family housing along arterial roads, taller and more creative high-rise buildings; greater application of 6-storey wood-frame construction; ramifications of Depreciation Reports; and most recently the application of relocatable modular housing to house the homeless, new bylaws to encourage preservation of character housing and rental-only zoning proposals.
    Other things have not taken off as predicted or hoped. These include more widespread application of fee-simple or individually owned row-houses, and smaller US-style 'pocket neighbourhoods' similar to Hollyburn Mews and those proposed by Washington architect Ross Chapin and the Cottage Company. However, eventually these too will happen.
     Over the coming year, I hope to write more columns for the Vancouver Sun examining why some of these ideas are worthy of implementation. But in the meanwhile, here is a link to today's column. A special thank-you to Barbara Gunn, editor of WestCoast Homes for transforming my scribbles into much more readable columns. Happy New Year. http://vancouversun.com/homes/buying-selling/looking-homeward-in-2018