moving in a livable region - urban futures survey

Moving in a Livable Region March 14, 2014

What kind of transportation do we want and how do we want to pay for it?

2012 Urban Futures Surveywww.urbanfuturessurvey.com

Ken Cameron, FCIP, RPP [email protected] Jacint Simon, Urban Studies Masters Candidate, [email protected]

Definition of Terms

“PlaceSpeak”· A Vancouver-based social enterprise in which Ken Cameron is a director and investor

· An online, interactive consultation platform that allows proponents (municipalities, utilities, developers) to sponsor consultation topics and receive feedback from citizens who can voluntarily participate at no cost to them

“Urban Futures Survey”· A comprehensive survey of public attitudes in Greater Vancouver developed by the late Dr.

Walter Hardwick

· Conducted in 1973, 1990 and 2012

· 2012 survey was a research project of PlaceSpeak conducted with a grant from the Real Estate Foundation of B.C., the Cities of North Vancouver and Surrey, TransLink and Vancity

Ranking Challenges

Challenges 2012 1990 1973Change

1990-2012

Provision of health care 1 3 9 +2

Traffic congestion 2 7 6 +5

Homelessness 3 NOT ASKED NOT ASKED NA

Increasing housing supply 4 8 8 +4

Air pollution from industry 5 1 1 -4

Water pollution from industry 6 2 2 -4

Air pollution from cars 7 4 3 -3

Traffic congestion and commuting experienceNet Agreement = total agreement - total disagreement

Ranking Policy Issues (11 total)

The residents of the region do not support the idea of easing congestion by building more roads.

Issues 2012 1990 1973Change

1990-2012

Expanding the public transit system 1 5 2 +4

Making more efficient use of present transportation 2 3 3 +1

Promoting comprehensive community planning 3 6 5 +3

Preserving the natural environment 4 1 1 -3

Improving highway transportation 9 9 10 0

54 issue statements ranked

#1 “Diversified forms of transportation, such as street cars and light rail, should be encouraged.”

#7 “An expanded public transit system is the best way to solve Metro Vancouver's transportation problem.”

#13 “Both public transit and highways will be essential to Metro Vancouver in the future.”

#18 “People should pay less when using public transportation at off-peak times.

#21 “The first task of improving transportation in Metro Vancouver is to make better use of existing transit facilities.”

#24 “Bicycle use would increase if designated routes were expanded,”

#33 “The private motor vehicle is essential to our sense of freedom,”

#54 “There is no real traffic problem in the Metro Vancouver area.”

Explanatory note: if a statement is ranked #54 (last in the ranking), it means that the vast majority of respondents disagree with that statement.

“Both public transit and highways will be essential to Metro Vancouver in the future.”

Net Agreement = total agreement - total disagreement

“The private motor vehicle is essential to our sense of freedom.”

Net Agreement = total agreement - total disagreement

Transportation Preferences1990

● Prepared to pay more for transit● Preference for transit over roads● User pay principle preferred● All taxation methods rejected● General taxation methods were strongly rejected

2012 - User pay principle supported; property tax strongly rejected

Regional Differences in Support for Funding Options

“Rank, in order of preference, the issues that you personally feel most urgently require government action.”

Transportation 30%

Housing affordability 27%

Preservation of green spaces 12%

Job creation 8%

K-12 education 7%

Loss of rental housing stock 5%

Rising property taxes 5%

Changing appearance of neighbourhoods 2%

In-migration from outside the Metro Vancouver area 2%

More recreational facilities 1%

Darker areas represent higher urgency for transportation.

http://placespeak.com/ufs2012map/

moving in a livable region - urban futures survey

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