To create a better Vancouver, Adriane Carr will champion:

1.  A SUSTAINABLE, LIVABLE CITY
. . . in 2011 our Livable Region Strategic Plan was replaced by a new Regional Growth Strategy. We need to return to livability as our core planning goal.

2. AFFORDABLE HOUSING
. . . both for the 52% of Vancouverites who rent and the middle income earners who want to buy. Affordable housing should come in different sizes and types so that people can live their whole lives in the neighbourhoods they love.
The recent eco-density and STIR (Short-Term Incentives for Rental Housing) programs are not delivering affordable housing and are creating conflict. New programs must be focused on developer incentives that can deliver affordability without compromising community character, such as reduced parking stall requirements in areas with good public transit. But the City must also vigorously pursue support from senior governments for affordable, social and co-op housing as well as for re-instating tax incentives for private developers to build and maintain rental housing.

3. SMART GROWTH
. . . focused on complete walkable communities and modest density increases that respect existing zoning bylaws and neighbourhood character.

It is wrong that new housing developments are still being approved in Vancouver without shopping and community services within walking distance. It would be better to focus new housing near transit routes and existing stores and recreational facilities. There is enough capacity in current zoning bylaws to accommodate projected growth over the next few decades without the need for high rises where they aren’t zoned and aren’t wanted by local residents.

4. ASSURED FUNDING
TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY SERVICES
. . . including not only libraries, recreational facilities and cultural services but also essential police and fire protection. These services enhance everyone’s health, safety and quality of life.

Vancouver needs to move faster on replacing aging facilities, including community centres and outdoor pools. We need to secure sites for permanent farmers’ markets.

5. BETTER TRANSPORTATION
. . . to increase walking, cycling and use of public transit, including some bus lanes, more buses and pedestrian routes, and completing the bike land and residential bike route network.

6. A SMART ECONOMY
. . . building on current strengths in local entrepreneurship, tourism and our creative economy, including education, film, animation, software, fashion, food, arts and culture.
Government is not in the business of creating jobs, but in attracting creative people, workers and investors. That’s why policies to create more affordable housing, a healthy environment, better parks and community services are so important.

Vancouver should support a “Shop Local” campaign, including a local procurement policy for the city itself, and help stimulate tourism with more “car-free” street initiatives and programs like the First Thursday Seattle’s gallery district “Art Walk.”

7. BETTER RECYCLING
. . . with swifter transition to zero waste. Vancouver should focus immediately on solutions to food scrap recycling for apartments and better implementation of bylaws designed to keep recyclables out of landfills.

8. MORE INFRASTRUCTURE
AND SEISMIC UPGRADE FUNDING
. . . from senior governments, to ensure Vancouver is prepared for natural disasters. Although Vancouver has for years budgeted to annually replace 1% of its aging infrastructure, more rapid and better prioritized replacement is needed to avoid electricity black outs like we had downtown in 2008 and sewer overflows due to increased rainfall and storm events resulting from climate change.

9. A FAIRER TAX SYSTEM
. . . and pursuit of new revenue sources such as a vacant/derelict property surtax. The City of Vancouver receives just eight cents of every dollar Vancouverites pay in taxes, which places an inordinate burden on property owners. To redress the unfairness that exists in the overall allocation of taxes, the City must aggressively pursue all sources of funding and grants from senior governments. It should also pursue changes in the Vancouver Charter to allow it to issue Municipal Bonds and Energy Retrofit Loans.

10.  GREENEST CITY
AND CLIMATE ACTION PLANS
. . . that implement the most successful global practices.
Vancouver’s greenest city goals include eliminating dependence on fossil fuels. City Council needs to actively pursue a phase out of crude oil tanker traffic in our port. 
Meeting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets needs bigger investments in public transit and more innovative building codes, including passive solar designs and requirements for green roofs, as Toronto has done, as well as switching from “solar ready” to “solar required.”