My recent and enthusiastic West End Vancouver blog post generated a Facebook comment from our friend Jackie Chow.  She labelled the West End urban villages in one word: “expensive.”

For renters, the West End is so close to downtown Vancouver jobs that you can ditch your vehicle and save enough money to cover the extra rent costs.  But if someone  wants to buy in the West End, and that someone has two or more children, what then?   There’s not much available at any price, other than small condo apartments in towers. From this point of view, it’s fair to say that West End Vancouver ranks low on the livability scale for some potential residents.  There are townhomes and low-rise options  in Kitsilano across the bridge, but the purchase costs are very high. Continue reading →