High-density housing has never looked unhealthier. COVID-19’s deaths are worst in high-density housing worldwide. Ergo, Vancouver should pause the high-density housing proposed in the Heights plan, even if planning began two years ago.
City Hall worked hard on the Comprehensive Plan of 2011-2030. The city works hard still to see framework goals such as the Heights plan achieved punctually and within budget. Admirable! However, city directors must nimbly adapt to bombshells like COVID-19 rather than ignore a global crisis because it wasn’t planned.
Developments that could further endanger our already impacted community should be paused. Yes, the comprehensive Heights plans have been processing for years; yes, much hard work, many hours and millions of dollars have been invested. Nonetheless, neither the nine-year-old comprehensive plan nor the two-year-old Heights plan could have foreseen this global pandemic, nor predicted the dangers of the high-density housing they propose.
The COVID crisis requires addressing the highest priorities first. Development plans can — and should — be paused until this pandemic is contained. Continuing otherwise is to ignore the very real, very deadly truths that high-density housing exacerbates the insidious spread of COVID-19.
