Lower Mainland Population Thread

[GMD]

Yes, sometimes I think about what it would take for Surrey to rival Vancouver in terms of desirability and how it could compete on something other than price.

But honestly, it is tough. The lack of nature in Surrey is difficult to overcome, I would say.

SFU Surrey being designed into a mall was a huge wasted opportunity, and the North Fraser Perimeter Road just cemented the lack of access to the river due to railways and industry. Moving city hall was a good step, just too bad the design/urbanism quality of the new city hall wasn't great, even if the location was good.

I'd say Surrey's best bet is to take advantage of less nimbyism and less bureaucracy to densify rapidly and increase the vibrancy of some key areas.

Lower prices allows for more indie restaurants and shops, and for for more artistic types to live there, but the built environment needs to support this with walkable, mixed-use neighbouhoods, and fine-grained streets and flexible spaces. It will take more than a bunch of condo towers to really change the vibe of Surrey, and that is what they really need if they want to move up the value chain.

Having said that, I always felt that in the absence of natural landmarks, Surrey needed a man-made landmark to really define the city and its downtown. A tower that was 80+ stories and (actually) iconic in design could accomplish this, but it doesn't seem to be on the drawing board, currently.

Or maybe it is just fine to always be the cheaper, more suburban, blander neighbour of Vancouver, but I feel like Surrey aspires to more than that.