Can Seattle be more like Vancouver, BC? (to rent, credit card)

[509]

Originally Posted by Natnasci

Getting back on track.

Seattle is never going to be just like Vancouver, but what would need to happen to at least make it more similar is:

1) get rid of I 5. Maybe cover it and place parks and housing on top.

2) Put a major forested park right next to downtown.

3) Build a seawall around the city, with access to parks and beaches.

4) Allow greater density and height at your new transit hubs

5) More mini parks

6) Merge your transit authorities into one, so planning regionally is easier

Seattle HAD the opportunity to do ALL THOSE THINGS on the your list.

They chose NOT to do them, Vancouver did.

Do you think Seattle is going to do things differently in the future.

But Seattle did spend a couple BILLION in state and local government monies to build a couple of stadiums for the richest people in the world at the time!!!

[pnwguy2]

Seattle also built a very good urban rail system. Yes with help from the feds, but they did it. Sound transit is generally considered a success.

[509]

Originally Posted by Natnasci

Sheer numbers made it different. The hippie movement called to millions in the US who could legally move to SF. Vancouver had a much smaller pool to draw from.

Still, it was considered to be the Haight -Ashbury of Canada in some ways.

From personal experience....a very, very, very boring version of the Haight.

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

Seattle also built a very good urban rail system. Yes with help from the feds, but they did it. Sound transit is generally considered a success.

It is great, but it's just limited, with only one line currently. Once the other lines open, it will be really nice.

[jabogitlu]

That's fair. I'd definitely try it out. I rarely ever carry cash anyway, unless I'm specifically going somewhere like a flea market.

I could definitely say goodbye to the penny and nickel. Everything paid in cash just gets rounded to the nearest dime.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

........ Almost all of our homeless folks are white, and I've never seen ANY (visibly) Latino homeless folks here............

There is some reason that you believe all undocumented aliens are Latino? That's an interesting point of view.



Are you claiming that no undocumented aliens are homeless? You are qualified to determine citizenship and you've been around and interviewed them all? The less than attractive situations in Seattle are not all and only about homelessness, so you have absolute proof that all thieves, car prowlers, muggers, and graffiti artists are all legal US citizens? In my opinion, crime is a worse problem than homelessness.



There are no undocumented aliens in Seattle occupying low cost housing units? The only place undocumented aliens in Seattle live are the most expensive luxury apartments and they leave all the low cost housing for legal residents?


There is an enormous undocumented homeless population in California, but Seattle is really different because Seattle is too good to have any undocumented aliens living unhoused? So Seattle is exempt and undocumented aliens are not allowed to be homeless?

[primaltech]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

There is some reason that you believe all undocumented aliens are Latino? That's an interesting point of view.



Are you claiming that no undocumented aliens are homeless? You are qualified to determine citizenship and you've been around and interviewed them all? The less than attractive situations in Seattle are not all and only about homelessness, so you have absolute proof that all thieves, car prowlers, muggers, and graffiti artists are all legal US citizens? In my opinion, crime is a worse problem than homelessness.



There are no undocumented aliens in Seattle occupying low cost housing units? The only place undocumented aliens in Seattle live are the most expensive luxury apartments and they leave all the low cost housing for legal residents?


There is an enormous undocumented homeless population in California, but Seattle is really different because Seattle is too good to have any undocumented aliens living unhoused? So Seattle is exempt and undocumented aliens are not allowed to be homeless?

Do you live in Seattle? Because, I live right in in-town Seattle, without a car, and I walk the homeless-filled streets of Seattle every single day. Can confirm, the homeless here are mostly white, English-speaking Americans. And the second largest demographic of them would be black, English-speaking Americans.

It's a tragic situation and needs a solution, but it has nothing to do with immigration.

[uniquetraveler]

I started the thread to highlight how some relatively small changes around safety and security can elevate Seattle to a world-class city like our neighbor to the north.

But now let me share some perspective from the other side, after all my wife is Canadian and ended up moving here versus the other way round. If Vancouver was that great, we would have been settled there by now.

- Innovation and Technology: Seattle has a global impact with companies like Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks. We are leading the world in terms of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, aerospace to biotechnology. For people with aspirations, it has so much to offer than a touristy city can offer. This is closely tied to job opportunities & career growth as well.

- More central location- We have 2 large metros (Portland and Vancouver) within 3-4 hours of drive, which is more convenient in the long run. Having the ability to go to proper sandy beaches on the Oregon coast within a few hours is great as well. Flight to sunny California is also much more affordable from Seattle to Vancouver-- nice to have for gloomy winter days.

-Cost of Living If we factor in the salary of the Seattle area, housing price, and tax-- on average most Seattleite is in much better shape than people in Vancouver.

-More varied metro area Broader Seattle is much larger, with many varied neighborhoods like Issaquah, Bellevue, Woodinville, Kirkland-- offering a variety of different lifestyles. I haven't stayed in Vancouver long enough to pass a judgment but seemed smaller with fewer options.

In short, if we can clean up the downtown area from homelessness and tents, improve safety and bring in some retail at the core; Seattle should be just fine. We will always have Vancouver for the occasional visits and touristic activities..

[rodentraiser]

I thought Canada had also eliminated the penny - that an amount was just rounded up or down to the nearest nickel. Am I wrong in that?

I haven't been to Seattle in more than a decade, except to go to Harborview. But I remember when I used to work weekends, the downtown area seemed to be absolutely dead. No businesses, no people. I worked at 4th and Union.

Maybe I just didn't get far enough away from that area, but even when my job moved to the Convention Center, it seemed like no one was ever on the street on weekends. Unless they attended a convention, of course.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

There is some reason that you believe all undocumented aliens are Latino? That's an interesting point of view.



Are you claiming that no undocumented aliens are homeless? You are qualified to determine citizenship and you've been around and interviewed them all? The less than attractive situations in Seattle are not all and only about homelessness, so you have absolute proof that all thieves, car prowlers, muggers, and graffiti artists are all legal US citizens? In my opinion, crime is a worse problem than homelessness.



There are no undocumented aliens in Seattle occupying low cost housing units? The only place undocumented aliens in Seattle live are the most expensive luxury apartments and they leave all the low cost housing for legal residents?


There is an enormous undocumented homeless population in California, but Seattle is really different because Seattle is too good to have any undocumented aliens living unhoused? So Seattle is exempt and undocumented aliens are not allowed to be homeless?

Homelessness has nothing to do with illegal immigration. The whole system in the US is messed up, so many poor children grow up with very little education and drugs/guns.