Re: “City’s rationing of land causing housing crisis,” Jay Westman, Opinion, May 30.
It’s difficult to feel sorry for Jay Westman. He and his development pals did very well during Mayor Dave Bronconnier’s tenure. As a result, Calgary now has one of the largest urban footprints in North America. Are we to become a city of little suburban cities? I don’t believe that our developers are doing us any favours by marketing the single-familyhouse-with-a-picket-fence-in-the-‘burbs dream.
If there were equal effort into making urban density projects “cool” and “desirable” we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But it is an easier sell and there is more profit in building suburban communities.
Communities like Garrison Woods are a great example of what can be done right, and many developers are doing this affordably.
I agree with Westman that building homes, communities and a great city takes foresight, vision and collaboration, but not the kind he is proposing.
Christine Keillor
Calgary
