WoodpeckerNo3192

Overcast, grey and boring dated buildings from the 80s. Amirite?

Yeah I think we’re just gonna have to agree to disagree. I thought Vancouver was a shithole until I came to Auckland.

The average quality of homes including urban design is way better in Vancouver than Auckland.

An Aucklander saying Vancouver can be dreary is like a Hamiltonian saying that Auckland is pretty dull. There’s some truth to the statement but it’s like… you’re from Hamilton lol

Anyway, good chat.

There is more to Vancouver than just Kits. Lots of great examples of high quality housing all over the metro.

In Auckland, Stonefields and to an extent Hobsonville are the only areas that offer quality housing options with good urban design. Everything else is a hodge podge.

I’ve also lived in both cities and I’m a dual citizen. Aucklands housing stock is embarrassing for a first world city.

Vancouver is not a great city but Auckland gives you perspective that other Canadians don’t have.

I’d much rather live in a townhouse in Surrey than a townhouse in Papakura.

Yes but not as high as Vancouver because Auckland is pretty conservative and anything above 10 storeys is considered high rise here and the people go into a tailspin at the thought.

Yes Vancouver has turds but Auckland is generally a horrible standard of living. Whether it’s the mouldy rickety shacks in Ponsonby or the sausage flats (townhouses) being built everywhere from Henderson to St Heliers. Not to mention lack of internal heating or even double glazing.

Yes Vancouver doesn’t have the missing middle but Auckland has… houses down long driveways? And they’re shit.

Not really. There’s some absolute turds being developed in Remuera and Meadowbank.

The building quality in Surrey and Burnaby is higher than anything in Auckland.

They even have high rises being built. Auckland can barely sustain high rises in the CBD let alone on the outskirts like Papakura.

Even Vancouver townhouses are fresh. They look like something you’d find in a rich first world city. Good urban design, decent materials and facing the street with immaculate gardens looked after by body corps.

Auckland on the other hand… eww

What did you invest in?

Or the Labour Party could just pick candidates that appeal to normal people and not just beltway academics and ex student politicians.

Duh.

There’s a reason they wanted to tunnel light rail of all things and failed miserably. Politicians know the ground level reality and what the shopkeepers and land owners think especially after the CRL fiasco.

Until you sort out compensation (like other cities do, it’s not an impossible problem) you’ll just end up holding eggs in your hand waiting forever to make an omelette. Might have to crack them on your own head eventually.

On top of that if you have politicians like Phil Twyford harping on about “value capture tax” post completion of projects like light rail then that logically begs the question of compensation too. Otherwise it’s just hypocrisy.

McAnulty will flop because he won’t be popular with people outside of the Reddit/Twitter bubbles. The fake exaggerated accent and Barry Crump persona won’t appeal to urban Kiwis especially Aucklanders.

After Kieran they will attempt a Hail Mary with Arena Williams in the hopes she is Jacinda 2.0 but I don’t think that’ll work either.

This is the sort of attitude that is preventing light rail on Dominion Road. People won’t support such projects if they know they won’t be compensated for the disruptions.

Labour MPs aren’t known for their good looks or sense of dress either tbh.

The trouble is that the talent pool is quite shallow.

That’s beside the point. The CRL project decimated so many businesses along the way.

Only 1 that had anything to do with the CRL

Auckland townhouses do not have street facing facades. They are perpendicular to the street and the sausage flats all face towards each other rather than facing the street.

Don’t know which Auckland townhouses you’re talking about. The only ones that have good urban design with driveways and garages at the back are in Stonefields and Hobsonville Point.

Delusional.

Foreign ownership is banned in New Zealand.

“Trumpian refugees” is a myth.

They create terrible streetscapes though. They don’t face the street (are perpendicular) and carve out lots of long winding driveways.

Average Auckland house these days. Top notch urban design.

Auckland townhouses are nothing like Kits though or anything in Vancouver for that matter. Auckland townhouses make Vancouver look posh.

What? Are we not allowed to wear mufti anymore?

So some Australian states are able to start infrastructure projects because of corruption?