When deciding on the topic for my final Blog Post, I wanted to write something relevant to most people while also relating to COMM 484 course content. Through research and narrowing down ideas, I was left with another blog discussing ‘affordable housing’ in Vancouver. However, I hope that through this blog post I am able to talk about an issue not many people think about or discuss in the current housing market. Specifically, I want to talk about the rooms, houses, and apartments must of us rent but don’t own.
My family and I moved to North Vancouver Canada around eight years ago. I would consider myself extremely fortunate for the financial stability my parents have been able to provide me with, but nothing could have prepared my parents’ for the Vancouver housing prices. My parents choose to wait out the extreme housing boom that came almost exactly when we moved to Canada. Seeing the slowing housing market now, their decision to wait, in order to find their perfect house was probably a good one. However, that decision led my parents to rent in one of the most expensive cities in the world. We ended up living in this old drafty, dilapidated home until last January when my parents found their perfect home. (pictured below)
Our house in North Vancouver was perfect for what we needed and it was at a reasonable price for the great location and well taken care of inside. However, our landlord was slow to make repairs if at all towards the safety and efficiency of our home. It begs the question of ‘what can we do to make landlords in Vancouver care more about updating their rental properties with newer and more energy efficient appliances and features?’ How are everyday people who can’t afford to buy supposed to be sustainable, when renters are completely at the will of landlords with detached incentive to improve a properties environmental footprint?
I did some research on; what it will actually cost to improve decapitated Vancouver homes, the ignoring of most renters ability to find/have an efficient and affordable place to live, all while in the midst of a huge environmental and housing crisis we are aiming to fix while. (Valuable Links Below).
David Suzuki: Will energy efficiency stall climate disruption?
B.C. Needs Bold Action To Make Homes And Buildings Energy Efficient
Further, when you don’t own your own home or apartment, what incentive is there for you to maintain and improve your living space to be as environmentally sustainable as possible? NONE, other than trying to reduce your utilities by changing utility consumption practices or finding cheap solutions to managing usages. So in a housing market where the houses and rooms most young people and students can afford are older and inefficient, what solutions do we have to reduce our environmental footprint?
How do you think we might be able to help solve this issue in Vancouver and all around the world with helping people to improve their environmental footprint? Should someone create means by which consumers can improve their existing appliances and homes to be more efficient and sustainable? OR Should governments force landlords to update inefficient appliances and homes?
My only worry is that this may further raise rent prices in Vancouver in order to meet higher efficiency standards or further reduce the number of rental homes and rooms available due to stricter efficiency and safety regulations. How could we overcome these potential problems to create a solution?
Let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks!
References:
Suzuki, D. (2018, August 08). David Suzuki: Will energy efficiency stall climate disruption? Retrieved March 20, 2019, from https://www.straight.com/news/1113411/david-suzuki-will-energy-efficiency-stall-climate-disruption
Blesch, J. (2016, July 13). 3500 Willow St. was a perfect candidate for the Heritage Energy Retrofit Grant. • Vancouver Heritage Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2019, from https://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/get-a-grant/heritage-energy-retrofit-grant/
Pembina Institute, & Pembina Institute. (2018, October 10). B.C. Needs Bold Action To Make Homes And Buildings Energy Efficient (Blog). Retrieved March 20, 2019, from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/pembina-institute/bc-buildings-energy-efficient_a_23555910/
Han, C. (2019, March 19). Old Homes: Maximizing Energy Efficiency & Sustainability in Older Houses. Retrieved March 20, 2019, from https://www.mainepublic.org/post/old-homes-maximizing-energy-efficiency-sustainability-older-houses
Vancouver Heritage Foundation. (2017, March 6). Heritage Energy Retrofit Grant • Vancouver Heritage Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2019, from https://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/get-a-grant/heritage-energy-retrofit-grant/
