The cost of accommodation is always a contentious issue in developed countries. However, in Canada, and in Vancouver especially, it is one of the most important local issues facing working people. In order to explore the issue, house price maps of Vancouver, using census data were created, with each data classification type used, in order for them to be compared and analysed .
Each data classification type has positive and negative features relating to the displaying of data, with different uses depending on the map’s user. If I was a journalist, reporting on house prices in Vancouver, I would probably use the ‘natural breaks’ map for a couple of reasons. Firstly, from a visual standpoint, there is more red in the natural breaks map which means that at a glance the reader will believe that a large amount of Vancouver has very high house prices, as many people will not read the scale, or will fully understand it. This would complement a newspaper article about extortionate prices across the city. Alternatively, if I was an estate agent, I may use the equal interval map to indicate to prospective buyers that the UBC area is much more expensive than the rest of Vancouver, indicating a rapid moving housing market. This may put some buyers off, however it may attract others who which to invest in a growing (in relation to house prices) part of the city.
However, there is a real question about the scale of house price inflation in British Columbia in relation to the rest of Canada. In order to see if house price inflation is just a west coast problem, Vancouver was compared to Ottawa.
The map above shows that, on average, house prices in Vancouver are much more expensive than in Ottawa. However, there is an important factor to take into account: Affordability. The affordability of house prices relates a cost of a house compared to the average wage in each census tract. The map below, shows this affordability, which again highlights the fact that Ottawa is by far more affordable to live in.
This obviously indicates that Vancouver is far less affordable than other eastern Canadian cities, however it does not give an obvious indication about other factors such as livability. The quality of life for Vancouverites may be worth the lack of affordable housing, and in Ottawa, it may be cheap but unlivable. However it can not be said that Vancouver is an affordable city to live in!
To conclude, during this assignment:
- I used ARCGIS to understand the importance of the classification of quantities, and that different data classification styles should be used for different reasons.
- I constructed three maps, using ARCGIS, to display a wide range of data, including the average house prices in both Vancouver and Ottawa.
- I evaluated the affordability of both Ottawa and Vancouver and argued about the factor’s importance in the house price debate.