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Taking it to the streets : An activist’s story of the Vancouver housing crisis of 1989 Marcoux, Roneen

Abstract

The Vancouver tenants' movement emerged in a context of changing urban land use. Influxes of foreign capital into Canadian real estate markets have resulted in dramatic increases in urban land values. In Vancouver, real estate developers seeking the best return on their investment have opted for condominium development as the most lucrative means of obtaining capital gains. The increased pressure on urban land for condominium development resulted in the demolition of thousands of rental units. In 1989 this wave of re-development reached critical proportions. Evicted tenants were finding it increasingly difficult to find alternative accommodation. Vacancy rates fell to an all time low as rents on remaining rental units skyrocketed. In response to this "Housing Crisis" Vancouver tenants joined together with neighbourhood associations, seniors, homeowners, community groups, churches and squatters to form a city-wide coalition, the Vancouver Housing Forum, aimed at stopping the demolition of affordable housing and slowing the pace of development in their neighbourhoods. This project offers a reflective analysis of the work done by tenant organizers and in particular of a specific community organizing initiative that impacted on the housing situation in Vancouver.

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