BCBusiness

March 2015 BCBusiness 41 Not surprisingly, the invasion of the digerati hasn't been without its share of conflict. There's growing resentment toward what's derisively called the "Twitter crowd"—and it's not all about housing. "Much of the discussion is on the need to provide more housing, and somewhat lost in that is the need to protect businesses and nonprofits and arts and cultural groups that define the character of the city," says San Francisco He r it a ge's e xe c u- tive director, Mike Buhler. Beloved old busi- nesses and cherished landmarks have been knocked down in the name of change. Last year, one of America's oldest bookstores, Ma rc us Book s i n the Filmore District, closed after the own- ers were ev icted. Other quirky insti- tutions, like All Star Donuts, the Gold Dust Lounge and Wood- ward's Garden, have had to either move or shut down for good. And just recently, the rooftop restaurant of the iconic, five-storey Empress of Ch i na closed shop when the building was sold. The closings have inspired the city to create a registry of legacy businesses and create financial incentives for property owners to encourage their preservation. Buhler worked on the legislation, which includes tax credits to landlords who lease to legacy businesses. The hope is that they'll extend their tenant's leases. "The displacement is happen- ing throughout the city," says Buhler. "I went to get my haircut last week, and when I got there, they were dismantling all the equipment because their rent has doubled." While preservationists like Buhler strive to protect low-income tenants and the city's culture, there are oth- ers who argue that the city needs to physically accommodate the changing demographic. It's a familiar refrain in Vancouver, where there's a pro-density push to rezone pockets of character neighbourhoods into mid-rises and townhomes in the name of affordable housing. Neighbourhoods like Grand- view Woodlands and Dunbar have vocif- erously fought back. According to Gabriel Metcalf, CEO of SPUR, a nonprofit policy group that lob- bies for better urban planning around the Bay Area, the wealthy have been moving into the urban core of major cities for several decades. "But now the process is get- ting to an unprec- edented place—it's going much fur- ther than anyone thought it would." Wealthy people want walkabilit y and diversity so they gravitate to urban areas, he says. And people with less money get forced into the suburbs. That's the big pattern: "I think certain cit- ies are on the leading edge of that, where it begins to look like there won't be any way for middle class people to be in the cit- ies. That's what we're staring at in places like San Francisco and Vancouver." So what is the solution? Whatever it is, according to Metcalf, it involves a readjustment in the way we think about our cities that could be painful for many. Some of the old physical character must make way for mixed-use and higher- density buildings in walkable, diverse neighbourhoods, he says. Think of recent Vancouver projects such as the Woodward's Building in the Downtown Eastside or the Olympic Village on for- mer historic industrial land. "One way or the other, it is not pos- sible to retain the physical character exactly the way it was and also keep cities affordable—that's just wishful thinking." • "one way or the other, it is not possible to retain the physical char- acter exactly the way it was and also keep cities affordable–that's just wishful thinking" – Gabriel Metcalf peTer dasilva

• Cover