Can Vancouver Real Estate Be SAVED? The GM of Planning Weighs In

Welcome to The Vancouver Life Podcast! In this episode, we dive into the forces shaping the future of Vancouver’s real estate market with Josh White, the General Manager of Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability for the City of Vancouver. Josh brings a wealth of experience from his time as Director of City and Regional Planning and Co-Chief Planner at the City of Calgary, and now leads Vancouver’s planning efforts at a time when housing supply, affordability, and urban development are more critical than ever. 

We discuss the lessons he's learned from his time in Calgary and brought to Vancouver, and how the city is tackling some of its biggest affordability challenges. We dig into the complexities of Vancouver’s permitting process, why timelines under the City’s ambitious 3-3-3-1 Plan have been difficult to meet, and whether hiring more staff is really the solution. Josh sheds light on the city’s plan to streamline over 1,800 pages of policy documents into just 100 pages and what that will mean for builders and homeowners. 

We also explore upcoming system changes that could cut permit times in half by allowing Development Permits and Building Permits to be processed in parallel. Josh shares his take on Bill 47 and how transit-oriented development is shaping the future. We tackle the long and often frustrating process developers face to rezone and build towers, why Vancouver’s city fees are among the highest in Canada, and how Development Cost Levies impact affordability and cash flow. We ask where these funds are being spent, whether there’s accountability in how they’re used, and discuss the city’s evolving stance on banning natural gas in new homes. 

Josh also weighs in on Bob Rennie’s recent proposal to allow foreign buyers to participate in pre-sales with long-term rental commitments, and we talk about changes to REDMA that give developers more breathing room in today’s challenging market. 

Lastly, Josh shares his vision for housing in Vancouver, how builders can help streamline processes at City Hall, the conversations happening around affordability, and how sustainability is built into every decision the city makes for the future. This is an in-depth conversation you won’t want to miss if you care about the future of housing in Vancouver.

Josh White joined the City of Vancouver in May of 2024, coming from Calgary where most recently he was Director, City and Regional Planning and Co-Chief Planner at the City of Calgary. There, he stewarded the adoption of a new housing strategy in collaboration with partners and led the creation of a simpler and more effective planning policy and regulation. During a period of extraordinary population growth for the city, Josh also oversaw strategic growth, growth funding and financing, and infrastructure planning for the municipality. In his tenure at the City of Calgary, he also initiated and led the significant transformation of the development approvals system, which resulted in improved planning outcomes,
benchmarked as among the most efficient in Canada.

He holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Queen's University, and began his career in the private sector, serving a variety of private and public sector clients as a consultant with Urban Strategies in Toronto. Josh’s private sector experience also includes leading planning and approvals for Alpine Park, a progressive n

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