Is Vancouver Even All That Liveable?

Despite high standing in The Economist’s liveability index, Vancouver tends to price out most student residents

Vancouver, the city of mountains, ocean, and clean air, has received the title of the world’s third most liveable city for the fifth year in a row.

Last month, The Economist released its annual ranking of the world’s top cities based on liveability, and found that Melbourne reigned supreme, followed by Vienna and Vancouver. The report uses five components to determine the winners—stability, healthcare, environment, education, and infrastructure.

Vancouver received top marks for healthcare, culture and environment, and education, though we lost five points for stability and seven points for infrastructure.

Despite The Economist’s findings, the idea of Vancouver being a livable city is a hotly debated topic for university students. Some think that calling the city “livable” at all is laughable when certain basic amenities in Vancouver cost more than a student can afford.

A house in the city will cost over a million dollars, car insurance continues to increase, pay parking is ubiquitous, and electricity costs are through the roof. When these expenses collect together, it is a nearly impossible financial burden for a new graduate student to find their place in Vancouver.

This begs the question—what will be the impact to Vancouver when it forces people, some of whom have lived their entire lives in the city, to move elsewhere? Student residents bring initiatives and activities to our city. They help develop the cultural milieu of Vancouver. Many college students are engaged in internships and/or work here. If these students and graduates are forced to leave the city they helped create, Vancouver will lose a sense of self and see a decrease in community engagements.

Not everyone agrees with this assessment, however. Some argue that Vancouver, despite its reputation, is a perfectly liveable city—one simply has to live in moderation. These people bring up the idea of community housing, living in suburbs, car sharing programs, and using transit as a means of decreasing the cost of living.

With this approach, the persona of Vancouver could remain intact, as long as Vancouver continues to improve. If thousands of people are commuting into the city, then out of necessity, the city must run programs to support this increase in population. Examples include an increase in public transit, public events, and public amenities. This will increase our score in the sectors that The Economist measures for livability, and Vancouver can welcome a more diverse population that helps cultivate a vibrant city.

As a new generation moves into adulthood, our way of thinking on how to live must change. Our expectations cannot be too high. If our expectations are low, we can live a more fulfilled life. Although Vancouver may be a top city for students moving into careers, it may become a city that people visit and commute to, while family life is enjoyed in smaller municipalities outside city limits, such as Langley. These people can still enjoy the perks of the city, with a more manageable asset-to-liability ratio, in a smaller town.