A Virtuous Circle of Scholarship

Gift giving in the neoliberal city: Polanyi's substantivism and the exchange of density for affordable housing in Vancouver

“…In this sense, density agreements exist alongside broader patterns of market-based neoliberalism. While proponents argue that density agreements are a form of redistribution (Beasley, 2019;Friendly, 2017;Punter, 2002;Shih and Shieh, 2020), examining the broader context shows they benefit the private sector over public interest (see also Marcuse and Madden, 2016;Stein, 2018). Like other researchers, my work shows that these arrangements can work to deepen inequality.…”

“…4 CACs were introduced in Vancouver in 1989 as a way for city planners to use density increases to pay for the construction of community services during the large brownfield redevelopment of the formerly industrial False Creek area on the edge of the downtown core (Punter, 2003). The use of CACs to provide funding for parks, community centers, daycares, and the city's famous seawall around the perimeter of the downtown peninsula added to Vancouver's reputation as a well-planned city, crystallizing in the global planning movement known as Vancouverism (Beasley, 2019;Peck et al, 2014;Punter, 2003).…”