Stephen Rees’s blog

Who? It was a bit of a surprise to come across this quote thanks to Beyond Robson and 24hrs

“The so called top planners do not even have the end of cheap energy, global warming, or mass migration on their radar,” said Balfour, director of the Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition. “We cannot keep on making the same silly mistakes of the last hundred years and that includes most current planning and engineering in our urban environments.”

And not to my surprise he’s promoting his new book. But what is this organisation? It’s a new one on me. And the web site does not have an “about us” page

But I did find this on http://postcarboncities.net/metro-vancouver-planning-coalition-website

From Rick Balfour, MVPC: “The Metro Vancouver Planning Coalition is a Sustainable Planning and Urban Design Think Tank organized on an informal network structure, overseen by a Steering Committee of practicing and retired Architects and Planners. It has a number of committees and tries to cover public issues others want to avoid. The area of concern has grown to encompass what many see as the greater city area of Vancouver, the ecological basin ‘from Desolation to Hope’. The MVPC grew out of community level activities started from former urban design and discretionary zoning committees in the Architectural Institute of BC some 15 to 20 years ago now.”

And he doesn’t like freeways and thinks we should build light rail. Well, it’s always nice to come across an ally you didn’t know you had.

Update 31 March: he is also interviewed by the Tyee

and from the discussion section of that post

Richard was educated in Engineering (RCAF/ROTP, Royal Roads Military College), Sociology
(UBC B.A., 1972) and Architecture (UBC, B.Arch. 1974). He has spent 30 years working in the
planning design and construction professions in British Columbia. As a Council member of the
Architectural Institute of British Columbia, Richard has served on professional committees and task
forces dealing with community and government affairs including the Urban Design Committee and
the Housing Committee. In addition he has chaired the Discretionary Planning Task Force and was
a coordinator of the Vancouver 2001 Public Planning forum (1982). Recently he served as vice-
chairman of the Design Panel for the Corporation of the District of Surrey. Richard is particularly
sensitive to the concept of community and is concerned about the complex issues which affect a
community’s growth and change. He is a founding member of the Metro Vancouver Planning
Coalition, and a director of the New City Institute. Since 2004 he has been a member of the
Vancouver City Planning Commission and is currently Chair of the Strategic Sustainable Planning
Committee of the VCPC.