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Letter: Time to swap 'fields of concrete towers' for humane housing

The Editor: Re.
The long-term plan for Coquitlam Centre is to become the major urban hub of the Lower northeast regi
The long-term plan for Coquitlam Centre is to become the major urban hub of the Lower northeast region.

The Editor:

Re. “Not enough green space in PoMo’s Coronation Park plan” (The Tri-City News, May 28)

The pandemic is making us rethink many of our ways: how we care for the elderly, inequality in society, the treatment of minorities, the devastation caused by warming climate and our need for more green space in our urban areas. Like the writers in the May 28 edition, I believe we must tackle the issue of urban density, among others.

Jane Jacobs, the twenty-first century guru of city planning, warned us against building our cities into fields of concrete towers. She believed that safer and healthier housing where six or less structures where residences would have “eyes on the street.”

Every day, I see in Coquitlam signs for redevelopment of perfectly sound mid-height apartment blocks. Trees and green space will be replaced with a 36-story tower that will cast shadows and create wind tunnels. 

With the rise in the cost of tower insurance, it is likely the cost will increase and that it will be more economical for the residents to live in low-rise apartments. It will certainly be a more humane form of housing, with more trees and green space. 

Yvonne Harris, Coquitlam