General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours

[BormanConstruction]

That's just the current zoning.

But not every building needs to be 50+.

With population growth expected to keep going up and up, I'd say going higher as much as possible is the wise thing to do in the main core of the region.

Especially with how close this location is to the LRT system and just a short (for KW) drive to the highway by Victoria/Edna.

[KevinL]

A short walk to the new GO/VIA station too. Absolutely top-tier location.

[taylortbb]

Zehr would be out best bet, but they have their hand full with the Station Park property that doesn't seem to be selling anytime soon.

Zehr isn't involved in Station Park anymore, it was sold to Van Mar/Urban Legend. It was really too big of a project for Zehr.

[westwardloo]

Zehr would be out best bet, but they have their hand full with the Station Park property that doesn't seem to be selling anytime soon.

Zehr isn't involved in Station Park anymore, it was sold to Van Mar/Urban Legend. It was really too big of a project for Zehr.

you are correct I was miss remembering that.

[creative]

Population growth in Canada is currently at 0. The government will have to make changes to immigration policies in order to change this. The purpose built investment condo market is dead and very likely never coming back the way it was. People are starting to buy existing condos but that is to live in and the fact that a large majority for sale are in the $500-$600 a sq/ft range. With prices paid for downtown properties and the increase in construction costs, I’m sure that no developer is able to build and market at anywhere close to that price range.

[ac3r]

Population growth in Canada is currently at 0. The government will have to make changes to immigration policies in order to change this.

Oh heck no.

[tomh009]

Population growth in Canada is currently at 0. The government will have to make changes to immigration policies in order to change this.

Oh heck no.

Without immigration, our population will shrink, not grow.

Denying reality will not change reality.

[Acitta]

Population growth in Canada is currently at 0. The government will have to make changes to immigration policies in order to change this. The purpose built investment condo market is dead and very likely never coming back the way it was. People are starting to buy existing condos but that is to live in and the fact that a large majority for sale are in the $500-$600 a sq/ft range. With prices paid for downtown properties and the increase in construction costs, I’m sure that no developer is able to build and market at anywhere close to that price range.

Apparently, low birthrate is a worldwide phenomenon, not just in Canada. The Great Depopulation (The Atlantic).

[tomh009]

Apparently, low birthrate is a worldwide phenomenon, not just in Canada. The Great Depopulation (The Atlantic).

Absolutely. All developed countries--and even developing countries like Philippines and India are now below replacement level. South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore have the lowest fertility rates, roughly half of what is needed to maintain the population level. The global population will start dropping in maybe 5-15 years.

[bravado]

Which is why the fact that people across the world want to come here is an economic superpower that Anglosphere politicians and voters seem to refuse to acknowledge and benefit from...

Now that the development charge money is drying up from fleecing the new and the young, I wonder which nearby easy target will get the blame when city finances finally visibly implode?

[danbrotherston]

Apparently, low birthrate is a worldwide phenomenon, not just in Canada. The Great Depopulation (The Atlantic).

Absolutely. All developed countries--and even developing countries like Philippines and India are now below replacement level. South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore have the lowest fertility rates, roughly half of what is needed to maintain the population level. The global population will start dropping in maybe 5-15 years.

Do you have an extraordinary source for this extraordinary claim? The UN data which is AFAIK the gold standard does not support such an assertion. In fact, they project the global fertility rate to only read 2.1 in 2040 (15 years from now). But that does not mean the population will decline.

And yeah, it took me a moment to get my head around that discongruency, but that's why I was surprised about your stat about India. Yes, India's total fertility rate is below 2.1 (which I didn't know) but I did know that their population isn't declining, and that is because the total fertility rate does not factor in demographics. Most people in India are young and of childbearing age, so they are not at a steady state. Their population will continue to grow for many years, at least a generation.

In any case, I find these "population decline" arguments lie somewhere between "legitimate but misguided fear" and actually just racist eugenics "we're running out of people! OH...no I mean white people". I do think that the second group of people is in the minority of people (certainly I hope nobody here...well hope, suspect maybe not) but the second group absolutely is driving the narrative, I don't know about the Atlantic article per se, but Elon is making a big deal of it, and he 100% is concerned about "white replacement" bullshit. In any case, I think a declining population is not the end of the world, the population probably shouldn't grow any more to be sure. And declining slightly wouldn't be a problem.

There are far bigger problems that we face, starting with climate change, and going all the way up to the current fascist takeover of the worlds superpower, and if you do want to talk about demographics, the shift in demographics is a far bigger problem than gradual population decline. I.e., the first and second order derivative of population growth is a much bigger problem.