Kids in the City: Raising my son in a walkable community
This is the seventh installment of Kids in the City,
a new series that will showcase families who embrace compact urban
living - in all of its forms (condo, townhouse, duplex, etc).
I write a lot about the benefits of living in a compact urban home, so I thought I would share a bit about my experience. My husband and I own a 1200 square foot duplex in a Vancouver neighbourhood called Grandview Woodlands, which is a few blocks from Commercial Drive, a funky shopping street with tons of cafes and restaurants.
We are not interested in ever buying a single family home together, and plan to stay in our neighbourhood as my son grows up. We love it here because it is friendly, vibrant, walkable, close to many parks and only a few Skytrain stops away from Downtown Vancouver.
Here are my thoughts on raising a family in the city:
What are the benefits of compact urban living to you and your family?
Above all, walkability. Living in a compact home means that I can live in a great neighbourhood - Commercial Drive - where I can walk everywhere. My community has unique shops, grocery stores, cafes, playgrounds, medical clinics, etc. and I never have to get in a car.
Last year when I was on maternity leave, I learned how important this is. I was able to walk everywhere with my son and as a result, I got to know local shopkeepers, baristas, parents at the playground and many other people in my community. I never felt isolated and even though I am back at work, I still am able to chat with these people when I see them on the weekends, because we formed a relationship during that year I had off to walk around my neighbourhood.
My husband and I could have bought a large home in the suburbs, but extra space is not important to us. Freedom and community is. Plus, we both spent some time growing up in the suburbs, relying on car travel and watching our parents spend weekends maintaining a large home. I don’t want my family to have that experience.
What types of policies/projects would you like to see to encourage families to move to cities and smaller homes?
I would like to see the City of Vancouver encouraging more gentle density that appeals to families - like townhomes, rowhomes, laneway homes, duplexes, triplexes, condos under 10 storeys… there are so many options that can allow families to live in cities without living in a highrise condo. And living in highrise condos can also be pretty great, as I’ve discovered from parents I have profiled as part of the ‘Kids in the City” series.
What are the challenges of compact urban living?
Honestly, I don’t have a lot of challenges in my current living situation. Alternately, I can think of many challenges when you live in a big home (costs, maintenance, car dependence, etc). The only challenge I have encountered with a small home is when guests from out of town need a place to stay, or you a want to have a big party. But, many condo complexes have amenities that address these issues. My parents used to live in an apartment tower that had a state of the art gym, movie theatre, pool, party room and a guest apartment that you could rent out.
Oh yeah, and because space is precious, finding room for a Christmas tree is a real pain in the butt.
What could be done to make your neighbourhood more family friendly?
Nothing. I think Commercial Drive is one of the most family-friendly neighbourhoods in the city and there are strollers everywhere to prove it! Actually, because it is so desirable, affordability is a real issue (as it is in all neighbourhoods in Vancouver).
How do you maximize space in your home/make it work for your
family?
We recently purchased a coffee table on wheels that can be moved out of the way and creates more play space for my son to play and for me to do yoga in the mornings. We also created a magnetic blackboard on a wooden panel covering one side of the fridge, so that my son can have fun with cool magnets and create chalk art. It is also handy for to-do lists. Our spare room has a futon for when guests come to visit.
Do you think your lifestyle has a smaller ecological footprint? How so?
Of course. We are able to walk, bike or take transit to most destinations reducing our car use. We also use less heat and water than we would in a larger home.
One interesting thing that I only recently considered is that we waste less food. When you live in a walkable community, you don’t do a lot of shopping at big box grocery stores and stockpile food for the week, because you can always pick up what you need from stores that are within walking distance of your home.
What do your kids think about compact urban living vs single family home living?
My son is too young to understand the difference. But I know that he loves being outdoors and interacting with people. There are so many more opportunities to do this when we are walking or biking around our neighbourhood running errands, going to the playground and just living our lives in an urban environment.
Also, we spend less time on home maintenance and commuting in traffic, so we have more time with him, which is all that any child cares about.