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I interviewed Sullivan after first hearing his ideas on CBC Radio’s The 180. In his CBC interview, Sullivan pointed out that baby boomers had been inspired by the ideas of urban planning guru Jane Jacobs, who fought against a city redeveloped for cars, with endless freeways and massive highrises.

The fight against highrises started in the 1960s, but continued for decades and it didn’t just halt the neighbourhood-busting mega-projects that Jacobs disliked, it stopped needed densification, kept central neighbourhoods locked into their 1950s suburban form, and enriched the baby boomers who initially bought homes there, Sullivan says.

“It’s been a brilliant financial strategy for them and they’re cashing out now as we speak.”

In our interview, Sullivan describes Vancouver as a Venice surrounded by a Phoenix, where the refusal to densify means that environmentally sensitive areas are getting mowed down to build sprawling, car-dependent suburbs.

Most Vancouverites want change, Sullivan says, but hardcore activists often get their way and block major densification efforts. “People with pretty narrow interests are able to get in the way of the natural densification of cities and in Vancouver it’s created a lot of problems with housing prices.

“It’s a great financial strategy to grab the land when it’s cheap and when you’re the only one around and lock it in, and then circle the wagons. Because the city will grow and if you can restrict supply, the only thing that can happen is the price will go up. So there’s a great wealth transfer from young people who are trying to find a way to live without pretty long commutes and living in a way that is more environmentally sustainable, and the older generation that is sitting on this land and stopping everything that would make the lives of the young people easier … (Young people) either pay it in money or they pay it in time. They will live off in a distant suburb and pay it in the time that they have to get to work, get to the things they want to go to.”