In this episode, James and Christian are joined by George Benson from the Vancouver Economic Commission. George, known as the “Economic Handyman,” brings his expertise in construction adjacent roles and urban planning to this wide-ranging conversation, shedding light on the complexities of the economy and the need to find gray zones in the policy. The discussion shifts to embodied carbon and specifics around refrigerant gases, the production of steel and batteries in electric vehicles, and China's efforts in battery recycling before digging into everyone’s frustrations with the carbon tax. The conversation then shifts towards the housing shortage in Canada, where there is simply a need for much more affordable housing and getting those projects to builders and subsequently to the market faster. George explores different approaches, emphasizing the importance of revisiting economic fundamentals and ensuring that the right people benefit from the allocated funds, leveraging publicly owned sites for housing and streamlining the role of policy and regulatory barriers in the overall process. Strategies for addressing the housing shortage are examined, such as expediting the permitting process, even with pre-approved components, and exploring innovative solutions like the Vancouver Special 2.0. Challenges associated with pre-permitting and pre-rezoning processes and the value of policy incentives for local businesses are discussed. The episode concludes with a conversation about finding systems that work at scale and George's final insights into his work as an economic handyman.
An urban planner by training, and an economic developer by trade, George Benson is Senior Manager, Economic Transformation at the Vancouver Economic Commission, working to decarbonize, build resilience, and increase fairness across Vancouver's massive architecture, engineering, and construction sectors.
The Vancouver Economic Commission collaborates with public-sector, economic development, industry, and academic organizations on how to best navigate Vancouver's economic transformation, particularly in the context of pressing global socioeconomic issues and trends related to the future of work.
EPISODE LINKS:
George Benson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gprbenson/
Vancouver Economic Commission LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vaneconomic/
Vancouver Economic Commission Website: https://vancouvereconomic.com
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