It is of my opinion that the real estate bubble has hampered the expansion of entertainment and cultural venues in town. Developers have made so much money from skyrocketing land prices that they are able to bankroll local elections. This way, they get their plans approved over, say, a new theatre or arena. Here's an
article about it (it's a poorly written one but the underlying message is sound).
This bubble has long lasting and far reaching effects that people might not realize. One of the reasons that Vancouver is no fun city is that all the potential places to have fun have been occupied by condos. It really makes me question whether I want to keep living in this town, and I know that sounds petty but Vancouver is shooting itself in the foot with respect to becoming a world city.