Taller buildings will lead to gentrification: DownTown EastSide (DTES) resident say.

Vancouver City Council voted to allow taller buildings in the Chinatown area. DTES residents say this will only hurt the poor and is being used as a way to gentrify the area.

The decision was not unanimous with the two Cope Councillor's voting against the "Historic Height Review."

The Downtown East Side Neighbourhood Council representative Ian Drury says it's clear the other councillor's weren't willing to listen to residents who oppose increasing building heights,"I really do believe city council see's the downtown east side as a chess board and they are moving gentrification shock troops in from the west end of the area. Woodwards is where they landed gentrification in the western district in the downtown east side and it's been radiating out from there and now it's encroaching from the south."

Drury says the taller buildings will increase real estate speculation driving the poor out of the neighbourhood.

He says with the decision his group will now be going straight to the developer's asking them who will be the first to risk building a condo in a hostile environment.