Why is a typical Vancouver lot 33’ wide?

Many lots in Vancouver are 33' wide. I never gave it a second thought, but it turns out there is a reason. Early surveyors used a tool called a Gunter's chain, made up of 100 links totalling 66' in length. They used the chain to survey and subdivide land, resulting in 33' wide lots and 66' wide roads. This, in turn, helped shape the form and size of housing built in Vancouver. It's interesting to think that something as small as a single tool influenced the general direction of housing in Vancouver for a century—and continues to do so.

What if the chain had been 50' long? What if the lots weren't so deep and were back to back? What if the roads were narrower? Perhaps we would have had smaller houses, but more of them—and possibly slightly more affordable. This might have significantly influenced people's perceptions of housing size. Many Canadians grew up in a house that fits on a 33' lot, so they expect the same when they move out. If they had grown up in a house that fits on a 25' lot instead, perhaps their expectations would be different, and smaller, denser living would be more widely accepted.

Perhaps the city would look completely different today, for better or worse.