The Vancouver City Council has approved the first city-wide land-use plan meant to guide the next three decades of development.
The approved Vancouver Plan introduces a new way for the city to grow by allowing more housing options across all neighbourhoods and builds complete neighbourhoods that connect people to public spaces, shops, services and transit.
A land use plan determines and directs the location, type, and intensity of different types of land uses, such as residential, office, commercial or industrial. These land uses include different types of buildings, structures, public facilities, parks, open space, and ecological networks. A land use plan will also designate adequate space for transportation and infrastructure systems necessary to support the residents and businesses that live, work and play in Vancouver. The goal of land use planning is to improve the well-being of people and their communities by creating convenient, equitable, healthy, efficient, safe and attractive environments for present and future generations.
“We’re a city of renters, and all of us deserve the opportunity to live a great life in any neighbourhood. The Vancouver Plan will expand housing choice and create new opportunities in parts of the city that have been largely off limits today – all without displacing long-time renters. Vancouver Plan will help us accelerate our housing goals, build walkable communities, support small businesses, and make our entire city more family-friendly. It’s about building a Vancouver that is better connected with easier access to amazing schools, parks and community centres, groceries, restaurants, healthcare, shopping and all the other things that make life here so special. In essence, this is a plan to build a Vancouver for all of us, and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart.
Theresa O’Donnell, General Manger of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability, said, “The Vancouver Plan will shape economic, transportation and neighbourhood planning decisions, and is a critical step in creating more predictability and certainty for residents and businesses.”
The Plan reinforces Vancouver as the cultural and economic centre of a dynamic, prosperous and rapidly growing region, which is expected to grow by about a million people over the next 30 years.
“By 2050, Vancouver will add approximately 260,000 more people and up to 210,000 jobs. The Vancouver Plan allows us to plan for our future and locate jobs and households to ensure more equitable growth,” O’Donnell said. “The Plan also protects industrial lands and supports businesses of all sizes, creating more opportunities for shops, services and home-based businesses throughout the city.”
According to the city, the Vancouver Plan contains the first comprehensive ecological framework, making Vancouver more climate resilient by restoring ecosystems and protecting green space and tree canopies. It coincides with Vancouver’s future transit network and works toward the City’s climate target of having 90% of people living within an easy walk or roll of their jobs and daily activities.
In addition to the land-use strategy, the Plan also contains an array of supporting policies, which provide guidance on topics such as transportation, community amenities, childcare, public spaces, food systems and more.
You can learn more about the plan at vancouverplan.ca.
Now that the Vancouver Plan has been approved, Council-approved motions directing staff to consider how renter protections and developer contributions will be included as part of the implementation of this Plan.
The data-driven Vancouver Plan was developed through a 2.5 year planning process that involved extensive public engagement, technical analysis, and stakeholder input. It responded to public input for more housing, support for the local economy and climate protection.
Since this process launched in November 2019, staff engaged First Nations, residents, businesses, and more than 250 organizations through a wide-ranging process that involved more than 50,000 engagement touchpoints and 25,000 survey responses.
