Vancouver city council has approved a land-use strategy aimed at reshaping the city to become more “equitable, livable, affordable and resilient” in the coming years.
Vancouver city council has approved a land-use strategy aimed at reshaping the city to become more “equitable, livable, affordable and resilient” in the coming years.
A statement from the city says the Vancouver Plan represents “a new way to grow the city by enabling more housing options in every neighborhood,” along with expanding social housing, transportation options and other infrastructure.
The plan also contains what the city calls a comprehensive ecological framework to protect green spaces and treetops, and restore ecosystems.
The city’s news release says the next step will be for the council to pass motions directing staff to consider how tenant protections and developer input could be included as part of implementing the plan.
Theresa O’Donnell, the director general of planning, urban design and sustainability, says it’s the first time in Vancouver’s history that the city has a “comprehensive direction” for future growth that coordinates with other levels of government.
Mayor Kennedy Stewart says the plan’s approval marks a new path forward for Vancouver’s future, “guided by the promise to make every neighborhood more affordable, equitable and vibrant for everyone.”
“We are a city of renters, and we all deserve the chance to live a great life in any neighborhood,” the mayor said in a statement Friday. “The Vancouver Plan will expand housing choice and create new opportunities in parts of the city that have been off limits today, all without displacing long-time renters.”
Vancouver will welcome about 260,000 more people with up to 210,000 more jobs by 2050, O’Donnell says, and the new strategy allows the city to plan for the future.
The plan sets out the city’s vision in 11 policy areas: housing; economy; the climate; ecology; transportation; childcare; community infrastructure; arts, culture and heritage; public spaces; basins and water resources; and food systems.
The new land-use strategy will direct new housing options to low-density neighborhoods that are “amenity-rich,” he says, in addition to adding amenities and services to areas that are currently underserved.
The city plans to “significantly increase the supply of social and supportive housing” and support Indigenous-led housing and welfare projects, the plan says.
It also aims to “embed ecosystems in planning” and create “an integrated network of public spaces, ecological corridors” and greenways for active transport.
In the future, he says, the goal is for 76 per cent of Vancouver residents to live within a five-minute walk of shops and services, up from 58 per cent today.
Other goals include expanding infrastructure and services ranging from rapid transit hubs to affordable child care spaces to public restrooms throughout the city.
The plan was developed through a two-and-a-half-year process, which involved “extensive public engagement, technical analysis and stakeholder input,” the city says.
“One approach to public engagement activities included working with disenfranchised communities and the organizations that serve them.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 22, 2022.
The Canadian press