When Vancouver City Council approved the new EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions earlier this year, among these was a prioritized action to further develop the idea of laneway housing. The issues and options report relating to this work program is now available for downloading from the EcoDensity website.
When Vancouver City Council approved the new EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions earlier this year, among these was a prioritized action to further develop the idea of laneway housing.
The issues and options report relating to this work program is now available for downloading from the EcoDensity website.
For those cities considering laneway housing, the report might be helpful. We've proposed approaches on lots with 33 and 50 ft widths. The issues we've considered include rental vs. ownership, size/massing, shadowing, overlook/privacy, city-wide vs. pilot projects, heritage and existing house retention, impacts on backyard space and urban gardening, parking, green building design, lanescape design, etc. We've included a summary of laneway approaches from other North American cities as well.
The analysis has been rigorous, and the public engagement has been critical in educating the results. Although each city should of course undertake its own public and stakeholder consultations, as we have, to inform the approaches with local perspectives and needs, we still hope the work we've done can make it easier for other cities to follow suit.
Council considers the report on October 30th. If they choose to direct us to proceed forward, the next step will be to prepare the amendments to the many affected by-laws next year for public hearing.
Are there other cities out there working on laneway housing? We'd love to hear how our issues and approaches compare.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
