In the Face of Climate Change, Vancouver Plans to Adapt

Kelly Sinoski and Michael Vinkin Lee detail the strategies identified in Vancouver's new plan to deal with expected increases in the effects of climate change, from street flooding and damaged forests to heat-related illnesses.

1 minute read

July 23, 2012, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


While Vancouver may not be being doing an exemplary job of planning to manage its growth to 2050, the city seems to be making progress in planning for the potential impacts of climate change, "which is expected to bring more
intense rain and windstorms, hotter and drier summers and rising sea
levels, affecting the city's economic prosperity and livability."

Detailed in Vancouver's new climate change "adaptation" strategy, which is scheduled to go to the city's council for approval this week, "the actions range from a coastal flood risk assessment to a backup power
policy, water conservation actions and a comprehensive urban forest
management plan," report Sinoski and Lee. 

Coun. Andrea Reimer "is confident the proposal will pass Tuesday," write Sinoski and Lee, "But she admitted that she would have greater confidence in a unanimous vote if the wording of the motion was a little different."

"If you didn't put the word climate change in and you just said it was a
risk management framework for projected weather events, I suspect it
would unanimously pass," she said. "But my observation has been that
climate change can tend to inspire some political, more partisan, and
more ideological approaches [to voting]."

Thanks to Brent Toderian

Friday, July 20, 2012 in The Vancouver Sun

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

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.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

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.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

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.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

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.

July 17 - San José Spotlight