Vancouver Approves New Metro 2050 Regional Plan

The Vancouver, British Columbia region wrapped up a major long-range planning initiative, titled Metro 2050, at the end of February. The region updates its long-range plan every ten years.

“Metro Vancouver has passed its regional growth strategy for the next 30 years, based on estimates that a million more people will be calling this region home by 2050,” reports Joanne Lee-Young for the Vancouver Sun.

“The years-long process for updating the Metro Vancouver region’s master plan, now called Metro 2050, culminated with Friday’s final approval of the strategy by Metro Vancouver Regional District’s board of directors, comprised of the region’s elected municipal officials,” reports Kenneth Chan for the Daily Hive in an article that headlines the plans focus on transit oriented development and new housing options

“The newly revised livable region strategic plan differentiates from past plans by focusing on adding much-needed housing supply to the region — a wide range of housing types for different incomes, especially rental housing, and the generation of such new housing supply through transit-oriented development,” adds Chan.

The Metro 2050 website lists five goals for the plan:

1. Create a compact urban area
2. Support a sustainable economy
3. Protecting the environment, address change, and respond to natural hazards
4. Provide diverse and affordable housing choices
5. Support sustainable transportation choices

The website also notes that the plan does not change any boundaries on regional land use designations or the region’s Urban Containment Boundary (i.e., Vancouver’s version of urban growth boundaries).