Vancouver

British Columbia

New Long-Term Plan for Vancouver Regional Transit Approved

A new 30-year transportation plan, focusing heavily on transit projects and active transportation linkages, was approved recently for the Vancouver, British Columbia region.

February 1, 2022 - TransLink

British Columbia residential Neighborhoods

Vancouver's New Housing Plan Takes Shape

If its proposals are effectively implemented, Vancouver's new housing plan would promote 'missing middle housing' and increase density near jobs and transit.

November 22, 2021 - The Globe and Mail

British Columbia residential Neighborhoods

Opinion: Renters Shouldn't Be a 'Buffer' for Single-Family Homes

Despite the well-documented impacts of traffic noise and pollution, Vancouver's housing policy effectively relegates multi-family apartment buildings to busy arterial roads.

October 28, 2021 - Sightline Institute

Bridge Bike Lane

The Post-Bikelash Era?

Building protected bike lanes in Canada isn't as controversial as it once was. Maybe there's hope for the United States?

October 7, 2021 - The Globe and Mail

TransLink SkyTrain

Canada's Minister of Infrastructure Underscores Importance of Transit-Oriented Development

On the heels of a billion-dollar federal contribution to Vancouver's SkyTrain, the minister emphasized the need for policies that encourage affordable housing near transit.

July 30, 2021 - Daily Hive

British Columbia

How Zoning Discrimination Still Affects Canadian Cities

Policies that encouraged urban segregation and led to the displacement and disenfranchisement of communities of color continue to reverberate in Canada's urban centers.

June 7, 2021 - The Globe and Mail

Vancouver

Vancouver Considers Easing Rezoning for Social Housing

The proposal would let non-profits build housing developments of up to six stories without a public rezoning process in mid-rise neighborhoods.

April 29, 2021 - The Province

CanadaLine

Displacement Concerns Grow Along With Residential Developments in Vancouver

In its efforts to build a more environmentally sustainable region by prioritizing transit and transit-oriented development, cities in the Vancouver region also create displacement risks for people who already use and depend on transit.

April 13, 2021 - The Tyee

Multi-Modal Hub

The Surprising Ways Cities Work to Clean the Environment

Municipal programs and urban design offer cities multiple, perhaps surprising ways, to clean the environment.

March 28, 2021 - Devin Partida

Vancouver Skyline

Density, Affordability, and the 'Hungry Dogs' of Land Price Speculation

Patrick Condon argues that increasing density without affordability inflates urban land values, resulting in nearly all of the value of labor and creative enterprise of entrepreneurs in regional economies being absorbed as land wealth.

March 15, 2021 - The Planning Report

Vancouver 2012

Vancouver Might Allow Non-Profit Housing to Skip Rezoning Application

Vancouver is considering eliminating a rezoning application, which could save non-profit developers up to two years in the city's approvals process.

January 28, 2021 - Daily Hive

Parking Lot

Is the Era of Over-Parking Over?

Cities like Vancouver are rethinking parking minimums as they try to meet climate goals, reduce traffic, and reallocate street space to other modes.

January 11, 2021 - Sightline

Japan High Speed Rail

WSDOT Report Outlines Plan for Cascadia High-Speed Rail

A regional high-speed rail network could be coming to the Pacific Northwest, linking cities from Oregon to British Columbia.

December 31, 2020 - The Urbanist

Puget Sound

Cascadia Expects Millions of New Residents. Should it Build New Cities or New Density?

A recent report calls for the region stretching from Oregon to British Columbia to think big about accommodating expected population growth. The report's recommendation to build four new, large cities isn't universally accepted, however.

November 30, 2020 - KUOW

Vancouver Skyline Bikes

Vancouver Again Raises its Empty Homes Tax

The Vancouver Empty Homes Tax will soon be three times as high as it was when adopted in 2017.

November 29, 2020 - CTV News Vancouver

Vancouver Car Free Robson

Vancouver's State-of-Art Climate Action Plan Incorporates Multiple Goals

The city of Vancouver's new Climate Emergency Action Plan incorporates a comprehensive scope of goals, including affordability, public health, and social equity, which can help build broad public support.

October 29, 2020 - City of Vancouver Climate Emergency Action Plan

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver Affordable Housing Programs Could Be the Envy of the Continent

It will take a combination of local, provincial, and federal funding, but Vancouver, B.C. recently approved the most ambitious vision anywhere in North America to directly address homelessness and housing affordability challenges.

October 21, 2020 - Globe and Mail

Digital City

How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Ideas of the 'Smart City'

Accelerated investment in smart city technologies presents increased opportunity for connection and data-driven decision making, so long as cities can avoid the common pitfalls of implementation.

August 5, 2020 - Citymetric

Modern high speed bullet train in China

Economic Stimulus: Another Chance for High-Speed Rail in the U.S.?

High-speed rail advocates in the Pacific Northwest are pushing for a high-speed link between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland to be part of future economic stimulus spending in the United States.

June 17, 2020 - The Urbanist

TransLink Canada Line

1,500 Temporary Layoffs for Transit Workers in Vancouver

Sad days for public transit agencies in Canadian cities could be a sign of layoffs to come for U.S. transit agencies.

May 3, 2020 - Vancouver Sun

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.