Metro Vancouver Board adopts new regional growth strategy, Metro 2050

METRO Vancouver’s updated regional growth strategy, Metro 2050, has now been accepted as the collective vision for how projected growth will be managed in the region to support the creation of complete, connected, and resilient communities.

Adopted by the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors on February 24, Metro 2050 will also protect important lands from development and support the efficient provision of urban infrastructure like transit and utilities.

“The adoption of this plan is a significant achievement,” said George V. Harvie, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Board of Directors, on Friday. “It represents a commitment by every member in the regional federation, TransLink, and neighbouring regional districts to work together in the spirit of collaboration for the sake of future generations. I know we all believe that together we make our region strong.”

Metro 2050 builds on the strengths of the previous strategy, Metro Vancouver 2040: Shaping our Future. This comprehensive update was undertaken to address climate change, affordable housing concerns, and recent growth projections, and to fully align with Transport 2050, the region’s transportation strategy. It includes a series of policy improvements based on learnings over the past 10 years.

“The purpose of this strategy is to promote the creation of communities that are socially, economically, and environmentally healthy, and make efficient use of public facilities and services, land, and other resources,” said Eric Woodward, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Regional Planning Committee. “Metro 2050 is the plan we need to address the big challenges we are facing as a region and to take advantage of the many opportunities in our shared future.”

The plan sets out five overarching key goals: create a compact urban area; support a sustainable economy; protect the environment and respond to climate change and natural hazards; provide diverse and affordable housing choices; and support sustainable transportation choices.

Metro 2050 includes the following improvements:

  • New policies that support resiliency to the impacts of climate change and natural hazards
  • Expanded policies on housing choice and affordability
  • New regional targets, including:
    • Protecting 50 per cent of the land base for nature
    • Expanding tree canopy cover in the Urban Containment Boundary to 40 per cent
    • Ensuring that at least 15 per cent of new and redeveloped housing units in Urban Centres and along frequent transit corridors are affordable rental homes
  • Tools to help the region direct more growth to transit-oriented locations and to protect the supply of trade-oriented industrial lands

By 2050, it’s estimated that a million new residents will call this region home. Metro 2050 includes updated population, housing, and employment growth projections, and anticipates the need for the creation of approximately 500,000 new jobs and 500,000 new homes over the next 30 years.

“Our region is growing by about 35,000 people every year and we must plan to accommodate that growth in a way that creates connected communities and protects important lands, like farmland and industrial land, as well as environmentally-sensitive areas in our region,” said Heather McNell, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Policy and Planning for Metro Vancouver. “With meaningful input over several years from First Nations, other orders of government, stakeholders, and residents, Metro 2050 is a true reflection of our collective vision for our future.”

Read the plan at metrovancouver.org/metro2050.