In Vancouver, planners say it takes a village to grow a city

Vancouver city planners believe it takes a village to grow a city. City staff are working on the creation of 17 new villages that will add more density to specific areas that aren’t already covered by existing policies.

The villages were part of the city’s Vancouver Plan in 2022 and are now a key part of the newly drafted Official Development Plan. The city has held five open houses to discuss the villages, as well as a couple of virtual information sessions, and they invited public feedback through an online survey until Dec. 12. However, few people would know that there is a plan under way to gently densify specific intersections like Commercial Street and East 20th Avenue, Heather Street and West 33rd Avenue, Knight Street and East 33rd Avenue, Oak Street and West 49th Avenue, and Macdonald Street and West 16th Avenue, to name just some of the new ‘villages.’