Role of Central Broadway
Central Broadway’s Commercial Role
Central Broadway is home to a vibrant commercial district with great potential. The Uptown Office District, located along Broadway between Yukon and Oak Streets, has a significant concentration of job space helping to make Central Broadway the second largest office district in the province. When looking at job space demand, the Metro Core Jobs and Economy Land Use Plan: Employment Space: Supply and Demand to 2031 
(741kb) found that Central Broadway could face a shortfall of job space by 2031. The City intends to ensure there is enough commercial capacity in Central Broadway to meet future demand and to take advantage of future rapid transit.
Distribution of Regional Town Centre Jobs in Metro Vancouver
Central Broadway’s Transportation Role
Central Broadway is one of the city’s most active transportation arteries for all modes of travel.
- Walking: The City of Vancouver’s 2008 Pedestrian Study found that three of the top ten busiest pedestrian blocks in the City are located in the Central Broadway C-3A area. The number of pedestrians in Central Broadway has likely increased with the opening of the Broadway/City Hall Canada Line Station.
- Cycling: During warmer months up to 3,000 cyclists move along the Central Broadway corridor every day. While most of these cyclists use two bike routes located within three blocks of Broadway (10th Avenue and 7th Avenue), about 500 cyclists use Broadway itself. This is approximately double the number of cyclists typically crossing the Cambie Bridge and slightly less than those crossing the Burrard Bridge every day.
- Transit: There are roughly 80,000 transit trips along Central Broadway every weekday. Buses make up 3% of eastbound morning peak period traffic along Central Broadway but carry roughly 60% of the people.
- Goods movement : Goods movement is a key function of Central Broadway. It is one of the busiest east west truck routes in the region. Approximately 500 trucks use Central Broadway to service the city beyween 9 am and 4 pm each day.
- Private Automobiles: Despite the reduction in auto related services along Central Broadway (car dealerships, auto repair), it continues to be well used by private vehicles. Over 16,000 vehicles (roughly 19,000 people) move along Central Broadway every day between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm.
Central Broadway's Residential Role
Central Broadway is increasingly residential in nature. According to the 2006 Census, the Central Broadway C-3A zone increased in population by roughly 20% between 2001 and 2006. A common building form to emerge in this area consists of retail uses at ground level with residences above. Some examples of these buildings can be seen below.
Examples of mixed use buildings in Central Broadway (from left to right): 2527 Pine Street, 2228 West Broadway and 2528 Maple Street.
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