Background

Approach

The approach used in the Historic Area Height Review which explored options for additional height and density included the following aspects.

Understanding the Community

Before examining height and density, it was important to understand the community of the Historic Area. Being the birthplace of Vancouver, the Historic Area contains the highest concentration of buildings listed on the Vancouver Heritage Register. These physical heritage resources contribute to the area’s distinct built form and rich character, and are community assets valued by many people.

In addition, the Historic Area is part of the larger Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood, an important low-income community with many non-market and affordable housing units. The DTES is home to approximately 18,000 people, as well as community-based organizations, businesses and services.

The Historic Area is also part of Vancouver’s downtown or Central Area. It plays an important role in the region, as it is adjacent to the Port of Vancouver, industrial lands, transportation infrastructure, and the Central Business District.

Understanding Built Form

The Historic Area Height Review examined changes to built form in the Historic Area, and sought public feedback on what amount of change would be appropriate.

A city’s built form, including its buildings, streets, and open spaces, determines how it is experienced, both physically and visually. It can also express and support the economic and social needs of its residents, businesses and various communities. Built form impacts the number of people who can live and work in a city or neighbourhood, and can thus impact the number and type of supporting businesses and services, and the community amenities needed by residents.

By allowing changes to the built form, such as increasing height and density, more floor area can be created. This additional floor area could be residential, commercial, institutional, social, or a mix of these uses and can also generate more amenities, or public benefits, for a neighbourhood, such as affordable housing, heritage conservation, cultural and social facilities.

Changes to built form can dramatically transform the look and feel of a city or neighbourhood, or it can respect existing built form and maintain the general scale and character of an area. The Height Review explored whether changes to the built form in the Historic Area might be appropriate, and to what degree.

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Work to Date

In order to better understand the Historic Area’s built form and to explore opportunities for both heritage buildings and new development, a number of studies have been undertaken by staff and consultants.

City of Vancouver Staff: ongoing analysis

UBC/Living Lab:
Urban Acupuncture Study (681kb) – explored the rehabilitation of heritage buildings into contemporary housing.

Birmingham and Wood, Architects – Planners:
New Residential Building Prototype Study (3.61mb) – developed a range of conceptual building prototypes for new construction compatible with the Historic Area’s existing built form.

The Spaxman Consulting Group Ltd.
Lang Wilson Practice in Architecture Culture Inc.
Historic Precinct Height Study (21.11mb) – conducted urban design and architectural/typological analysis of whether heights above current policy limits may be appropriate in the Historic Area.

Other Planning Work

City of Vancouver Directions in the DTES

The City's overall philosophy in the DTES is “Revitalization without Displacement”. City Council has supported this philosophy by adopting various reports, plans, policies and programs for the area. The following ten key directions summarize this work:

1. Ensure the future DTES provides the same number of low-income singles housing units as 2003 (about 10,000 units) with special efforts to house the homeless; and develop more social housing outside of the DTES.
2. Encourage new market housing, including housing that is affordable for moderate-income households.
3. Address the crisis in public order and public health caused by problematic substance use through the “Four-Pillar Approach”: prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement.
4. Improve conditions on the street to provide safety, livability and amenity for all.
5. Work with the community and other levels of government to ensure the health, social service, and economic supports needed by the low income community are available.
6. Preserve and enhance the heritage and cultural legacy of the neighbourhood.
7. Support business and employment development in the area and its neighbourhoods.
8. Ensure that the retail goods and services needed by all sectors of the community, including low-income residents, are available.
9. Provide access to the civic facilities and services (e.g. parks, community centres, library, childcare) needed by all the community residents.
10. Work with all sectors of the community in revitalization, encouraging acceptance and mutual respect, and building community capacity.

View the backgrounder of 10 years of Downtown Eastside Revitalization (149kb)

Neighbourhood Plans and Projects

• Gastown Heritage Management Plan (2002) (608kb)
  
  
• Victory Square Plan (2005) (813kb)
  
  
• DTES Housing Plan (2005) (3.35mb)
  
  
• Chinatown Community Plan (forthcoming)
  • Progress memo to Council - April 2009 (71kb)
• Chinatown Community Plan Backgrounder (May 2009)
  This backgrounder provides information the Chinatown Community Plan that is under development, and its connection to the Historic Area Height Review. For more information on the Chinatown Community Plan, please visit the Chinatown Revitalization Program website.
  • Backgrounder - English (49kb)
  • Backgrounder - Chinese (113kb
• Woodward’s
  
  
• Carrall Street Greenway
  
  
• Great Beginnings

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