City-wide Design and Development Guidelines

What you need to know

The City-wide Design and Development Guidelines (CDDG) are part of a comprehensive rethink and modernization of how Vancouver’s discretionary land use and zoning framework can guide growth and renewal to create liveable, vibrant, equitable, and unique urban spaces and places.

The CDDG work to ensure buildings and public spaces are thoughtfully designed, not just as visually appealing objects, but to cultivate a sense of place supporting community values.

What these guidelines do

In Vancouver, urban design guidelines:

Create livable communities with access to light, views, and open space
Preserve the city’s identity while accommodating growth
Support housing and job delivery through clear, consistent design expectations
Make the development process more predictable for applicants and transparent for the public

Complementary to our permitting improvement objectives, the updated guidelines simplify and unify over 70 existing built form and urban design policies into one clear, consistent, user-friendly resource.

The document makes the development and approvals process more predictable and transparent for everyone, including the design and development industry, public and communities, and staff.

To date, the work has included revised Solar Access Guidelines and Public Views Guidelines.

What's happeningCouncil approves City-wide Design and Development Guidelines

Council approved the City-wide Design and Development Guidelines (CDDG) on July 28, 2026. Review Council report (6.8 MB)

The final guidelines will be posted soon.

The CDDG will take effect on October 27, 2026.

Where the guidelines will apply

The CDDG is intended to apply to most conditional development permit and rezoning applications city-wide. The CDDG does not apply in some areas where area-specific or site-specific policies and guidelines continue to apply, including:

RT, RA-1, R1-1, and RR zones
Chinatown
Gastown
Victory Square
First Shaughnessy District

Past updates
Targeted Refinements and Implementation Actions

February 2026 - Staff built on policy changes endorsed by Council in July 2024, including updates to the Public Views Guidelines and the Solar Access Guidelines for Areas Outside of Downtown, and responded to implementation issues identified through subsequent technical analysis and monitoring.
- Review the report (3.4 MB)
- Review the meetings, agendas, minutes, and decisions
Phase 2 actions

July 2025 - To streamline and simplify design guidance and approval processes in support of housing delivery, staff built on an initial set of policy changes endorsed by Council in July 2024, including new Public Views Guidelines and Solar Access Guidelines for areas outside of downtown. Review the report (457 KB) and meeting minutes (313 KB).

First phase of the CDDG approved

June 4, 2025 – City Council approved the Design and Development Guidelines Applicable to Granville Street Plan and Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan (356 KB).

These guidelines apply to the standardized apartment districts (R3, R4, and R5), Granville Street Area Plan, and Rupert and Renfrew Station Area Plan. They are used for new rezoning and development permit applications in these areas.

On July 28, 2026, Council approved the expanded City-wide Design and Development Guidelines, building on this first phase.

Early actions

July 2024 - To support delivery of housing, hotels, and jobs space, especially in Transit Oriented Areas (TOA), City Council directed staff to explore opportunities to update some of the City’s urban development policies. Review the report (35.5 MB) and meeting minutes (161 KB).
Background

The CDDG consolidate over 70 separate design policies into one clear, integrated resource. This initiative is built around clear performance standards that prioritize clarity, encourage innovation, and support design excellence. These standards focus on results, giving designers flexibility while ensuring projects contribute to a livable, sustainable city.

This work directly supports the goals of the Permitting Improvement Program (PIP) and its 3-3-3-1 objectives, which aim to make the development process faster, more predictable, and easier to navigate. The guidelines also align with the Vancouver Plan, reinforcing city-wide priorities for growth and livability.

Building on actions taken in 2023 and 2024, the CDDG represents another major step toward streamlining and harmonizing Council-approved land use documents. By reducing complexity and creating a unified framework, this initiative helps applicants, staff, and the community move forward with confidence — making planning and design more transparent, efficient, and future-ready.

Contact us

For questions or to learn more about our progress on the City-wide Design and Development Guidelines:

Email: [email protected]

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City-wide Design and Development Guidelines

What you need to know

What these guidelines do

What's happeningCouncil approves City-wide Design and Development Guidelines

Where the guidelines will apply

Past updates

Background

Contact us

Contact information, partner agencies, and website policies