Vancouver’s Cambie Corridor

Cambie Corridor design, Image Source: City of Vancouver

An urban corridor is a long stretch of land that connects different parts of an urban area. Vancouver’s Cambie Corridor is a project proposed in 2011, as part of Vancouver’s plan to promote sustainability and growth, and is to be finished by 2027. The plan aims to create a “transit-oriented neighbourhood that integrates affordable housing, commercial spaces, and extensive green areas” [Top 20, 2024]. Additionally, the objectives of this project include improvements in public transit infrastructure, housing affordability, and expansion of green areas and spaces. Vancouver residents seem excited about this new future, especially because of the exemplary policies to increase the number of homes in Vancouver, a city where the cost of living has skyrocketed, and the demand for homes that don’t exist has also increased in the last decade.

The goals of this project are further highlighted in Vancouver’s official website and are seen as follows. Firstly, providing land use that optimizes investment in transport. Secondly, providing a complete community. Thirdly, creating walkable and cyclable neighbourhoods of the corridor. Implementing a focus on intensity and community activity, with more opportunities for sustainable, renewable energy and public amenities. Fifth, providing a range of affordable housing choices. Balancing the city's goals with Canada’s goals. Finally, ensuring job creation and diversity.

Satellite view of the Cambie Corridor, Image source: Lotuswater.com

So far, the Cambie Corridor project has introduced an effective transportation network, including a new BRT system, and improvements to Vancouver’s SkyTrain services. This has successfully improved connectivity and reduced reliance on private transportation. Out of the promised 30,000 affordable houses, 5,000 new houses have been created, according to the Urban Design lab. The city estimates that over 9,000 jobs will be created. The development of mixed-used zoning has brought about commercial developments, with a mix of local and large businesses, improving the economic well-being of residents. Lastly, many green spaces such as parks and communities have been implemented in the corridor in a way that is well integrated into the urban environment. These green areas have improved air quality and offered recreational spaces.

While the project has brought numerous advantages to Vancouver’s community, there are still significant concerns. These being social concerns towards Cambie Street’s local community. While new residents enjoy living “walking distance from mass-transit stations, long-term residents and homeowners have been forced out of this community that they have resided in for a lifetime”[Kiczales, 2021]. The development of new residential areas has displaced existing residents. Another factor that hasn’t been discussed is the effect on well-being because these developments have both temporarily and permanently closed supermarkets and other food retailers. This action has led to the creation of food deserts for this already fragile community, and while the development of new food stores has taken place, these developments inevitably affected the Cambie Street community at a point in time. Social factors aren’t the only concerns. While the project aims to promote green spaces and environmental sustainability, countless trees have been cleared to build more houses. A larger population has caused an increase in demand for resources such as water, putting a strain on pre-existing resources. Further, noise pollution from the construction has affected local residents. 

The discussions around this project are centred around the rapid-transit aspect. Critics such as Erick Villagomez a writer at spacing.ca believe that the biggest disadvantage is that transit support should have been offered earlier, in this area of Vancouver, a modern city. This is because Canadian transportation lines have high utility. So, because the infrastructure isn’t being under-used, a rapid-transit system should have been employed earlier. Due to this, there has been some “pressure on the planning program”, but the project has been a learning opportunity.

With all this taken into account, ensuring long-term sustainability for the Cambie Corridor is paramount. This can be done through sustainable building elements such as green roofs, energy-efficient buildings, solar panels, and water management. If done well, this project can revolutionize not only Vancouver but Canada’s future, and improve the current problems that today’s young people deal with.

Bibliography

Baker, Rafferty. “Dense Development: Is Building along Busy Corridors Unhealthy?” CBC, 23 Aug. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/cambie-corridor-traffic-pollution-1.4258193. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

Chung, Jean. “Transforming Vancouver - the Future of Cambie Corridor - NAI BC.” NAI BC, 19 May 2023, www.naibc.ca/transforming-vancouver/. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

City of Vancouver. “Cambie Corridor Plan.” Vancouver.ca, 2018, vancouver.ca/home-property-development/cambie-corridor-plan.aspx/.Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

Kiczales, Alex J. “Transit-Oriented Development along the Cambie Corridor: “Gentrification” through Human and Commercial Displacement.” Medium, 11 Dec. 2021, medium.com/@alex.kiczales/transit-orientated-development-along-the-cambie-corridor-gentrification-through-human-leisure-80d6fa7086e7/. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

“POLICY REPORT URBAN STRUCTURE.” City of Vancouver, 19 Jan. 2010.

“Top 20 Urban Design Projects of 2024.” Urban Design Lab, 31 Dec. 2024, urbandesignlab.in/top-20-urban-design-projects-of-2024/?srsltid=AfmBOooos8KW_gKPSFD6W48Du5xwmwzdgQMLA3BrXbxFLSnbLXjbqUp2.

Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Villagomez, Erick. “The Cambie Street Corridor and the Future of Vancouver - Spacing Vancouver.” Spacing Vancouver, 28 Apr. 2011, spacing.ca/vancouver/2011/04/27/the-cambie-street-corridor-and-the-future-of-vancouver/Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

Water, Integrated. “Lotus Water.” Lotus Water, 2018, www.lotuswater.com/cambie-corridor-iwmp. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.