| The Cost of Infrastructure Required to Support Growth in the Metro Vancouver Region | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/cost-of-infrastructure-required-support-growth-mv-region.pdf | The Cost of Infrastructure Required to Support Growth in the Metro Vancouver Region | About $114.8 billion will be required over the next 15 years to support the local, regional, and provincial infrastructure for an anticipated 570,000 new homes. This study is an evidence-based case for advocacy to the provincial and federal governments for sustained, predictable infrastructure funding, and supports discussions about new local government funding tools. |
| European Chafer Beetle Best Management Practices | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/european-chafer-beetle-best-management-practices.pdf | European Chafer Beetle Best Management Practices | As researchers and practitioners learn more about the biology and control of European chafer beetle in British Columbia, it is anticipated that the recommended best management practices may change over time and this document will be updated. |
| Metro Vancouver Growth Projections – 2025 Update | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-vancouver-growth-projections-update.pdf | Metro Vancouver Growth Projections – 2025 Update | Metro Vancouver has updated the growth projections from Metro 2050, the Regional Growth Strategy. This update includes the estimates (2021 baseline) and projections (from 2022 to 2051) for population, dwelling unit, and employment, presented under three scenarios. |
| Urban Tree List for Metro Vancouver in a Changing Climate | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/urban-forest-trees-list.pdf | Urban Tree List for Metro Vancouver in a Changing Climate | An easy to download and print list of over 300 tree species assessed for suitability to the current and projected future climate in the Metro Vancouver region. Essentially a short version of the trees listed in the database. |
| Metro 2050 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050.pdf | Metro 2050 | Metro Vancouver’s Regional Growth Strategy, Metro 2050, is a long-range vision for how the region will manage population, dwelling unit, and employment growth forecasted to come to this region over the next 30 years. It contains goals, strategies, and policies to shape and accommodate growth in a way that supports the development of a compact urban area and complete communities, and which protects important lands such as Conservation and Recreation, Agricultural, Industrial, and Rural lands. |
| Regional Parking Study Final Report 2025 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/regional-parking-study-final-report-2025.pdf | Regional Parking Study Final Report 2025 | Metro Vancouver has released the Regional Parking Study, to help planners, developers, and decision makers understand parking use trends and guide planning and development decisions. Created by Metro Vancouver in collaboration with Bunt Engineering, it includes a database of parking use with over 33,000 parking stalls and 217 buildings. Municipal scale data is provided to support local analysis and policy development. |
| Common Periwinkle Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/common-periwinkle-fact-sheet.pdf | Common Periwinkle Fact Sheet | Common periwinkle (also known as Vinca, periwinkle, and small periwinkle) is a low-growing trailing evergreen plant that was introduced to North America in the 1700s as a garden ornamental and medicinal herb. It has escaped cultivation in BC and spread into forests, forming dense groundcover and crowding out native plants. |
| Housing and Transportation Cost Burden Study Update 2025 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/housing-and-transportation-cost-burden-study-update-2025.pdf | Housing and Transportation Cost Burden Study Update 2025 | Metro Vancouver has released an updated study showing the growing burden of housing and transportation costs in the region. Created by Metro Vancouver in collaboration with Steer Group, the study highlights spatial patterns of household expenditures and explores the role of transit and rental housing in supporting affordability. |
| Economic Impact of Industrial Lands in Metro Vancouver | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/economic-impact-of-industrial-lands-in-metro-vancouver.pdf | Economic Impact of Industrial Lands in Metro Vancouver | Metro Vancouver, in its commitment to lead the advancement of the Regional Industrial Lands Strategy, has undertaken an analysis to quantify and describe the economic value generated by sectors operating on industrial lands within the region. The study’s findings inform the implementation of the Regional
Industrial Lands Strategy, a collaborative effort led by regional agencies and organizations. This study is an update to the prior study released in early 2019.
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| European Chafer Beetle Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/european-chafer-beetle-fact-sheet.pdf | European Chafer Beetle Fact Sheet | European chafer beetles were first discovered in British Columbia in 2001 in lawns and turfgrass. They have since spread across the Metro Vancouver region. The beetles can spread quickly because they have a short life cycle and can fly. They can also be spread in infested soil, grass and garden plants. |
| Invasive Species and Toxic Plant Disposal Options for Practitioners and Commercial Customers | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/invasive-species-toxic-plant-disposal-options.pdf | Invasive Species and Toxic Plant Disposal Options for Practitioners and Commercial Customers | The following list is intended for use by practitioners and commercial customers, not by residents. Residents who wish to dispose of invasive plants or soil containing invasive species should contact their municipality directly for disposal advice. |
| Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (TOAH) Study Phase 2 - TOAH Fund Business Framework for Metro Vancouver - ECONorthwest 2019 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/transit-oriented-affordabl-housing-fund-business-framework-eoc-northwest.pdf | Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (TOAH) Study Phase 2 - TOAH Fund Business Framework for Metro Vancouver - ECONorthwest 2019 | A TOAH Fund – a financing mechanism that aids affordable housing development to
incentivize production near high-capacity transit – is one potential tool and the subject of this
report. Through conversations with local policy makers, experts, and developers, research into
the fund typologies applied in the U.S., and considerations of the implementation steps and
decisions needed, this report presents a business framework for Metro Vancouver and its
partners to use as progress on a regional TOAH Fund concept continues. |
| Himalayan Blackberry Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/himalayan-blackberry-fact-sheet.pdf | Himalayan Blackberry Fact Sheet | Himalayan blackberry was first introduced to BC as a berry crop. This plant can grow almost anywhere. It spreads by seed (from birds and people spreading berries) and by rooting from stems that touch the ground. As a result, it is one of the most widespread invasive plants in Metro Vancouver. |
| Metro Vancouver Growth Projections - Methodology Report 2021 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-vancouver-growth-projections-methodology-report.pdf | Metro Vancouver Growth Projections - Methodology Report 2021 | Projection modelling is intended to promote collaboration and consistency among provincial, regional, and municipal planning agencies and establish a common basis of information, assumptiosn, and growth and policy implementation methods. This methodology report was created in 2021. |
| Tackling Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/brown-marmorated-stink-bug-fact-sheet.pdf | Tackling Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Fact Sheet | The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is an invasive insect
native to East Asia that was accidentally introduced to North
America and Europe. |
| Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (TOAH) Study Phase 2 - Reducing the Barrier of High Land Cost 2019 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/reducing-barrier-high-land-cost.pdf | Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (TOAH) Study Phase 2 - Reducing the Barrier of High Land Cost 2019 | This report mainly focuses on affordable, transit-oriented rental housing. To explore possible solutions to the affordable rental housing challenge, in 2017 Metro Vancouver entered into a partnership with BC Housing, BC Non Profit Housing Association, TransLink, Vancity Credit Union, the Urban Development Institute, the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and CMHC to try to tackle the challenge of affordable rental housing supply, especially in locations with good access to public transit. This all-hands-on-deck response is indicative of the magnitude of the problem and the recognition by the public, private, and non-profit sectors of the need for action. |
| What Works: Affordable Housing Initiatives in Metro Vancouver Municipalities | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/affordable-housing-initiatives-in-metro-vancouver-municipalities.pdf | What Works: Affordable Housing Initiatives in Metro Vancouver Municipalities | This resource guide from the “What Works” series provides information for municipalities on effective municipal measures for facilitating affordable housing, including some local examples of successful municipal initiatives. |
| Cherry Laurel Best Management Practices | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/cherry-laurel-best-management-practices.pdf | Cherry Laurel Best Management Practices | Cherry laurel is a fast-growing woody evergreen tree or shrub that is a commonly used as an ornamental hedge plant (Klinkenberg, 2020). It is native to southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, in areas surrounding the Black Sea including Turkey, Serbia, Bulgaria, the Caucasus and Iran and has been widely introduced in other parts of Europe, Australia and in North America west of the Cascade Mountains. |
| Japanese Beetle Guidebook | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/japanese-beetle-guidebook.pdf | Japanese Beetle Guidebook | The impacts of invasive species on ecological, human, and economic health are of concern in the Metro Vancouver region. Successful control of invasive species requires concerted and targeted efforts by many participants. This document - “Guidebook for Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) in the Metro Vancouver Region” - is one of a series of species-specific guides developed for use by practitioners (e.g., local government staff, crews, project managers, contractors, consultants, developers, stewardship groups, and others who have a role in invasive species management) in this region. |
| Regional Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surface in Metro Vancouver 2020 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/regional-tree-canopy-cover-impervious-surface-2020.pdf | Regional Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surface in Metro Vancouver 2020 | A technical report of the results of Metro Vancouver's tree canopy cover, impervious surface, and potential planting area analysis for 2020 and compares the findings to those from 2014. |
| Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline - Industrial and Employment Lands | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-implementation-guideline-industrial-and-employment-lands.pdf | Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline - Industrial and Employment Lands | The Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline – Industrial and Employment Lands provides guidance on industrial land objectives, as well as how planning policies, market conditions, site locations, industrial sectors, and local contexts all influence the implementation of these objectives. |
| 2023 Survey of Licensed Child Care Spaces and Policies in Metro Vancouver | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/survey-of-licensed-child-care-spaces-in-metro-vancouver-2023.pdf | 2023 Survey of Licensed Child Care Spaces and Policies in Metro Vancouver | This document presents the findings of an inventory of licensed child are spaces and a region-wide survey of policies and regulation relating to the provision of child care spaces. |
| Ecological Health Framework 2018 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/ecological-health-framework.pdf | Ecological Health Framework 2018 | Ensuring ecological health is one of the priorities identified in Metro Vancouver’s Sustainability Framework. In the Framework, Metro Vancouver commits to protect and restore an interconnected network of habitat and green space. |
| Bamboo Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/bamboo-fact-sheet.pdf | Bamboo Fact Sheet | Bamboos are a large group of fast-growing evergreen grasses that are often grown as ornamental plants and commercial crops for fabric, biofuel, paper pulp, and construction materials. Unfortunately, bamboo has escaped cultivation worldwide and is commonly found in landscaped areas, forests, and streams in Metro Vancouver. |
| Cherry Laurel Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/cherry-laurel-fact-sheet.pdf | Cherry Laurel Fact Sheet | Cherry laurel is a fast-growing woody tree or shrub that is a commonly planted in gardens or as a hedge. It is native to southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe, and has escaped cultivation in many areas, including southwestern BC. |
| European Fire Ant Best Management Practices | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/european-fire-ants-best-management-practices.pdf | European Fire Ant Best Management Practices | The European fire ant was first recorded in British Columbia in 2010. It has impacted many communities in Metro Vancouver, and several other areas in the province. Its distinctive swarming and stinging behaviour has given it high profile as one of the region’s most alarming invasive species. |
| Stratification of Industrial Land in Metro Vancouver 2018 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/stratification-of-industria-land-in-metro-vancouver.pdf | Stratification of Industrial Land in Metro Vancouver 2018 | Metro Vancouver is coordinating the development of a Regional Industrial Lands Strategy. The Strategy will provide a vision for the future of industrial lands in Metro Vancouver and actions for achieving the vision. This was created in September 2018. |
| Common Periwinkle Best Management Practices | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/common-periwinkle-best-practices-management.pdf | Common Periwinkle Best Management Practices | Common periwinkle is a low-growing trailing evergreen plant that was introduced to North America in the 1700s as an ornamental plant (Evergreen, 2015). It is native to northern Spain, western France, and parts of central and southern Europe. It has escaped cultivation in BC and spread into forests, forming dense groundcover and crowding out native plants. |
| Survey of Licensed Child Care Spaces and Policies in Metro Vancouver 2019 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/survey-of-licensed-child-care-spaces-policies-metro-vancouver-2019.pdf | Survey of Licensed Child Care Spaces and Policies in Metro Vancouver 2019 | This report presents the findings of an inventory of licensed child care spaces and a region-wide survey of policies and regulations relating to the provision of child care spaces. |
| English and Irish Ivies Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/english-and-irish-ivies-fact-sheet.pdf | English and Irish Ivies Fact Sheet | There are two species of ivy present in Metro Vancouver – English ivy and Irish ivy. Both were introduced from Europe and western Asia as garden groundcover plants. Ivy can cover the forest floor and engulf trees, and is considered a serious invasive plant in the Metro Vancouver region. Unfortunately, many garden centres still sell several varieties of ivy. |
| Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline - Regional Growth Strategy Amendments | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-implementation-guideline-regional-growth-strategy-amendments.pdf | Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline - Regional Growth Strategy Amendments | Metro 2050 may be amended from time to time to maintain consistency between local and regional land use designations, plans, and targets. This implementation guideline provides information on Regional Growth Strategy amendment types, common examples, submission requirements, and process details. |
| Knotweeds Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/knotweeds-fact-sheet.pdf | Knotweeds Fact Sheet | Knotweeds are aggressive plants that were introduced from regions in Asia. They are some of the most destructive invasive plants in the world and are considered a high priority to
manage. |
| Spurge Laurel Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/spurge-laurel-fact-sheet.pdf | Spurge Laurel Fact Sheet | Spurge laurel, an evergreen shrub from Eurasia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean regions, was introduced to North America as a garden plant. It is long-lived, able to spread long distances by seed, and commonly found growing in gardens or under trees in forests. |
| American Bullfrog Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/american-bullfrog-fact-sheet.pdf | American Bullfrog Fact Sheet | American bullfrogs are large, robust frogs native to eastern North America that have become well established on BC’s south coast. First introduced as a delicacy for human consumption, they have since escaped or been released into natural areas in the Metro Vancouver region. Bullfrogs
reproduce rapidly and thrive in human-disturbed habitats, allowing these invasive amphibians to establish and spread quickly. They are voracious predators that eat a variety of prey, including smaller bullfrogs and other frog species |
| Opportunities for the Intensive Use of Industrial Land Summary Report | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/opportunities-for-industrial-lands-intensification-report.pdf | Opportunities for the Intensive Use of Industrial Land Summary Report | Metro Vancouver’s Regional Growth Strategy, adopted in 2011, seeks to protect the region’s established industrial land base and promote the intensification capacity of industrial use on those lands. |
| Poison Hemlock Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/poison-hemlock-fact-sheet.pdf | Poison Hemlock Fact Sheet | Poison hemlock is one of the world’s most poisonous plants. Originally from Europe and North Africa, it is thought to be the plant that killed Socrates in 399 B.C. It prefers to grow along streams, ditches, roadsides, trails, forest edges, fields, and other previously-disturbed areas. |
| Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book 2025 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-vancouver-housing-data-book-2025.pdf | Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book 2025 | The Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book brings together a large collection of regional and municipal level data from a variety of sources in order to provide a comprehensive look at the region's housing market and the people impacted by it. |
| Hedge Bindweed Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/hedge-bindweed-fact-sheet.pdf | Hedge Bindweed Fact Sheet | Hedge bindweed, also known as morning glory, is a familiar sight from spring through fall in urban parks and gardens in Metro Vancouver. It is found twining around other plants and
structures, often forming a tangled mass. It is a persistent plant that spreads by underground stems and roots that can resprout from fragments left in the soil. |
| Metro 2040 Annual Report 2021 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2040-annual-report-2021.pdf | Metro 2040 Annual Report 2021 | View the Metro 2040 Annual Report for 2021. |
| Metro Vancouver Growth Projections – A Backgrounder 2018 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/methods-in-projecting-regional-growth-overview.pdf | Metro Vancouver Growth Projections – A Backgrounder 2018 | Metro Vancouver’s mandate in preparing, implementing and monitoring Metro Vancouver 2040: Shaping our Future (Metro 2040), the regional growth strategy, requires a variety of land use and development analytics. |
| Yellow Flag Iris Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/yellow-flag-iris-fact-sheet.pdf | Yellow Flag Iris Fact Sheet | Yellow flag iris was introduced to North America in the early 1900s from Eurasia as an ornamental aquatic plant. It has escaped into natural areas across the continent and is found throughout the Metro Vancouver region. Unfortunately, many garden centres still sell this plant. |
| Regional Affordable Rental Housing Target - Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-implementation-guideline-regional-affordable-rental-housing-target.pdf | Regional Affordable Rental Housing Target - Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline | A guideline about discussions between member jurisdictions, the regional district, and other partners about the growth of affordable rental housing near transit across the region. |
| Regional Parking Study Technical Report | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/regional-parking-study-technical-report.pdf | Regional Parking Study Technical Report | A Regional Parking Study Technical Report. |
| Food Flows in Metro Vancouver Executive Summary 2020 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/food-flows-in-metro-vancouver-executive-summary.pdf | Food Flows in Metro Vancouver Executive Summary 2020 | The Food Flows in Metro Vancouver study estimates the volume and value of food imported and exported from the Metro Vancouver region and the methods used to transport this food to and from international sources, the US, other provinces and within BC. |
| Help Stop the Spread of Invasive Plants - Brochure | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/invasive-plant-brochure.PDF | Help Stop the Spread of Invasive Plants - Brochure | Many plants have been introduced to this region from other continents. Some of these plants are considered ‘invasive’ because the predators and diseases from their native regions are not here to keep them under control, so they spread rapidly and can cause many problems. |
| Scotch Broom Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/scotch-broom-fact-sheet.pdf | Scotch Broom Fact Sheet | Scotch broom originated in Europe and was introduced to Vancouver Island as a garden plant in the 1850s. It is now common throughout Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island. |
| Tackling Lesser Celandine Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/lesser-celandine-fact-sheet.pdf | Tackling Lesser Celandine Fact Sheet | Lesser celandine is a low-growing invasive buttercup, introduced to North America in the 1860s as a garden ornamental. |
| Feasibility of Targeted Invasive Plant Grazing in Metro Vancouver Technical Report | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/feasibility-of-targeted-invasive-plant-grazing-in-metro-vancouver.pdf | Feasibility of Targeted Invasive Plant Grazing in Metro Vancouver Technical Report | This report assesses the feasibility of targeted invasive plant grazing in Metro Vancouver, reviewing the efficacy, challenges, and considerations of targeted grazing treatments for control of invasive plants. Fourteen targeted grazing practitioners were interviewed to assess the operational feasibility of targeted grazing treatments. |
| English and Irish Ivies Best Management Practices | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/english-and-irish-ivies-best-management-practices.pdf | English and Irish Ivies Best Management Practices | English ivy (Hedera helix) and Irish ivy (Hedera hibernica) are native to Europe and western Asia. English ivy was introduced to North America during the earliest days of colonialism (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, 2018) and has become increasingly problematic in natural and human-altered landscapes throughout the Metro Vancouver region. Ivy spreads vegetatively and by seed and it tolerates a wide range of soil, moisture and light conditions. Ivy’s ability to take over forest understories, suppress the growth of native species, and alter the tree canopy makes it a serious invader. |
| English Holly Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/english-holly-fact-sheet.pdf | English Holly Fact Sheet | Native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia, English holly can grow in a variety of environments. This hardy plant spreads both by roots and seeds that are easily moved by birds, which make it a serious threat to forests. Unfortunately, many garden centres still sell English holly as a garden or hedge plant. |