Resources and Studies | Metro Vancouver

This resources and studies section contains key projects and studies completed by Regional Planning in recent years. Although this is not a comprehensive list, if you do not see the project you are looking for please contact regionalplanning@metrovancouver.org to request further information or resources.

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Metro Vancouver Growth Projections 2021	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-vancouver-growth-projections-tables.pdf	Metro Vancouver Growth Projections 2021	Vew the Metro Vancouver Growth Projections. This includes population, dwelling unit, employment, and geography.
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.
Metro 2050 Map 1 - Metro Vancouver Region	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-map-1.pdf	Metro 2050 Map 1 - Metro Vancouver Region	View the Regional Growth Strategy - Metro Vancouver Region map.
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.
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.
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.
Farm Tax Class Income Threshold Investigation 2015	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/farm-tax-class-income-threshold-investigation.pdf	Farm Tax Class Income Threshold Investigation 2015	Metro Vancouver has requested the services of Upland Agricultural Consulting to complete a review of the qualifications for BC Assessment’s Farm tax classification and to investigate whether changes to the requirements are warranted. This investigation serves as a follow‐up to a report by KM Consulting that provided an analysis ofseveral farm property tax policies that could be used to either increase actively farmed land or discourage the non‐farm uses of agricultural land.
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.
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.
Regional Food System Strategy 2011	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/regional-food-system-strategy.pdf	Regional Food System Strategy 2011	The Regional Food System Strategy is focused on how actions at the regional level can moves us toward a sustainable, resilient and healthy food system while recognizing that the Metro Vancouver foods system is affected by influences at the global scale.
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.
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.
Metro 2050 Executive Summary	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-executive-summary.pdf	Metro 2050 Executive Summary	An executive summary of Metro 2050, the Regional Growth Strategy. This 4-page document provides an overview of the vision, principles, goals, strategies, targets, and new policies in Metro 2050.
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.
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 2023	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-vancouver-housing-data-book-2023.pdf	Metro Vancouver Housing Data Book 2023	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.
Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline - Regional Context Statements	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-implementation-guideline-regional-context-statements.pdf	Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline - Regional Context Statements	The Metro 2050 Implementation Guideline - Regional Context Statements provides guidance to member jurisdictions on the development, submission, and acceptance for Regional Context Statements.
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 2050 Maps	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-maps.pdf	Metro 2050 Maps	View Metro 2050, the Regional Growth Strategy maps.
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.
Knotweed Best Management Practices	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/knotweeds-best-management-practices.pdf	Knotweed Best Management Practices	Native to regions in Asia, knotweeds were first introduced to British Columbia in 1901 as a cultivated horticultural specimen (Barney 2006). In the last few decades knotweeds have gained attention as one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world (Lowe, Browne and Boudjelas 2000). They are included as one of the top ten invasive species for control in BC (Invasive Species Council of British Columbia 2017) and they are high priority species for management in the Metro Vancouver region.
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.
Bamboo Best Management Practices	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/bamboo-best-management-practices.pdf	Bamboo Best Management Practices	Bamboos comprise a large group of fast-growing, perennial, woody-stemmed evergreen grasses that grow worldwide. There are over 1450 species of bamboo documented worldwide exhibiting great diversity in size and characteristic (Buziquia, Freitas Lopes, Almeida, & de Almeida, 2019).
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 Industrial Lands Strategy Report	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/regional-industrial-lands-strategy-report.pdf	Regional Industrial Lands Strategy Report	Industrial lands are crucial to supporting a prosperous and sustainable regional economy. Industrial lands accommodate over one-quarter of the region’s total employment, and contribute to the region’s economic well-being, along with important linkages to transportation, trade, and taxation matters. Across the region, Metro Vancouver’s industrial lands serve as home to a wide range of employment activities that, in turn, play a crucial role in supporting the broader regional, provincial, and national economies.
Metro 2050 Map 3 - Urban Containment Boundary and General Urban Lands	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-map-3.pdf	Metro 2050 Map 3 - Urban Containment Boundary and General Urban Lands	View the Regional Growth Strategy - Urban Containment Boundary and General Urban Lands map.
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.
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.
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.
Metro Vancouver Tree Regulations Toolkit	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-vancouver-tree-regulations-toolkit.pdf	Metro Vancouver Tree Regulations Toolkit	This toolkit is a resource for municipal staff, decision makers, and other practitioners, including planners, arborists, biologists, engineers, and landscape architects. This toolkit provides a framework for selecting regulatory tools to help achieve municipal tree preservation or canopy growth objectives.
Metro 2050 Map 10 - Regional Greenway Network and Major Bikeway Network	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/metro-2050-map-10.pdf	Metro 2050 Map 10 - Regional Greenway Network and Major Bikeway Network	View the Regional Growth Strategy - Regional Greenway Network and Major Bikeway Network map.
Himalayan Blackberry Best Management Practices	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/himalayan-blackberry-best-practices-management.pdf	Himalayan Blackberry Best Management Practices	Himalayan blackberry was first introduced in British Columbia in the nineteenth century as a berry crop, but has more recently been recognized as an invasive species. Academic institutions, government, and non-government organizations continue to study this species in British Columbia.
Metro Vancouver Costs of Providing Infrastructure and Services to Different Residential Densities Study 2023	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/costs-of-providing-infrastructure-and-services-to-different-residential-densities.pdf	Metro Vancouver Costs of Providing Infrastructure and Services to Different Residential Densities Study 2023	A foundational principle of Metro 2050 is directing growth to the right places. This includes the efficient provision and use of infrastructure, increasing transit ridership, and protecting natural and agricultural areas, while supporting the building of compact complete communities. To better understand the costs and revenues associated with “urban” versus “sprawl” residential development in the region, Metro Vancouver completed a study exploring municipal infrastructure capital and operating costs for different residential forms and densities, and property taxation and utility fees on a per unit and per capita basis.
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.
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.
Butterfly Bush Fact Sheet	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/butterfly-bush-fact-sheet.pdf	Butterfly Bush Fact Sheet	Originally from Asia, butterfly bush has been introduced worldwide as an ornamental shrub valued for its attractive and fragrant flowers. It produces abundant tiny, winged seeds that can travel long distances, and cuttings can re-sprout easily. Butterfly bush has no natural predators in our region, and it often invades disturbed and natural areas. Unfortunately, many garden centres still sell this plant.
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.
English Holly Best Management Practices	https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/english-holly-best-management-practices.pdf	English Holly Best Management Practices	Native to Europe, northern Africa and Asia, English holly (Ilex aquifolium) is prized and grown for its bright red berries and spiny, dark green evergreen foliage. It has been widely used in gardens and is still farmed commercially for decorations, floral arrangements and as a landscape plant in the Pacific Northwest. Holly is grown on farms on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Fraser Valley.
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.
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.