| 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 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Regional Long-Range Growth & Transportation Scenarios Final Technical Report | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/regional-long-range-growth-strategy-scenarios-technical-report.pdf | Regional Long-Range Growth & Transportation Scenarios Final Technical Report | This project has been carried out through a collaborative effort between TransLink and Metro Vancouver. It expands on a longstanding partnership between the two organizations in planning for the future of the 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. |
| 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.
|
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| What Works - Securing Affordable and Special Needs Housing through Housing Agreements | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/securing-affordable-and-special-needs-housing-through-housing-agreements.pdf | What Works - Securing Affordable and Special Needs Housing through Housing Agreements | This award-winning (Planning Institute of British Columbia, 2020) resource guide from the “What Works” series provides information to support local governments as they develop Housing Agreements to secure affordable and special needs housing. |
| 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. |
| 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 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Office Development in Metro Vancouver’s Urban Centres 2018 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/office-development-in-metro-vancouvers-urban-centres-update.pdf | Office Development in Metro Vancouver’s Urban Centres 2018 | An updated report that explores the factors that influence regional-scale office development and occupancy decisions, identifies challenges and opportunities for office potential in Metro Vancouver's Urban Centres. This report is an update and supersedes the Office Development in Metro Vancouver’s Urban Centres Update Report in 2015. This update was made in 2018. |
| 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. |
| Regional Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surfaces 2019 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/ecological-health-tree-canopy-cover-impervious-surfaces.pdf | Regional Tree Canopy Cover and Impervious Surfaces 2019 | This report contains an analysis of the tree canopy cover and impervious surfaces in Metro Vancouver. Measuring tree canopy cover is a relatively simple way to determine the extent of the urban forest and the magnitude of services it provides. Impervious surfaces are associated with many of the negative effects of urbanization such as increased temperatures (the ‘Urban Heat Island’ effect) and flood risk, along with impacts to stream health through disrupted hydrological cycles and poor water quality. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Short Sea Shipping in Metro Vancouver – Facts in Focus 2015 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/short-sea-shipping-facts-in-focus.pdf | Short Sea Shipping in Metro Vancouver – Facts in Focus 2015 | An overview of short sea shipping in the Metro Vancouver region, current forms and volumes of goods movement, related transportation infrastructure, relationship to other types of goods movement, and potential expansion. (File revised on June 8, 2015) |
| Metro Vancouver 2015 Industrial Lands Inventory - Summary Report 2016 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/industrial-lands-inventory-summary-report.pdf | Metro Vancouver 2015 Industrial Lands Inventory - Summary Report 2016 | The Metro Vancouver 2015 Industrial Lands Inventory (‘the 2015 Inventory’) provides a comprehensive look at the quantity and quality of industrial lands in the Metro Vancouver region as of mid-2015. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| Implementation Guideline #4 – Identifying Frequent Transit Development Areas 2013 | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/implementation-guideline-4–identifying-frequent-transit-development-areas-2013.pdf | Implementation Guideline #4 – Identifying Frequent Transit Development Areas 2013 | Frequent Transit Development Areas are intended to coordinate complementary land use planning for higher density development and improved transit service. This guideline addresses the land use aspects of planning for FTDAs, however, further discussion between Metro Vancouver, TransLink and member municipalities about transit funding and the timing of improvements in transit service is (as transit demand increases) is still required. |
| Reed Canarygrass Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/reed-canarygrass-fact-sheet.pdf | Reed Canarygrass Fact Sheet | Reed canarygrass is a fast-growing grass that can thrive in a variety of conditions. It is common throughout wetlands in Metro Vancouver. Management of reed canarygrass is challenging because control methods can damage sensitive ecosystems |
| Yellow Archangel Fact Sheet | https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/yellow-archangel-fact-sheet.pdf | Yellow Archangel Fact Sheet | Yellow archangel (also known as lamium or lamiastrum) was introduced to North America as an ornamental ground cover. It has escaped into natural areas throughout Metro Vancouver mostly due to illegal dumping of green waste, especially from hanging baskets or containers. Unfortunately, many garden centres still sell this plant. |
| 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. |