The District of North Vancouver


Introduction
The District of North Vancouver is located in the Southwest corner of British Columbia within the Greater Vancouver Regional District.  Located on the lower slopes of the North Shore Mountains, in the southern regions of the Coast Mountain Range, North Vancouver is world-renowned for its outdoor recreational possibilities.  Many residents enjoy the nearby wilderness through various activities such as mountain-biking, hiking, skiing, kayaking, windsurfing, and others.  This active, outdoor lifestyle an dintense appreciation of nature has become equated with North Vancouver.  The challenge for District planners is to accommodate an increasing population within a restricted area without altering the natural aesthetics through urban sprawl up the slopes of the mountains. 


This project was set up to examine possible locations for urban densification.  As a part of the larger region of Greater Vancouver, a region that expects to double its current population within the next twenty years, the District of North Vancouver (DNV), as with the other municipalities, is required to increase its housing stock to accommodate new residents.  The question for planners is how to do this in a sustainable manner.  Sustainable deevlopment research has shown that in order to maintain environmental integrity and improve the social capital of an area, it is essential to increase the density of any new development.  Not only does this prevent further urban sprawl into currently undeveloped areas, it lessens the environmental impact of the city in other ways.  Increased density in housing encourages commercial and services development in the area, lessening the need for transportation to outlying areas.  It also builds up a significantly dense population to in increase and improve transit services to that area, making it more convenient for people to get out of their cars and onto the bus system, ultimately decreasing air pollution.  Denser housing also decreases the energy consumption due to the insulating effects of attached housing.  Not only does a densification of the housing stock protect the environment, but it also encourages a sense of community between residents by allowing residents to not only sleep in their neighbourhood, but also live there.


I chose to look at this project as I have worked with the DNV looking at some planning issues surrounding recreation center development.  My exposure to the planning process, coupled with my current studies in sustainable development, naturally lead me towards this project.  As the DNV is predominantly a single-family dwelling community, it is difficult to implement the strategy of denser housing stock within the region without altering the face of the DNV.  However, with the increased desire for new residents to the region to live here, denser housing is preferable to increased infiltration into current wilderness areas.


Data Sources
 

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