The E word

Vancouver takes a kinder, gentler approach to EcoDensity

As an urban planning concept, density is not new—a few decades of unchecked suburban expansion notwithstanding, cities have always been inherently dense to a more or lesser degree. As a City of Vancouver urban planning initiative, however, EcoDensity dates back to just 2006—but it’s quickly gaining traction in one of the densest and most desirable cities in North America.

In fact, Vancouver is not as densely populated as its postcard reputation might suggest: Beyond the skyscrapers of downtown, vast swaths of the city are zoned for single-family dwellings, be they West Side Shaughnessy mansions or East Side Vancouver Specials.

But as the vacancy rate dips ever closer to zero, real-estate prices continue their stratospheric orbit, traffic gets jammed, transit gets fuller and energy demands continue to soar, an increasingly wide array of Lower Mainland residents are ready to hear this or any other idea that will lead toward a more sustainable solution.

‘Density done well’

EcoDensity’s chief evangelist is Brent Toderian, director of planning for the city of Vancouver. Toderian has been extolling the virtues of “density done well” to local communities and municipal leaders alike since taking over the top planning job in 2006.

Though Vancouver has taken a few pages from Portland and other cities in the Pacific Northwest, Toderian says that the city’s EcoDensity initiative has garnered international attention, even from urban design darlings like Copenhagen.