Metro Vancouver is a compact region with growth concentrated within our urban growth boundary. This boundary helps preserve rural lands (which local governments control) and acknowledges the agricultural land reserve (which is managed by the provincial government.)
All member municipalities in Metro Vancouver agree to be bonded by the Metro 2050 Regional Growth Strategy. We have a solid Regional Growth Strategy, but there is always an opportunity to improve it, including when it comes to taking action to reduce climate change impacts in our region.
|
| Metro Vancouver Regional Land-Use Map. Rural Areas in Light Green. Select the Map to Enlarge. |
While the current Regional Growth Strategy does say that municipalities should protect rural land from urban development and not consider it urban land in waiting, the only actual definition of what the rural land use designation supports is around sewer servicing. The Regional District is looking to define rural land use further, as the current lack of a definition creates some ambiguity. Why is this important? Protecting rural land is an easy way to preserve our green space and prevent urban sprawl, which helps combat the impacts of climate change.
The Regional District is also looking to set policies that protect and enhance ecosystems within rural areas, as over 70% of the loss of sensitive and modified ecosystems in the last decade occurred outside the urban growth boundary.
The Regional District is also looking to enhance other climate-change-related policies in our Regional Growth Strategy, including encouraging making streets more biking- and walking-friendly.
1 comment:
At this point, they really should just open up most of the rural lands due to the chronic shortage of land within the urban growth boundary, especially for industrial uses.
Post a Comment