As part of the GVRD's Livable Region Strategic Plan that was adopted in 1996, the greater Vancouver region has been divided into eight Regional Town Centres, in addition to the City of Vancouver's metropolitan core. Several smaller Municipal Town Centres are also part of this network.
Included among the eight regional town centres are the following: Lonsdale/North Vancouver, Metrotown/Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond City Centre, Surrey Centre, Coquitlam Town Centre, Maple Ridge Town Centre, and Langley Town Centre. (Click on the map for a larger picture).
By creating these town centres, the GVRD sought to establish eight interconnected, but independent semi-urban centres that are able to provide a mix of residential, commercial, shopping and community services to local residents.
One of the key benefits of these smaller centres is their concentratation of mixed use services in several places throughout the wider metropolitan region, thereby bringing many of the benefits of the urban centre closer to where people live.
Unlike suburban housing developments, big-box retail centres, and office parks, these high-density areas make more efficient use of land for both residential and commercial purposes, while also streamlining the movement of people and goods between these urban centres.
For example, the GVRD notes that "a 100,000 square foot office building with underground parking located in a Regional Town Centre occupies approximately 8% of the land occupied by a building of comparable size with a surface parking lot in a business park location."
Furthermore, thanks to the development of these mixed use town centres, it is expected that people will also use their cars less often, since they will be able to walk, bicycle, or use public transit to get to work, or shop nearby where they live.
For a further explanation of the GVRD's network of town centres, click here.
