Land Use Plan

UBC’s Land Use Plan establishes generalized land uses and development policies for the Vancouver campus. It is the guide for all of UBC’s academic and residential development, providing the policy direction and regulations for building a complete, sustainable university community.

Overview

The Land Use Plan is a provincially-approved document that enables implementation of the long-term vision for growth and change of the physical campus: Campus Vision 2050.

Vision: In 2050, the campus is a unique combination of world class teaching, learning, and research and thriving campus neighbourhoods—a resilient, climate-neutral, urban campus that embraces accessibility, inclusivity, and meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, while celebrating and honouring its unique history and the land and ecosystem that support it. 

Download the UBC Land Use Plan

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Land Use Plan schedule A

Key Components of the Land Use Plan

Land Uses and Boundaries

  • Three main land uses:
    • Academic (teaching, research, and other, including student housing),
    • Green Academic (open areas that support land-based teaching, research, etc), and
    • Neighbourhoods (providing a range of rental and long-term lease housing, amenities and services).

Housing Choice and Affordability

  • Supporting UBC’s Housing Action Plan commitments to increase housing choice and affordability, including market and below-market rental targets, and preserving land capacity for student housing expansion.

Amenities

The amount and types of amenities to support population growth, including community spaces, health services, schools, daycares, commercial centres, partnership space and more.

Open Space

Amount, features and access to open spaces such as public green spaces, greenways, green edges, courtyards, parks, forested and natural areas, and community gardens to enhance Musqueam presence, support health and wellbeing and help create resilient natural systems. 

Biodiversity and Ecology

Commitments to identify, enhance and manage campus ecology and biodiversity including tree canopy coverage, green infrastructure and nature-based solutions for rainwater management, climate adaptation and mitigation, and enhancing species diversity and soil conditions.

Mobility and Accessibility

Improving transportation to, from and around campus including integrating future SkyTrain, measures to promote use of active and sustainable modes of transportation, and development of a more equitable and accessible transportation system.

Climate and Resilience

Supporting climate action and resilience including: operational greenhouse gas emission reductions and working toward targets in existing plans such as, the updated Rainwater Management Plan, the Green Building Action Plan and the Water Action Plan. 

Infrastructure and Servicing

Infrastructure (streets, energy, water, rainwater runoff, sewers, waste, etc.) commitments include fiscally responsible management of existing and proposed infrastructure, ensuring infrastructure is safe, secure and sustainable, and prioritizing infrastructure investments and resources in areas of growth.

 

Updates to the Land Use Plan

A major amendment to UBC’s Land Use Plan (LUP) was adopted by the Province in July 2024. The amendments to the Land Use Plan were determined through the Campus Vision 2050 public engagement and planning process. This is the first major update to the Plan since 2011, bringing it into alignment with Metro Vancouver’s 2050 Regional Growth Strategy and Translink’s Transport 2050

UBC’s amended Land Use Plan commits to a review every five years to respond to evolving community needs, conditions and opportunities. UBC engages the community in a Land Use Plan amendment process when changes are required.

UBC’s Board of Governors approves detailed policies to carry out the Land Use Plan’s vision. On academic lands, the Vancouver Campus Plan policies guide development. These policies include more student housing, improving outdoor spaces, and using the campus as a living laboratory.

In campus neighbourhoods, UBC’s Board of Governors approves Neighbourhood Plans to guide residential development. These Plans include specific policies for features like park space, recreation, transportation and building height. 
 

UBC Land Use Plan Timeline

1997
UBC Official Community Plan adopted
1997

UBC Official Community Plan adopted

The predecessor of the Land Use Plan 

2000
Memorandum of Understanding signed with Metro Vancouver
2000

Memorandum of Understanding signed with Metro Vancouver

UBC signed MOU regarding neighbourhood planning

2001
Hawthorn Neighbourhood Plan adopted
2001

Hawthorn Neighbourhood Plan adopted

Neighbourhood construction now complete 

2001
Chancellor Place Neighbourhood Plan approved
2001

Chancellor Place Neighbourhood Plan approved

Neighbourhood construction now complete

2004
East Campus Neighbourhood Plan approved
2004

East Campus Neighbourhood Plan approved

Neighbourhood construction now complete 

2004
U Boulevard Area Plan approved
2004

U Boulevard Area Plan approved

Area construction is ongoing

2005
Wesbrook Place Neighbourhood Plan approved
2005

Wesbrook Place Neighbourhood Plan approved

Neighbourhood construction is ongoing

2010
UBC Land Use Plan adopted
2010

UBC Land Use Plan adopted

Replaced the Official Community Plan 

2010
UBC Vancouver Campus Plan approved
2010

UBC Vancouver Campus Plan approved

Replaced the 1992 Main Campus Plan 

2011
UBC Land Use Plan amended
2011

UBC Land Use Plan amended

Wesbrook Place Neighbourhood Plan also amended

2011
UBC Land Use Plan amended
2011

UBC Land Use Plan amended

Shifted development from UBC Farm to Wesbrook Place

2015
UBC Land Use Plan amended
2015

UBC Land Use Plan amended

To include a Regional Context Statement 

2016
Wesbrook Place Neighbourhood Plan amended
2016

Wesbrook Place Neighbourhood Plan amended

To enable new forms of development and urban design

2017
Stadium Neighbourhood planning process
2017

Stadium Neighbourhood planning process

The timing and proposed form of development of the future Stadium Neighbourhood will be considered and adjusted in the context of the long term vision for the campus.

More Details 

2024
Campus Vision 2050 & Amended Land Use Plan
2024

Campus Vision 2050 & Amended Land Use Plan

The Province of BC has adopted an amended Land Use Plan for the UBC Vancouver campus, enabling the university to begin implementing the ideas and strategies developed with the community through Campus Vision 2050 - which along with the Housing Action Plan was approved by the UBC Board of Governors in December 2023.