1. Metro Vancouver
Regional Planning Advisory Committee
May 22, 2014
GREATER VANCOUVER URBAN FUTURES
OPINION SURVEY 2012
2012 Urban Futures Survey
www.urbanfuturessurvey.com
Ken Cameron, FCIP, RPP
kdcameron@kdcameron.com
Jacint Simon, Urban Studies Masters Candidate,
SFU
jsimon@sfu.ca

2. Definition of Terms
“PlaceSpeak”
• A Vancouver-based social enterprise in which Ken Cameron is a director and
investor
• An online, interactive consultation platform that allows proponents (municipalities,
utilities, developers) to sponsor consultation topics and receive feedback from
citizens who can voluntarily participate at no cost to them
“Urban Futures Survey”
• A comprehensive survey of public attitudes in Greater Vancouver developed by the
late Dr. Walter Hardwick
• Conducted in 1973, 1990 and 2012
• 2012 survey was a research project of PlaceSpeak conducted with a grant from the
Real Estate Foundation of B.C. and financial support from the Cities of North
Vancouver, Surrey and Vancouver, TransLink and Vancity

3. Ranking of Challenges
Ranking of Challenges 2012 1990 1973
Change
1990-2012
Provision of health care 1 3 9 +2
Traffic congestion 2 7 6 +5
Homelessness 3
NOT
ASKED
NOT
ASKED NA
Increasing housing supply 4 8 8 +4
Air pollution from industry 5 1 1 -4
Water pollution from industry 6 2 2 -4
Air pollution from cars 7 4 3 -3

4. Ranking Policy Issues (11 total)
The residents of the region do not support the idea of
easing congestion by building more roads.
Ranking of Issues 2012 1990 1973
Change
1990-2012
Expanding the public transit system 1 5 2 +4
Making more efficient use of present transportation 2 3 3 +1
Promoting comprehensive community planning 3 6 5 +3
Preserving the natural environment 4 1 1 -3
Improving highway transportation 9 9 10 0

5. “Rank, in order of preference, the issues that you
personally feel most urgently require government action.”
Transportation 30%
Housing affordability 27%
Preservation of green spaces 12%
Job creation 8%
K-12 education 7%
Loss of rental housing stock 5%
Rising property taxes 5%
Changing appearance of neighbourhoods 2%
In-migration from outside the Metro Vancouver area 2%
More recreational facilities 1%

6. Transportation
 Congestion is a much bigger issue in outlying areas
than in the Burrard Peninsula
 The importance of the personal relationship with
private automobile increases with age
 “Improved transportation” means transit
 Respondents are receptive to user pay; opposed to
general taxation, especially property tax

7. 2012 - User pay principle supported; property tax
strongly rejected
25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Property Tax
Gasoline Tax
Transit Fares
Vehicle Licensing Fees
Vehicle Sales Tax
Road or Bridge Tolls
Parking Fees
Transit Funding Options in Metro Vancouver
(Percent of approval for each funding option)

8. Housing
 Homelessness
 Youth is the most concerned group
 Vancouver/UEL ranked Homelessness as the most
important challenge, above Provision of Health
Care or Increasing the Housing Supply
 Concern with housing supply and affordability
is highest among Burrard Peninsula
respondents

9. Environment
 Concern with air and water pollution in the
region has decreased since 1990, reflecting the
effect of policy responses
 Overwhelming support (88%) in 2012 for
waste-to-energy approach for dealing with local
waste.

10. Strong support for protecting agricultural
land; different picture for industrial land

11. Diversity / Density / Family Living
 Raising children in an urban environment is more
acceptable compared to 1990
 Apartment living is no longer a second choice
 Youth tend to seek out dense urban living
environments that are well served by transit
 Central city respondents agree to a higher degree
that cultural diversity would make their community a
better place

12. Gender variations
“Rush hour commuters should pay more at peak times.”
 lower agreement in female
“It is important to maintain existing agricultural land for food
production.”
 higher agreement in female
“Opportunities for urban agriculture should be encouraged.”
 higher agreement in female
“Local governments should support increasing child care
spaces.”
 higher agreement in female
“It's all very well to have dissident groups but once the majority
has reached a decision, everyone should abide by it.”
 lower agreement among female

13. Interactive Map @ http://placespeak.com/ufs2012map/
“Rush hour commuters should pay more at peak times.”

14. Sponsored by

15. Metro Vancouver
Regional Planning Advisory Committee
May 22, 2014
GREATER VANCOUVER URBAN FUTURES
OPINION SURVEY 2012
2012 Urban Futures Survey
www.urbanfuturessurvey.com
Ken Cameron, FCIP, RPP
kdcameron@kdcameron.com
Jacint Simon, Urban Studies Masters Candidate,
SFU
jsimon@sfu.ca