Urban Development Pressures

People have lived in, and engaged with, the Fraser River Delta since time immemorial. During most of this period, hunting, harvesting, and gathering of resources had no far-reaching effects on the form and functioning of the delta. But over the past two centuries, population growth and urban developments have significantly transformed the delta, both spatially and ecologically. Keeping urban developments out of the floodplain has been an ongoing concern. The Lower Mainland Official Regional Plan, which was adopted in 1966, explicitly called for “Floodplains […] to be kept free of urban uses except where committed to urban development through early settlement, in which case further development for urban uses shall be contingent upon flood proofing.”

Similar language can be found in successive regional planning documents. Yet, over the past decades, developments within the floodplain have proliferated across the region. As a result, over 250,000 people in the region now live within about a meter of mean sea level. With the region expected to continue to grow by over 35,000 residents per year in the next 25 years (Metro Vancouver, 2011), pressure to develop in flood prone areas will continue to be a significant challenge in the future.