Course:GEOG350/Archive/2010WT2/Willoughby Langley

This is the course page for Andre Malan; Olivia Stankovic; Emiljano Daci; Johnny Grewal

Introduction

How will Willoughby be able to handle the massive growth that is coming its way?

Langley is a part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) that is slated to absorb a large portion of the City’s growth (Langley Advance, 2011). The Willoughby area of Langley, B.C. is one of the few remaining parts of the community designated for, and capable of, accommodating urban development. It has been designated as a major development area in Langley . Willoughby is currently characterized by rural and suburban development including estate homes. More intensive land uses have awaited the gradual absorption of growth in other areas in the community such as Walnut Grove, Murrayville, and Aldergrove (The Corporation of the Township of Langley, 1998). In order for this growth to occur, many factors of life in Willoughby will have to change. Most importantly, the transportation system will require a massive amount of development. Culturally, the community will have to start adapting to completely new lifestyles, specifically ones that rely less on personal motor vehicles and more on public transportation. Also due to its relative effects on the Greater Vancouver Region (GVR), further considerations are required for stable and effective growth methods in the area that are beneficial for the GVR.

Physical Boundaries

The Township of Langley covers an enormous amount of land. It is bounded by Surrey to the west, Abbotsford to the east, Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge to the north, and the USA border to the south. More specifically the Willoughby community is defined by the City of Surrey to the west, by the Trans Canada Highway to the north, 216th Street to the east and by 64th Avenue to the south. Willoughby is designated as a major development area in the Township of Langley Official Community Plan. Willoughby comprises ten (10) separate and defined neighbourhoods that include Carvolth, Yorkson, Routley, Southwest Gordon Estate, Northeast Gordon Estate, Jericho, Williams, Smith and East and West Latimer. . Willoughby Statistical Profile and Area Map (MacKinnon, 2010).

For a more detailed representation of the area (with the ability to pan, zoom and get a sense of the actual built structure) you can visit the following google map: http://goo.gl/maps/COC4

Background

History

The Township of Langley (ToL) was incorporated in 1873 and has a population of 93,000 (2006 Census). Initial settlement traced back to the First Nations people who are now known as the Sto:lo. The First Nations cultures were based on the wealth of the river and the forest. Salmon, sturgeon and other fish were plentiful in the Fraser River. Fish along with wild berries and tubers, formed the basis of the Sto:lo diet. The area’s river location, proximity to the ocean and its untapped fur resources suggested it as a possible location for a trading hub. This area drew the attention of a London, England based organization known as Hudson’s Bay Company to establish its post in Langley in 1827. This area is now known as Fort Langley and it was a major trading hub for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Fort Langley is also known as the birthplace of British Columbia in 1858. This resulted from the Fraser River Gold Rush in 1858 and Sir James Douglas was sworn in as Governor. However the birthplace of BC was short lived as Queensborough, now New Westminster was chosen as the capital for the new colony in 1859. The influence of Hudson’s Bay Company led to many European and eastern North American settlement. Initial settlement was near the river (the area’s only transportation route). Later settlers were faced with the back-breaking task of clearing the forest lands that lay inland on higher and generally lest fertile ground. This led to settlers expanding to Willoughby, Milner, Murrayville and other neighbourhoods in Langley.

Demography

The estimated population of Willoghby is 18,091 people. In 2005 the average income of the area was $77,500 with 11% of the population classed as low income. This is significantly higher than the current average income of ToL ($70,401) and the Greater Vancouver Regional-district ($63,000)#. 78% of the population is younger than 55 (MacKinnon, 2010), also significantly higher than ToL and the GVRD.

The following graphs give us statistics regarding demography of Langley as a whole. These statistics include but not limited to Willoughby. None the less they are important as they provide an indication to Willoughby's statistics in relation to Langley and from this we can use deductive reasoning to draw indicative conclusions on the smaller community.

Figure 1

By observing figure 1 it is clear that Langley is primarily a family community which is indicated by the larger populations of children and teens (5-19 year old) category as well as the middle age (30-59) category in relations to young adults and senior population(Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population).(Click on image to see numerical statistics)

Figure 2

Figure 2 gives us statistics regarding immigrants living in Langley, whom according to the statistics accounts for about 17% of the total population. This figure is quite low when compared to the percentage of immigrants in Vancouver whom account for about 40% of the total population(Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population). (Click on image to see numerical statistics)

Figure 3

Figure 3 provides us with statistics regarding visible minorities which is important in determining the population construct of Langley whom according to the graph are predominately from east Asian territories(Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population). (Click on image to see numerical statistics)

Figure 4

Figure 4 provides us with a comparison aboriginal and none aboriginal population in Langley. The total aboriginal popoulation in Langley is 2,450 which accounts for 2.6 of the total population in Langley which is relatively higher than that of the aborignal pouplation in vancouver whom account for only 1.9% of the total population(Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population). (Click on image to see numerical statistics)

Infrastructure

Majority of the land base in Langley is located in the Agricultural Land Reserve. As a result most of Langley cannot be developed. Since Langley is predominately a rural area the majority of properties are serviced by well and septic tanks. Willoughby on the other hand is designated to accommodate major urban growth and nearly all of Willoughby is serviced with municipal services such as water and sewer. Willoughby is comprised of a mix of rural residential developments, hobby farms, large areas of woodlots and pastures, institutional developments, range of commercial/industrial developments, and recent single family and low density multi-family developments. Willoughby has the advantage of being in close proximity to various levels of schools, Langley Memorial Hospital, Langley Municipal Airport, various parks, and recreation centers to name a few. Willoughby also enjoys easy access to Highway 1 and the newly constructed Golden Ears Bridge. The major thoroughfare in Willoughby is 200th Street which runs north and south. The average daily traffic volume for 200th Street is over30,000 vehicles. A recent highlight of the Willoughby area is the construction of the state of the art Langley Events Centre (LEC) facility. The LEC is a multi-use facility which includes an Arena Bowl, 3 FIBA regulation size courts, the largest Gymnastics Centre in Western Canada, the Willoughby Community Centre, Banquet Hall and Meeting Spaces all in one. The Arena Bowl is a 5,500 seat arena that is home to the Langley Chief’s hockey team, Trinity Western University, Langley Thunder Lacrosse, and BC Titans basketball team. Since Willoughby is an area that is slated for growth, the infrastructure is continually changing and advancing. As development occurs and the population increases the services and city requirements also need to increase. This includes but not limited to schools, parks, medical centers etc.

Transportation

Willoughby is located south of the newly constructed Golden Ears Bridge. The Golden Ears Bridge opened on June 16, 2009. It is owned and managed by Translink. The bridge is six (6) lanes, spans 2,410 metres and is tolled. It easily connects the Township of Langley to Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. The bridge replaced the Albion Ferry, which transported four million commuters from Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge to Langley and Surrey annually (Translink, 2011). The major arterial road in Willoughby is 200th Street which runs north-south and crosses the Trans Canada Highway. 200th Street currently accommodates limited bus services. In the medium to long term (up to 2021) Translink has identified that it will function as a “Frequent Bust Network” resulting in higher bus frequencies. In the longer term, 200th Street has been identified as part of a Rapid Transit Network route, involving two dedicated bus lanes running centrally along 200th Street (separated by medians). The remaining four lanes would be designated for general vehicle use. A new Park & Ride is being constructed south of Highway 1 at 202nd Street as part of the Port Mann/Highway 1 (PMH1) Improvement Project. The PMH1 project includes construction of a new Port Mann Bridge, widening the highway, upgrading interchanges and improving access and safety on Highway 1. The project spans a distance of approximately 37 kilometres from the McGill Street Interchange in Vancouver to 216th Street in Langley. The 202nd Street Park & Ridge is due to be completed in the spring of 2012. It will allow for more parking spaces (total of 800) and improved access for buses to Highway 1 and the Golden Ears Bridge (Port Mann Highway 1 Project, 2011).

(Click image for more detail)

Issue

The years to come will be characterized by population growth in Langley, from both the influx of new immigrants and the expansion of further suburban growth in the GVR (Bunting et al., 47). Langley is an area that is slated as an location that will grow rapidly with an increase of immigration to British Columbia, and with this growth comes the need for a new urban transition of the region (ToL Community plans).Presently, urban change in Canada may be more aligned than it has been since the 1950's, shifting the pattern of development (Bunting et al., 47). Urban planners have long called for a reorientation of urban development so as to lessen density, achieve mixed land use and diminish dependence on the automobile as a form of common transportation. This type of urban change has been associated with sustainable development, which concentrates on the need to address the adverse environmental consequences of urbanization; smart growth followed by a focus on the environmental, quality-of-life and expenditure downsides of prevailing urban development (Bunting et al., 47). The main reason that is contributing to the formed changing urban development scheme in Langley is lifestyle. This sort of change derives from the financial aspects of the residents living in a specific area, and the different fluxations of monetary gain and loss. Alongside widespread reaction against environmental, financial and quality-of-life issues related to automobile-oriented urban forms of living, an increasing segment of the population (young adults, empty-nesters and recent immigrants - all of which are accustomed to high-density living), aspire to a more urban lifestyle and are willing to live in high densities (Bunting et al., 47). Growing numbers of individuals cannot afford single-family houses and the continuous rise in energy prices that would place long-distance car commuting beyond their financial means (Bunting et al., 47).

In 2007, the Township of Langley presented a regional growth strategy that outlined their proposed vision for growth in the region. A critical factor of this strategy was the need for an affordable and efficient transportation system to support economic prosperity, healthy living and community well being. The main obstacle, or issue for sustaining growth in the Langley area is the path dependence generated by multiple features of the typical automobile suburb formation that Langley manifests as. There is a prevailing relationship between low-density land use and car dependence. Important and co-ordinated public transit investments and land-use interventions will be needed to alter this relationship (Bunting et al., 47).

Factors

Large Capital Expenditure

An urban transition will require large expenditures to develop parallel urban forms that would be associated with alternative dynamics (Bunting et al., 47). In recession times, it may not be foreseeable to raise these large sums of capital. It may also be difficult to overcome the attachment of residents to their surroundings. Suburban dwellers place value on the low density of suburbs as well as the open space and greenness of their residential properties. Habits tied to the prevailing environment would need to be changed; mainly the reliance on the car as a form of transportation, as it is highly convenient in a sprawling suburban area, excluding traffic congestion (Bunting et al., 48).

Physical Path Dependence

Willoughby is a very isolated area. It is bordered by a river to the North and undeveloped land to the East and West. It's only connection to Greater Langley is at the Southern Tip. This disconnectedness perpetuates the Suburban infrastructure and also serves as a push factor for immigrants who could be settling in the area. In order to increase density in the region, pull-factors are going to be needed that overcome the large distance from the cities of Vancouver and Richmond as well as even the distance (especially for the larger Northern part of Willoughby) from the Langley core.

Cultural Path Dependence

Current residents of the Willoughby area will probably resist the changes that need to take place in order for this project to be successful. This has certainly been the case for changes suggested to the residents of the larger Langley area. A large majority of the residents are not immigrants and may really value their longstanding suburban lifestyle. In order to fulfill its goal of being an area where new immigrants can move into and fulfill the GVRD's goals of sustainability, city planners are going to have to overcome this "NIMBY" attitude.

Immigrant Motivation

As noted in the demographics section, Langley and especially Willoughby has a disproportionally low number of immigrants. In order for the plans to become a reality, there needs to be a change in the balance of push and pull factors for immigrants. Without relevant changes the area may be able to increase its capacity, but will not increase the actual density of the population.

Sustainability

Any city planning done at this juncture will need to consider the issue of sustainability. This is especially true in the GVRD, with the new metro Vancouver action plan being subtitled "An unshakeable commitment to the well-being of current and future generations and the health of our planet, in everything we do" (Metro Vancouver). The question then becomes, in planning for a large influx of residents into the Willoughby area, how can city planners ensure that they maximize sustainability. This is especially a concern as the Willoughby area currently contains a large amount of green space. Would increasing the population density of the region do irreparably damage to the natural ecosystem? Is there any way to to increase density and maintain the current natural ecosystem?

Resolution

Transit

Creating the right transit system will help toward overcoming two of the factors, sustainability and cultural path dependence.

Sustainability

For sustainability, a continued increase in transit supply throughout the region and promote walking and cycling is vital to sustaining the growth of the Langley region. This includes the identification of a transit network that provides frequent service on a regional map, provides density guidelines and sets targets for each sub-region for increasing transit ridership, cycling and walking. Transit is one of the most important components of sustainable development in Langley, and provision of an adequate density along transit routes to support this use is essential to an effective and efficient transit system.A focus on advancing a regional network of roads and highways that prioritizes users is another resolution that is important for increased growth, and which is also important for maintaining reliable goods movement and transit to support economic development and transit use by residents.Finally, outlined management of transportation demand, specifically identifying strategies for managing demand on the regional transportation network, is an important characteristic of the resolution needed to overcome a presently inefficient transportation network. Transit priority measures at a local level may include bus lanes and parking supply measures. The physical path dependence could also be a boon to sustainability, as if the undeveloped surrounding green areas of Willoughby can be preserved then city planners will be able to increase density much more easily.

Cultural Path Dependence and Immigrant motivation

The simplest way to overcome cultural path dependence is to change the culture of a region. A reliable way of accomplishing this is to increase the number of residents from a different population. Of course, social cohesion issues will need to be managed, but assuming that the city would be able to facilitate cohesion, then moving a large number of immigrants into the neighbourhood would decrease the likelihood of NIMBY attitudes derailing the planning process. Of course, this does introduce a kind of "chicken and egg" scenario in which change is needed to entice more immigrants, however more immigrants are needed to create change.

Transportation may overcome that problem. If enough rapid transit could be provided to other parts of the GVRD, specifically Vancouver and Richmond then immigrants would be much more likely to settle in Willoughby. These regions already contain the necessary pull factors for over 22 000 immigrants a year (Bunting et al., 153) so by connecting Willoughby and Langley to these areas those immigrants could be enticed to flow to the area by lower housing prices.

Large Capital Expenditure

The issue of capital funding and growth are interrelated. Funding is needed to spearhead development, specifically the issue of Langley’s proposed transit network expansion plans. Fortunately the GVRD and Translink have decided to make improving transit and creating new rapid transit to the area of Langley a priority, as outlined in the "South of Fraser Area Transit Plan" (Translink).

Growth brings money into municipal accounts, and in Canadian municipal budgeting, the three main sources of revenue for municipalities are: user fees, unconditional or conditional grants; and taxes on the assessed value of property. Therefore, in order to overcome the underlying issue of raising the capital needed to fund this development, the Langley region will need to campaign for grants, and to raise user fees and property taxes. These fees should not need to be raised too much, as the municipality should be able to borrow against the expected increase in population. In addition, private companies can also be called on to pay some of the capital expenditures. Although not quite the Business Improvement Area model, businesses and commercial industry in the area can see the obvious fiscal benefits of an increased population and would thus be willing to provide some of the capital needed to create the necessary pull-factors.

Conclusion

Willoughby has been adopting various mixed use zoning in their neighbourhood plans. As a result there are various property types all within close proximity of each other. This includes residential, commercial and retail, recreational and industrial. The property types are all within a neighbourhood plan. Individuals can use the various walking and bike trails that are made accessible to get around. People can spend less time commuting and spend more time doing the things they love. The goal for Township planners is to have enough density in a specific neighbourhood which would eventually lead to expansion of the sky train from Surrey to Langley. This would be an immense benefit for the Township. This would increase the use of public transit and decrease pollution in our society. The 2010 Winter Olympics proved that our society is willing to use public transit if readily available.

References

Advance, Langley. Langley to Absorb Growth. 18 01 2011. 02 2011 <http://www.langleyadvance.com/news/Langley+absorb+plenty+growth/4125261/story.html>.

Bunting, Trudi, Pierre Filion and Ryan Walker. Canadian Cities in Transition: New Directions In The Twenty-First Century. 4th. Ontario: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Devlin, Andrew, Lawrence Frank and Josh VanLoon. Physical Activity and Transportation Benefits of Walkable Approaches to Community Design in British Columbia. Community Plan. Vancouver: BC Recreation and Parks Association, 2009.

Langley, The Corporation of the Township of. Langley Officiel Community Plan By-Law, 1979 NO. 1842 Amendment (Willoughby Community Plan) By-Law 1998 NO. 3800. Community Plan. Langley, Vancouver: The Corporation of the Township of Langley, 1998.

MacKinnon, Gary. Willoughby: Statistical Profile. Statistical Profile. Vancouver: The Township of Langley, 2010.

Marlor, David J. Integrated Transportation Planning in Greater Vancouver: A Policy Framework. PhD Thesis. Vancouver: UBC, 1994.

Metro Vancouver Action Plan 2011, 2011 <http://www.metrovancouver.org/about/publications/Publications/ActionPlan2011.pdf>

Port Mann Highway 1 Project. Port Mann Highway 1 Project. 2011. 03 2011 <http://www.pmh1project.com/>.

Statistics Canada. 2007. Langley, British Columbia. 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, 2007. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed April 6, 2011).

Tomalty, Ray. "Growth Management in the Vancouver Region." University of Waterloo (2002): 1-27.

"Towards Regional Transportation Governance: A Case Study of Greater Vancouver." Transportation (1999): 359-380.

Translink. Translink / Golden Ears Bridge. 2011. 03 2011 <www.translink.ca>.

Translink. Translink / South of Fraser Area Transit Plan. 2011. 03 2011 <http://www.translink.ca/en/Be-Part-of-the-Plan/Plans/Area-Transit-Plans/South-of-Fraser-Area-Transit-Plan.aspx >.