Engagement Summary: 30-Year Vision

Engagement for the 30-Year Vision began in fall 2022 and completes with the Land Use Plan (LUP) public hearing in fall 2023. Engagement to date has included discussions with Musqueam, targeted engagement meetings and two rounds of broad public engagement that saw over 8,900 touchpoints with community members.

• September - October 2022: Reflecting the UBC Board of Governors’ Terms of Reference for Campus Vision 2050, we sought feedback on an initial set of five Big Ideas that would go on to form the major cross-cutting components of the Draft 30-Year Vision, as well as two development scenarios with different approaches to building heights, open space and mixing of academic and neighbourhood lands, and initial direction on updates to the Housing Action Plan (HAP).
• January - February 2023: We sought feedback on the Draft 30-Year Vision, anchored around six Big Ideas, as well as key proposed updates to HAP and key recommendations for updating the LUP.

How we reached people (September 2022 - February 2023)

Workshops 290 participants	Roadshows 2749 participants	Community Conversations 682 participants
Surveys 3754 respondents	Pop-ups 950 participants	Open Houses 85 participants
Walking Tours 40 participants	Speaker Event 162 participants	Targeted Engagement Meetings 224 participants

Public engagement resulted in over 8,900 touchpoints across all campus communities (students, faculty, residents, staff, emeriti, alumni) and members of the broader community. We also piloted a “Community Connectors” program, which aims to increase community involvement with equity-seeking groups in the Campus Vision 2050 process.

Overview of what we heard

Overall, feedback continues to reveal broad community support for the direction of the 30-Year Vision. A summary of key takeaways can be found below.

• Supporting community needs: Aspects of the Vision that are almost uniformly supported include a SkyTrain connection, improved intra-campus mobility strategies, as well as flexible teaching, learning, research and community spaces that can meet a variety of needs.
• Campus growth: Many in the community have been clear that the need for more affordable housing is paramount—the one challenge that that the Vision must address above all else. The community continues to press for more affordability measures, including more student housing, more rental housing and a greater expansion of faculty and staff assistance programs.
• Livability, climate action and ecology: There continues to be concerns that growth may come at the expense of livability, climate action and ecology, and some disagreement with the university’s approach to funding critical needs through residential development. Regardless of concern or support for campus growth, the community highly values the preservation of campus green spaces, advancing climate action and ensuring the adequate delivery of amenities and services.
• Form of development: Overall, the community supports the mixed approach of mid-rise and taller buildings for future development, but many still prefer one approach or the other—keeping towers below the current 22-storey maximum or prioritizing more tall buildings.
• Musqueam engagement: Engagement with the Musqueam community and leadership, which is ongoing, has affirmed the importance of strengthening the Musqueam/UBC relationship through collaborations and a strong Musqueam presence on campus.
• Process: Members of the UBC community expressed gratitude and excitement for the way they have been engaged in planning for the future and that they felt their voices were heard. There continues to be a desire for more information and more detail to better understand what the Vision will mean for day-to-day life on campus and how it will be implemented.

Read the full 30-Year Vision Engagement Summary Report.

How this feedback will be used

Feedback from public engagement has and will continue to be critical to forming and refining the Draft 30-Year Vision, updated HAP and updated LUP.

After further refinements to reflect engagement feedback and additional technical work, the Draft 30-Year Vision, HAP updates and recommended LUP amendments will be presented at the June Board of Governors meeting for support-in-principle and referral of the LUP to a public hearing in September. Presenting the draft 30-Year Vision, draft HAP and recommended LUP amendments to the Board of Governors in June rather than March responds to the interests of many constituent groups wanting adequate time to receive, understand and provide feedback on the final suite of documents.

Following the public hearing, the final Vision, HAP and LUP will proceed to the Board of Governors for approval, at which point the LUP will be submitted to the provincial government for adoption. Following provincial adoption of the LUP, engagement on the 10-Year Campus Plan and future Neighbourhood Plans will begin.