About Granville Island 2040

Granville Island 2040 is a planning project commissioned by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to produce a comprehensive vision for Granville Island for the next quarter century.

In February 2016, after consulting with the Mayor of Vancouver, the President of CMHC, Evan Siddall, appointed Dr. Michael Stevenson to serve as an independent special advisor to lead the Granville Island 2040 project on behalf of CMHC. Dr. Stevenson’s broad mandate was to respect the achievements of the past, address current challenges and opportunities, and shape a vision of the future with imagination and bold ideas and to report back to CMHC with recommendations.   

Granville Island 2040 brings together four separate studies which were conducted concurrently and whose results have been synthesized and summarized in an overarching Granville Island 2040 document. The four separate studies (along with the lead consultant for each project, shown in parentheses) are as follows:

  • Land use plan (HCMA)
  • Arts and culture plan (AMS)
  • Transportation plan (Bunt and Associates)
  • Economics analysis and governance review (Flatbush Consulting)

The Granville Island 2040 planning process was supported by a 20-member Advisory Board, made up of representatives of the Government of Canada, the City of Vancouver, prominent local institutions, organizations and stakeholder groups. The public engagement process resulted in an estimated 10,000 individual contacts with members of the public and stakeholders.

Granville Island is a zone of public possibility. It bridges our history with our collective creative potential. It is a place to escape the expected.
- HCMA Land Use Report Vision Plan

Process

The 2040 planning process is currently underway and is expected to be complete in early 2017.

The Granville 2040 Team

Dr. Michael Stevenson – Special Advisor, CMHC, Granville Island 2040

The Granville Island 2040 process was led by Dr. Michael Stevenson, President Emeritus and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University. He brought extensive knowledge and expertise in the fields of education, arts and culture, and community development and was well positioned to interact with the wider Vancouver community in leading the planning process for Granville Island.

Advisory Board Members

A diverse group of community leaders helped guide the planning process:

  • Larry Beasley, Principal, Beasley and Associates
  • Douglas Coupland, writer and artist
  • Michael Geller, President, Geller Group
  • Anne Giardini, Chancellor, Simon Fraser University
  • Howard Jang, Professor, Professional Practice and Director, SFU Woodward’s Cultural Unit
  • Am Johal, Director, SFU Vancity Office of Community Engagement
  • Sadhu Johnston, City Manager, City of Vancouver
  • Wendy Grant-John, Senior Aboriginal Advisor, Deloitte
  • Carol Lee, Chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee
  • Gloria Loree, Executive Director of Communications and Public Relations, Destination Canada
  • Dale McClanaghan, Chair, Granville Island Trust
  • Yashar Nijati, Founder, thisopenspace
  • Eric Pateman, President & Founder, Edible Canada
  • Robin Petri, Vice-President, Development, Catalyst Community Developments
  • Geoff Plant, Chancellor, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
  • Gordon Price, Director, The City Program at SFU
  • Jessica Schauteet, President, Granville Island Community and Business Association
  • Maged Senbel, Associate Professor, PhD Program Chair, and Associate Director of UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning
  • Ron Stern, President, Stern Partners
  • Erica Tao, Regional Director General, Department of Canadian Heritage

Technical Consultants

A team of technical consultants provided expertise in planning and land use; community engagement; arts and culture; economic development; and transportation.

  • Consultant Name
    Land Use & Planning
  • Consultant Name
    Management & Governance
  • Consultant Name
    Arts & Culture
  • Consultant Name
    Transportation
  • Consultant Name
    Public Engagement
  • Consultant Name
    Environment & Sustainability
  • Consultant Name
    Landscape Architecture
  • Consultant Name
    Retail
  • Consultant Name
    Wellbeing & Design