New map identifies over 50,000 B.C. public land parcels for housing

UBC researchers have developed an interactive map showing where publicly owned land sits across British Columbia and how suitable each parcel is for affordable housing — a tool they hope will accelerate non-market housing development.

The map identifies over 50,000 publicly owned parcels province-wide, with Metro Vancouver holding the highest concentration of developable sites. According to Craig Jones, associate director of the housing assessment resource tools project at UBC, the identified parcels have potential to accommodate 273,000 housing units in Metro Vancouver alone. The map launched Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.

Each parcel received a score from 0 to 100 based on factors including proximity to schools and health care, slope, whether it's vacant or underutilized, and flood or fire risk. Jones cited an old federal services building at Main and Broadway as an example — three parcels on that block alone could hold nearly 300 units. The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said it welcomed the tool and has been collaborating with UBC to identify underutilized government-owned land for housing programs.