Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan

Aerial view of Woodwards building in DTES

The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is one of Vancouver's oldest neighbourhoods, and the historic heart of the city.

The DTES has many assets, especially for its low-income residents, who appreciate feeling accepted and at home, and benefit from living near health and social services. Many volunteers contribute countless hours to help improve the community and work for social justice.

In recent years, the Downtown Eastside has struggled with many complex challenges including drug use, crime, homelessness, housing issues, unemployment and loss of businesses in the community.

Council and staff have been working to improve the quality of life in the Downtown Eastside for many years, and are now launching the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan.

About the Downtown Eastside local area plan

The goal of the Downtown Eastside local area plan is to create a vision and plan for the Downtown Eastside that will focus on ways to improve the lives of low-income DTES residents and community members.

The DTES local area plan will be developed in partnership with the DTES Neighbourhood Council (DNC), Building Community Society (BCS), and the Local Area Planning Committee.

Through each phase of the planning process, there will be a range of community engagement opportunities, where you can share your ideas and offer feedback.

Related projects

Recent developments with this area plan

"What are we hearing?" Workshop

28 September 2012 - Come to this workshop on Friday, September 28 to check in on the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan's progress so far, including achievements and draft outputs. It's your chance to find out what's happening in the process and share your ideas to help create a vision for the Downtown Eastside.

Workshop on working together

28 April 2012 - City staff worked with area plan stakeholders and partners to establish how all members of the planning process would work together, and to get going on planning to build a stronger community.

Read the notes from the workshop

Council approves Interim Rezoning Policy

28 March 2012 - There are a number of development concerns in the Downtown Eastside affecting low-income residents such as the rapid rate of market residential development, higher rents displacing residents from their homes, and the transformation of the retail environment leading to socio-economic hardship.

The interim rezoning policy was adopted to avoid making the situation worse during the planning process.

Members of the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan Committee are announced

Find out who's on the DTES LAP committee

Presentation to Council

27 March 2012 - The Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan framework, Interim Rezoning Policy, and Development Management guidelines were presented to Council

City Council instructs staff to start work on a DTES local area planning process

20 January 2011- Vancouver City Council established a committee to enhance and accelerate the creation of a local area plan for the Downtown Eastside.

Downtown Eastside local area plan factsheets

Documents related to stakeholder engagement for the Downtown Eastside local area plan

Council documents relating to the Downtown Eastside local area plan

Downtown Eastside policy and planning documents

Downtown Eastside economic background reports

The Downtown Eastside local area plan will be developed in four phases.

Phase 1 - Reviewing

The first phase of the process takes place between May 2012 and September 2012.

During this phase, we will identify:

What the key issues are
What assets we have to work with

Phase 2 - Planning

The second phase of the process takes place between October 2012 and February 2013.

During this phase planning strategies and corresponding action plans will be developed.

We will identify:

What will be accomplished
How we will accomplish our goals
When the work will get done

Phase 3 - Feedback

The third phase of the process takes place between March 2013 and July 2013. Phase 3 is the approval process.

During Phase 3, we will get feedback hear from City Council as well as the public, and once all of the feedback is incorporated, the plan will go to City Council for final approval.

Phase 4 - Monitoring and evaluation

During Phase 4, we will measure our results to determine:

Whether we have made a difference
What is left to do
Whether we achieved our goals

Download the Downtown Eastside process timeline for more detail

Previous planning efforts in the Downtown Eastside have served to revitalize the area.

In April 2005, City Council approved the Carrall Street Greenway which now connects Gastown, the Downtown Eastside, and Chinatown. The Greenway facilitates economic revitalization and community development in the Downtown Eastside.

On 22 September 2005, The Housing Plan for the Downtown Eastside was adopted by council. The plan presents a vision for the future of housing in Chinatown, the Downtown Eastside Oppenheimer District, Gastown, the Hastings Corridor, the Industrial Lands, Strathcona, Thornton Park and Victory Square. It addressed specific housing types: SROs, social housing, market housing, supportive housing and special needs residential facilities.

From 2008 to 2011, $10 million was given to the Downtown Eastside to celebrate its heritage, culture and history as part of the Great Beginnings: Old Streets, New Pride initiative.