In the heart of Vancouver’s urban Broadway corridor, a transformation is underway – one that blends education, housing, culture, and community into a single, visionary redevelopment. At the center of it all is Vancouver Community College (VCC), a public post-secondary education institution with deep roots in the city and a bold plan for the future.
The challenge?
Faced with aging infrastructure and growing academic needs, VCC found itself at a crossroads: how to modernize its campus while remaining financially sustainable and responsive to the community around it. That’s where the collaboration began, with a multidisciplinary team led by Urban Strategies Inc. along with Avison Young and Francl Architecture. Avison Young Consulting’s role was to take the overall vision for the built form, and blend market and financial realities to make the project feasible and scalable.
Four keys to Avison Young Consulting’s approach
Land value capture
A powerful tool to finance public infrastructure through strategic development.
Multidisciplinary collaboration
Real estate, planning, and architecture working in harmony.
Community engagement
Indigenous consultation and cultural integration as central pillars.
Scalable impact
A phased approach that supports long-term growth and adaptability.
A vision grounded in possibility
The project began with a simple but powerful question: What if the land itself could help fund the future?
Avison Young’s team approached the challenge with a strategy rooted in land value capture – a financial model that leverages the value of high-demand urban land to support public infrastructure. In VCC’s case, that meant reimagining its Broadway campus not just as a place of learning, but as a vibrant mixed-use community.
Through detailed real estate assessments, capital planning, and development feasibility studies, the team helped VCC envision a campus that would:
- Deliver 264,824 square feet of new academic space
- Integrate seven residential towers with 1,800 housing units, including affordable housing
- Include retail and commercial spaces to activate the streetscape; and
- Reflect Indigenous values through a cultural ribbon that traces the historic path of China Creek.
“The goal of effective placemaking is to create our healthiest and most vibrant communities yet,” says Sheila Botting, Principal and President of Americas Professional Services at Avison Young. “It’s about bringing our most needed amenities closer together, with inclusive planning and mixed-use functionalities that deliver the great social and economic outcomes that naturally emerge when development prioritizes people feeling safe, included, and connected.”
Collaboration at every step
This is a deeply collaborative effort. The multidisciplinary team worked closely with VCC to understand academic requirements, then layered in housing and commercial opportunities that could coexist around the campus.
Urban Strategies and Francl Architecture played a key role in shaping the built form, while Avison Young led the feasibility, financial modeling and development strategy. Together, they explored a full range of alternatives, helping VCC make informed decisions about phasing, funding, and design.
One of the most meaningful aspects of the project was the engagement with Cultural Advisors and the Coast Salish peoples, whose input helped shape the cultural and ecological narrative of the site. The resulting “cultural ribbon” will reconnect China Creek North and South Parks, honoring the land’s history while creating a new public space for reflection and connection.
A roadmap for the future
The final plan outlines a 10-year phased redevelopment, allowing VCC to transition its campus block by block while maintaining its educational program and commitments. It’s a roadmap that balances ambition with pragmatism, showing how thoughtful planning and strategic partnerships can unlock transformative outcomes.
And the impact goes beyond the campus. By integrating affordable housing, student residences, green space and community spaces, the project addresses some of Vancouver’s most pressing urban challenges. It’s a model for how public institutions can lead in shaping inclusive, resilient cities.
Next steps and the plan ahead
With the planning phase complete, VCC is now preparing to submit a full plan to the City of Vancouver for approval along with a business case to the Province of British Columbia for funding. The College has already re-engaged the Avison Young-led team for the next phase – proof of a successful partnership and a shared commitment to bringing this vision to life.
This isn’t just a redevelopment. It’s a reinvention of what a campus can be: a place where learning, living, and community converge. And it’s a testament to what’s possible when bold ideas meet grounded expertise.
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