White Rock Town Centre Urban Design Plan

Urban Forum Associates was commissioned by the City of White Rock to develop an Urban Design Plan for its Town Centre overlooking Semiahmoo Bay south of Vancouver. UFA led a multi-disciplinary team that facilitated a design workshop (or charrette) with stakeholders that resulted in an acceptable urban design concept for the Town Centre. The challenge was to integrate new housing, commercial uses, civic amenities and more open space into an established but declining urban centre that faces strong suburban retail competition.

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Our proposal was based on responding to the study area’s natural and built features, repairing the urban fabric, and proposing forms of development that sensitively fit into the surrounding context. Our plan introduced a finer-grained pedestrian route network, a series of public open spaces, a civic centre and precincts for both retail and residential densification. A mix of housing types includes ground-oriented housing and high-rise housing at higher urban densities.