Vancouver’s Country Lanes Demonstration Project

With an older grid street system, the majority of Vancouver's residential neighbourhoods include rear lanes and alleys that form an important component of the city's local transportation network.

Looking back, the original lanes were simple and unpaved. Over the years however, most of the lanes have been upgraded and paved with asphalt from edge to edge through the Local Improvements process. Unlike the lanes they replaced, the new lanes are non-permeable, reduce urban green space, permit higher speed travel and tend not to be as aesthetically pleasing as the original lanes.

During the summer of 2003, the City of Vancouver constructed three “Country Lanes” as part of a demonstration project to evaluate more sustainable alternatives to regular lane paving. According to the City's David Desrochers, “The project objectives ranged from  incorporating rainwater infiltration to encouraging residents to take ownership of the lanes and help create a more livable community.” For more on this story, please click here.

Posted November 2006