As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, it’s clear how much the country has changed since 1867.
The country’s population has grown more than tenfold, high-tech transportation systems have connected once inaccessible places and Canada has become a world leader in clean energy and action against climate change.
What’s less clear, however, is how the places we inhabit will change in another 50 years.
CTV Vancouver spoke to two experts to get a better picture of what the city might look like in 2067.
Taller, denser cities
Experts predict Metro Vancouver will have much denser city centres, shooting high into the sky.
“You’ll see the continuing push towards tall, tall buildings,” said historian Michael Kluckner.
The experts also envision much smaller homes and more green spaces that include “trees on balconies (and) on rooftops so we’re using all the space,” said urban planner Michael Von Hausen.
They also see the future borrowing from the layout of Ancient Rome including giant, wide-open outdoor plazas such as the one that re-opened in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery last week.
Warmer weather
Scientists say Metro Vancouver will have warmer, wetter winters and dryer, hotter summers.
If ocean levels continue to rise, however, some areas will be at risk.
“Some of these low-lying areas like False Creek…they may have to be built or they may have to be abandoned,” Kluckner said.
Transit upgrades
“I’m seeing a whole different way of moving around,” Von Hausen said.
The urban planner predicts that we’ll see fast, ultra-quiet mass transit to places such as Langley, the Tri-Cities, and Delta “in an extended circuit connecting the cities of the region together.”
Some experts also predict Vancouver will become even more of a resort city, with many more hotels.
By 2067, Metro Vancouver is expected to become a city of well over 3.5 million people.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s St John Alexander
