The City of Surrey undertook a planning process for an anticipated light rail transit (LRT) corridor through the Guildford Town Centre, in support of LRT ridership in one of the city’s most diverse neighbourhoods. The 500 ha area is home to 24,000 residents, of whom half are immigrants, many of them newcomers. Protecting and creating new affordable and purpose-built rental housing was paramount. The project also prioritized protection of habitat areas and ecological corridors, which included fish bearing streams and forested parks. 

The process brought together priorities and insights from the regional transit authority (TransLink), the City, and community groups with expertise ranging from affordable housing to habitat protection. Input was used to create two potential growth pathways, which were brought back to the community for evaluation against their goals. Over the life of the process, there were over 4,600 distinct public interactions with the project.

Client | City of Surrey

Agency | DIALOG with Steer Davies Gleave (Transportation) and Kerr Wood Leidel (Ecology)

Consultant Project Lead | Jennifer Fix while at DIALOG