UBC Graduate Research

Biophilic Community Wang, Mindi

Abstract

Population growth and urbanization contribute to habitat loss and housing unaffordability in the urban area. Habitat loss contributes to the decline of biodiversity, which can negatively affect the performance of ecosystems, as well as have a negative influence on ecosystem services. Vancouver’s population has increased by 48% over the past 50 years, and it is still expected to grow. The accelerating rate of population growth contributes to the fact that Vancouver tops the latest list of the cities with the least affordable housing markets in North America. The future of Vancouver is intense and dense. For these reasons, finding a balance between urbanization and habitat loss while accommodating the population growth is a major issue for the City of Vancouver. This thesis will try to replan the Langara Golf Course into a biophilic community with multiple types of housing and habitat. This thesis will use avian habitat as a major reference for habitat restoration, as birds are good indicators of general biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. The proposed new biophilic community will maximize biodiversity in a dense urban neighborhood.

Item Citations and Data

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International