City of Vancouver Climate Emergency Action Plan

Client Vancouver City Council
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Client Type: Municipal Government
Tool Used: Custom modelling
Schedule: April 2020 – July 2020
Service Area: Mitigation policy modelling and analysis

Context: The City of Vancouver declared a Climate Emergency in 2019, and followed it shortly after with a Climate Emergency Response target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Project Objective:

SSG was tasked with developing strategies for financing and implementing the actions in the Climate Emergency Response. Four scenarios (called the four “game changer” actions) were modelled and evaluated for the following policies:

• Regulating carbon emissions from existing buildings (emissions caps);
• Requiring low-carbon material and construction practices in new buildings;
• Implementing transport pricing in the Metro Core (congestion pricing; downtown core and core/Broadway corridor boundaries); and
• Implementing a zero-emissions parking plan (parking permit charges).

A key challenge was determining the equity impacts of the recommended policies. SSG analyzed the financial impacts to equity-denied households, as well as the commercial and industrial sector, providing the City with an in-depth understanding of the energy, emissions, financial, and equity impacts of the policies modelled. 

Outcome: 

The final analysis indicated that implementing the four policies would enable the City to reduce emissions beyond its target of 50% emission reduction by 2030. The Climate Emergency Plan was passed in Council in 2020.

Summary Report: Summary Report (not designed by SSG)