Smart Development Principles

Smart Development is at the centre of Surrey’s long- and short-range development planning that focuses on offering residents diverse housing options near essential infrastructure such as schools and parks. It also prioritizes the conservation of sensitive ecosystems, while ensuring that Surrey continues to advance as one of Canada’s most livable cities, with safe routes for walking, cycling and recreation.

The Principles

Aligning development with essential infrastructure

Ensuring the planning of new development aligns with construction or accessibility to essential infrastructure, such as schools, transit and other amenities.

Offering A Range of Housing Choices

Ensuring a variety of housing choices are available to address affordability demands of homeowners and renters.

Creating compact, connected and walkable urban centres

Establishing centres that are more compact, connected and walkable will increase accessibility to employment, recreational, entertainment and educational opportunities.

Expanding transit-oriented development

Increasing density of jobs and homes in proximity to higher order transit, such as SkyTrain and RapidBus lines, to better connect residents to jobs and services, and reduce commute times, congestion and green house gas emissions (GHGs).

Preserving Sensitive Ecosystems

Ensuring Surrey’s continued growth is guided by conservation, sustainability and the enhancement of key sensitive ecosystems, while delivering safe routes for walking, cycling and recreation.

Community Engagement and responsiveness to housing and business demands

Ensuring that development and planning follow a public engagement process that gives residents the opportunity to help shape Surrey’s neighbourhoods and communities, while responding to housing and business demands.