Why connection matters

Every day, tens of thousands of people make their way to UBC from across Metro Vancouver. Many rely on a bus system that is stretched beyond capacity. At peak hours, a bus arrives at UBC’s Point Grey campus every 44 seconds. And still, it’s not enough to meet demand.

This reality raises a question that is hard to ignore: why isn’t there a SkyTrain to UBC?

Plans to bring rapid transit to UBC have been discussed, studied, and debated for nearly two decades, and in some form, even longer. As far back as the late 2000s, regional transit plans identified a SkyTrain extension along the Broadway corridor to UBC as a priority, yet progress has come in phases, shaped by funding decisions and competing priorities.

It is a question I have returned to often since arriving at UBC, at public events, in conversations with partners, and chanting alongside students at the AMS Rally for SkyTrain last fall. It is also a question that points to something much bigger than transit alone.

This issue of UBC Magazine explores the future of housing. Across Metro Vancouver, we need more homes, and we need them to be affordable, energy-efficient, and resilient. Just as importantly, our homes need to be connected to where people work, learn, and live their lives.

Through UBC’s Campus Vision 2050 plan, we are working toward a future where thousands more people can live on campus in vibrant, livable, connected communities. The SkyTrain extension is a critical part of this vision.

And beyond campus, a SkyTrain extension offers incredible opportunities for new transit-oriented communities across the west side of Vancouver, including more affordable and diverse housing options. We estimate that over 50,000 housing units in total would be unlocked.

This is about improving access—to education for students who might otherwise find the commute prohibitive, to employment opportunities across the region, and to the health care, cultural spaces, and community resources that universities like UBC provide.

A SkyTrain to UBC would also strengthen connections between the region’s major centres of research, health care, and innovation. This would enable people and ideas to move more freely, solving real-world problems, sparking local businesses, and creating jobs. Expanding rapid transit is also one of the most effective ways to reduce congestion, lower emissions, and support healthier, more livable communities.

UBC is an active participant in the current process to develop a project business case alongside partners in the Province of BC, local First Nations, the City of Vancouver, and others. We have contributed financial resources as well as significant staff expertise to help enable the best possible project for the region and for UBC. And we continue to advocate for the project at every opportunity.

While progress on the SkyTrain extension has been slow, I’m encouraged by the extent to which a vision for a more connected region is shared. Across Metro Vancouver, opinion research consistently shows there is strong support for extending the SkyTrain to UBC. And it’s not just from those who come to campus every day. There is support from communities throughout the region who recognize what this connection could mean.

Universities do not exist in isolation. They are part of the fabric of their cities and regions. When we invest in infrastructure that connects people to each other and to opportunity, we strengthen that fabric. The future of housing, like the future of our region, depends on getting those connections right.