Complete communities

Last updated on July 24, 2024

Complete communities provide a diversity of housing to meet identified community needs and accommodate people at all stages of life, and provide a wider range of employment opportunities, amenities, and services within a 15- to 20-minute walk. They can be more efficient to service with infrastructure and have the potential to reduce community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation.

This definition of complete communities is intended to operate as an overall goal, recognizing that complete communities may look different across regions.

Complete Communities Guide

The Complete Communities Guide (optimized PDF, 7.3MB) is intended to highlight how creating more complete communities can support many identified community goals, including those connected to housing, climate action, transportation, fiscal sustainability, servicing, and infrastructure. The Guide demonstrates how different types of data used in conducting geospatial assessments has the potential to support evidence-based decision-making and inspire action that integrates housing development with transportation options and other amenities, with consideration of servicing and infrastructure costs.

The Complete Communities Guide is also available in a high resolution format (PDF, 35.6MB).

Complete Communities Program

The $10M Complete Communities Program, administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) on behalf of the Province, supports local governments and modern Treaty Nations in undertaking assessments of their community completeness to identify current strengths, opportunities, and challenges and determine potential actions to increase their completeness.

B.C. Climate Action Charter

Under the B.C. Climate Action Charter, a key commitment of all local governments create complete, compact, and energy-efficient communities.

Contact information

Contact us if you have questions about community energy efficiency and emissions reduction.

Victoria Office Main
250 387-3394
Toll Free
1 800 663-7867
Mailing Address
Planning and Land Use Management Branch
PO BOX 9841 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC
V8W 9T2