Salmon Arm Complete Communities

thinkmodus
Jun 2
1 min read

A fast-paced and collaborative process to inform a neighbourhood’s future as a complete community.

THE CHALLENGE

As part of an Official Community Plan (OCP) update, the City of Salmon Arm sought to explore how a neighbourhood adjacent to their downtown could evolve into a more “complete” community. With support from UBCM’s Complete Communities grant program, the project involved assessing key elements such as housing, transportation networks, access to daily needs, and infrastructure.

A central challenge was the development of several realistic land use scenarios, in record time, to determine the most feasible option. Each scenario needed to consider the resulting residential form and massing, anticipated population, and the implications for commercial and institutional land needs required to support a complete community.

THE RESPONSE

In collaboration with Licker Geospatial, MODUS led a two-day charrette with City staff and key stakeholders. The process included a neighbourhood site visit, a SWOT analysis, the development of preliminary land use concepts, and testing with municipal staff and representatives from the local development industry.

The refined scenarios were then provided to Licker Geospatial for detailed modelling and analysis. This collaborative, data-driven approach supported an evidence-based land use decision to inform the OCP update and shape a clear, future-oriented vision for the community.