Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is seeking more transit-oriented development (TOD) as part of the city’s new housing strategy.

Sim will present a motion for acceptance of the seven-point plan to council this week. The strategy calls for the city to emphasize TOD while prioritizing new housing development, allow for increased density around transit hubs, fast-track the creation of 26 villages and expand enforcement of short-term rental regulations.

“There’s an affordability crisis going on in the city of Vancouver,” he said during a recent news conference. “And, we have a supply-and-demand imbalance in the city of Vancouver, and how we address that over the longer term is: We build more housing.”

Sim wants Vancouver to use its adjacent suburb, Burnaby, B.C., as a role model. The City of Burnaby’s highly successful master plan has led to the ongoing development of several high-density urban enclaves featuring numerous multi-family developments and other commercial real estate projects near rapid-transit lines.

“They’re doing a lot of great things,” said Sim of Burnaby officials. “And, they’ve been able to successfully marry densification and homes.”

Sim said Vancouver’s proposed 26-village plan will enable the city to have more interconnected communities in which retail and residential properties blend together for more livable and walkable neighbourhoods.