Words by Leanne Bilodeau and Caitlin Lichimo.
UBC Okanagan’s Campus Plan was originally created in 2015 as a guide to shared community priorities and values, informed by engaged students, faculty, staff, and local residents.
Through its guiding principles and long-term vision, the plan aimed to support academic excellence, community wellbeing, and climate resilience, laying the foundation for a campus that grows sustainably and inclusively overtime.
“UBC is a global sustainability leader with a focus on environmental, economic, and social wellbeing. Whole systems thinking is very important in the UBCO future because this university is built for hundreds – maybe thousands – of years, and we have to think of the entire system as one part to achieve the sustainability targets of the university.”
– Kasun Hewage, Program Coordinator, UBCO Civil Engineering.
Evolving community needs call for robust Campus Plan update
After almost 10 years since its implementation, UBC Okanagan identified the opportunity to refine and enhance the Campus Plan in several key areas, climate action, ecological wellbeing, housing and food security, and commuter transportation and connectivity.
In 2024, UBC Okanagan initiated a comprehensive update of its Campus Plan to provide a strategic framework guiding the university’s physical growth and development over the next two decades. Informed by the UBC Okanagan Climate Action Plan 2030, the Whole Systems Infrastructure Plan, the Integrated Rainwater Management Plan, and the 2030 Campus Ecological Update, the updated 2024 plan establishes high-level strategies that align with, reinforce, and support these plans.
A community engaged approach to updating new Campus Plan guiding principles
To gather input and feedback, the updated Campus Plan took an engaged approach with campus community members, connecting through online surveys, pop-up booths, presentations, meetings, and open houses to gather input and feedback. A total of 1,324 individuals were reached, who expressed their desire to action several items:
- Developing new academic spaces to meet growing academic priorities
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet the university targets
- Enhancing campus amenities – including green spaces, recreation facilities, and active transportation – to prioritize wellbeing, accessibility, and community engagement
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Expanding student housing to meet the expected increase in student enrollment – For example, a new residential neighbourhood is envisioned to add up to 1,500 units by 2040
Indigenous communities at the core of the updated Campus Plan
Acknowledging that the campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan nation, the updated plan includes a focus on fostering meaningful collaboration with Indigenous communities. It prioritizes respectful engagement and cultural integration to ensure Indigenous knowledge and perspectives inform campus development, in alignment with the university’s commitment toward reconciliation.
Proposed initiatives include dedicating more land and resources towards decolonizing spaces and events on campus, Indigenous landscaping and placemaking, designated housing, and improved transportation for cultural events.
The UBC Okanagan Campus Plan update was approved in June 2025 by the UBC Board of Governors. Through its guiding principles and long-term vision, the Campus Plan aims to support academic excellence, community well-being, and climate resilience, laying the foundation for a campus that grows sustainably and inclusively over time.