Based on our MCE analysis, we chose five areas that had the highest values in order to locate areas where car-share expansion should occur in Metro Vancouver. The locations are ordered by MCE values, with the first being the highest.
1. The location with the highest MCE value is in the City of Surrey along the north side of 104th Avenue and 149th Street. This is an area with a high population density with three storey apartment buildings occupying four city blocks on the north side of 104th Ave and two 20 storey high rises condo buildings on the south side of 104th Ave with all the buildings between 148th and 150th St. One block to the east on 140th Ave is the Guildford Town Centre, a large shopping mall, that contains or is surrounded by numerous stores, restaurants, a movie theatre, banks, and services. Just outside the shopping mall is the Guildford Exchange bus station with connections to Surrey, Langley, and the SkyTrain Expo Line. All of these factors add up to make this the most sustainable location for car-share expansion within Metro Vancouver. (MCE value: 0.963)
2. The area with the second highest MEC value is in the City of Coquitlam along Brunette Ave and Laval St. This area also consists of relatively high population density in the form of four storey townhouses along both sides of Brunette Ave between King Edward St and Schoolhouse St occupying a total six city blocks. Two blocks west along Brunette Ave is Mackin Park which contains four baseball fields, two soccer/football fields, two tennis courts, a playground, water park, skate park, gardens, lawns, and treed areas. Also one block west from Brunette and Laval St is Places des Arts, an art centre and music school, with music, visual arts, dance, and theatre programs for children and adults alike. One kilometer to the south there is a series of stores along Lougheed Hwy consisting of a Superstore, Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Home Outfitters, Staples, and Ikea among other stores. These factors help make this the second most suitable location for a car-share. (MCE value: 0.961)
3. The next area that has a high MEC value from our results is within the City of Surrey along University Dr and 108 Ave across from the Gateway SkyTrain station. In this area there are five high-rise condo buildings all over 20 storeys in height. Moreover, one block to the northeast of the Gateway SkyTrain station there is a large townhouse/condo complex, four storeys in height, occupying two city blocks. These residential buildings give the area a high population density and also a high renter count. Also, one block to the south there is a sports field complex containing three full-size baseball fields and a playground. Other factors that make this a sustainable location for a car-share is the many stores and business situated on King George Blvd one block to the east of the proposed car-share location. Finally, the close proximity to the Gateway SkyTrain (Expo Line) station and bus stops beneath the platform provide great connectivity to the rest of Metro Vancouver. (MCE value: 0.926)
4. Our fourth highest MCE value is within the City of Vancouver at the intersection of SW Marine Drive and Cambie St. This area has experienced a quick rise in population density over the last year due to the completion of two high-rise condo buildings over 30 storeys, two high-rise condo buildings over 20 storeys, and two 6 storey condo buildings that are attached to the taller main buildings. Further population density will occur over the next couple of years with four more high-rise condo buildings currently in construction as of December 2016. All these building are within one block of the SW Marine Drive and Cambie intersection. This rapid increase in population density was spurred by the construction of the Canada Line, opened in 2009, with a station located on the Southeast corner of the SW Marine Drive and Cambie intersection. In addition, behind this station is located the Marine Dive bus loop providing local service along Granville, Oak, Main, and Marine Drive. Also adding to the suitability to this area is the Marine Gateway district adjacent to the intersection that features shops, services, offices, and a movie theatre. These are the factors that make this are our fourth most suitable location for car-share expansion. (MCE value: 91.4)
5. Our fifth highest MEC value area is within the City of White Rock along Georges St between Russel Ave and Thrift Ave. In this area there is a 16 storey condo high-rise building on the west side of Georges St and on the east side of the street there is three city blocks of three storey apartment buildings. This concentration of residential buildings gives this area a high population density and a high renter count. Two blocks north of the high-rise building is the Semiahmoo Shopping Centre, the main shopping mall in White Rock. This shopping mall contains over 70 stores, services, and restaurants. Also located outside the shopping mall along 152 St and North Bluff Rd are numerous bus stops that connect White Rock with the neighbouring cities of Surrey, Richmond, and Langley. Furthermore, four blocks to the east from Georges St at Russel Ave is located the Peace Arch Hospital that serves White Rock and South Surrey. These are factors that contribute to making this the fifth most suitable location for a car-share. (MCE value: 90.5)
All the proposed locations have a MCE value > 0.90 out of 1. This result is achieved by high population density (>0.061 persons/meter squared of DA), a high count of renters (>0.284 renters/squared meter of CT), close to transit (less than 5 min walk), and 4 out of 5 locations near commercial business (5-10 min walk). Overall, the MCE analysis by weighted sum provided very useful results for situating suitability areas for car-share expansion in Metro Vancouver.