New Westminster Land Use Maps 1945-2015

This video shows the changing use of waterfront land in New Westminster from 1945 to 2014. It was created from business license data and historic street directories. The database contained over 400 waterfront properties, and 4000 unique land use activities.

We defined the 'waterfront' in New Westminster as 12 linear kilometres from Sapperton to Queensborough along the water's edge, including the properties on the south side of Columbia St, the west side of Stewardson Way, and the south side of south Dyke Road.

From 1945 to 2014, the waterfront of New Westminster shifted from predominantly industrial and retail use, to include residential buildings and recreational spaces.