All about UBC
The UBC Endowment Lands are mostly a large forested area on the west coast of Greater Vancouver. The area is home to the University of British Columbia and a small amount of student residents. The area is locally known for the University of British Columbia, the Pacific Spirit Park and Wreck Beach, the largest clothing option beach in North America. Much of the area remains forested with very few residents in the area and a small commercial strip near the University of British Columbia.
History of UBC
The UBC Endowment Lands were first thought of in 1907 with the passing of the University Endowment Act. The act has included an agreement by the provincial government to set aside land for the creation of a university which today is known as the University of British Columbia. The proposed land was originally slated for the Caribou region of British Columbia. However there was a lack of market value needed to generate income for the university in the Caribou region. In 1911, with the passing of the University Site Act, land was set aside in the Point Grey area of Vancouver. However the idea of the land being placed in the Caribou region wasn’t abandoned until the passing of the B.C. University Loan Act in 1920. This act gave the Lieutenant-Governor permission to sell pieces of the Point Grey land for residential development. The money from residential development which became an auction was placed into an account for the university.
However the UBC Endowment Lands remained undeveloped due to the hardships of the Great Depression. Much of the land couldn’t be cleared of forestry due to lack of money from the university. The university had then returned the land that was purchased to the government in the 1930’s. Many hardships had continued into the 1950’s which saw almost half of the land still undeveloped.
In 1988, a combination of concerns by environmentalists for the remaining undeveloped land had led to the introduction of the creation of Pacific Spirit Park. The park covers over half of the UBC Endowment lands and is difficult to begin development in the area with consultation from the local residents and the University of British Columbia.
Geography of UBC
The UBC Endowment Lands are located on the western tip of Greater Vancouver. Most of the land is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and is home to the University of British Columbia and the Pacific Spirit Park.