Spaces of engagement and the politics of scale in B.C.’s Gateway program

This paper investigates the development and behaviour of the Greater Vancouver Gateway Council. The objective is to examine this group’s role in governments’ decisions to invest in transportation infrastructure in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, particularly the Gateway Program. Evidence used includes interviews, reports and studies, government documents and news articles that show relationships between the Gateway Council and governments and the regional transportation authority. Using the theories of Kevin R. Cox and others, this study shows that the Gateway Council influenced governments in order to implement its infrastructure agenda. The group’s success is based on access to governments, national transportation policy trends, and disparate local opposition to increased transportation infrastructure. This success translates to expanded road and bridge capacity in the Vancouver region; an understanding of this group’s role in influencing governments may be important for an understanding of changes to the region’s urban form.