The historical changes of New Westminster’s Brunette Creek industrial land

This research focuses on how economic and transportation infrastructure changes impact industrial land uses from 1945 to 2014 in the Brunette Creek industrial area of New Westminster, British Columbia. Using a mixed method approach, I conduct a statistical analysis of industrial business listings data and link these results to a content analysis over the study time period. The research shows that industrial land uses were impacted by changes to the economy and transportation infrastructure projects in the region. Economic changes in manufacturing production methods, de-industrialization and rise of the service sector impacted the study area’s land uses and led to industrial diversification. Transportation projects including the development of key road networks, the Port Mann Bridge in 1963 and rapid transit infrastructure had both direct and indirect impacts on industrial land uses in Brunette Creek.