Vancouver is a city known for its natural surroundings. Water, mountains and forests frame daily life, and most people who live here want to be connected to these aspects in some form.

Affordability pressures can mean this is hard to achieve. Architects in the city are increasingly under pressure to deliver housing that offers this connection to nature, while being comfortable, livable, sustainably built and also affordable. It’s a tall order.

Two new non-market housing developments in Vancouver, one in the River District and one in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, show how thoughtful design can make people feel close and connected to nature, even in the middle of a busy city, and hit these other markers too.

Located on a former industrial site in Vancouver’s riverfront area, the S

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