Patrick Condon: The Story of East Clayton, a Modern Streetcar Suburb in Surrey, BC
East Clayton Neighbourhood Community Plan (2000)
Compiled from Headwaters Project Website.
The Headwaters Project Vision
East Clayton began as the visionary "Headwaters Project," led by Professor Patrick Condon through the UBC James Taylor Chair in Landscape and Liveable Environments. The project name referenced both the headwaters of streams in the area and the "headwaters" of new ideas for sustainable community design.
East Clayton's coach houses above garages provide rental housing while increasing density
Seven Sustainability Design Principles:
- Conserve land and natural systems by designing compact communities
- Lighten the "footprint" of streets and parking to reduce imperviousness
- Build different housing types to accommodate diverse age groups and income levels
- Create a fine-grained street network that can accommodate transit and connect local destinations
- Put services, jobs, and shopping within a five-minute walk of most homes
- Improve ecological health through stormwater infiltration and biodiversity
- Incorporate natural drainage systems to manage stormwater at the source
These principles were revolutionary for their time, integrating environmental sustainability with New Urbanist design in ways that influenced municipal planning across North America.
Revolutionary Housing Innovation
East Clayton's most significant contribution to Canadian planning was demonstrating how policy innovation could create affordable housing through creative zoning rather than subsidies. Patrick Condon called it "Canada's most successful experiment in affordable housing."
Housing Innovations:
1. Legal Secondary Suites
Most single-family homes were designed with legal basement suites, effectively doubling housing capacity while providing mortgage helpers for homeowners. This innovation was groundbreaking for Canadian suburbs.
2. Coach Houses
Small, detached dwelling units built above garages provided additional rental housing opportunities and increased density without changing neighbourhood character.
3. Live-Work Units
East Clayton pioneered live-work units with ground-floor or basement commercial spaces, allowing residents to operate businesses from home while maintaining residential character.
Basement-level retail space showing how commercial uses integrate into residential areas
Market Impact
The affordability strategy was remarkably successful initially, with virtually every home sold to buyers who couldn't have afforded similar housing without rental income. However, success created unintended consequences as market forces pushed toward using both basement suites and coach houses simultaneously.
Contemporary Context: Cornell vs East Clayton
East Clayton and Cornell in Markham, Ontario represent two different approaches to New Urbanist development during the same period. East Clayton focused on sustainable infrastructure and policy innovation, while Cornell, designed by Duany Plater-Zyberk and Associates, implemented traditional neighbourhood design principles. Both projects applied New Urbanist principles within Canadian regulatory and geographic contexts, offering complementary lessons for sustainable community development.
Environmental Innovation: Streets as Green Infrastructure
East Clayton pioneered an integrated approach to stormwater management that treated streets as part of the community's ecological infrastructure rather than just transportation corridors.
Narrow "Queuing Streets"
Instead of conventional wide suburban streets, East Clayton used narrow tree-lined corridors that allowed parking on both sides while encouraging slower two-way traffic. This design:
- Reduced impervious surfaces by approximately 30%
- Created natural traffic calming through design
- Provided extensive tree canopy for urban heat island mitigation
- Integrated natural drainage directly into street design
Natural Drainage Systems
The development eliminated conventional storm sewers in favor of infiltration systems including:
- Roadside swales for natural water filtration
- Infiltration wells integrated into streetscapes
- Preserved natural drainage channels and ravines
- Parks and school grounds functioning as retention basins during major storms
Maintenance Challenges
The innovative systems required new maintenance approaches, with property owners taking responsibility for maintaining streetside swales and ensuring cars don't park on infiltration areas. This community stewardship model was part of the sustainability vision.
Environmental Achievements
- Infrastructure Cost Reduction: 20% savings through innovative design
- Land Use Efficiency: 30% increase through compact development
- Stormwater Management: Natural systems replacing conventional engineering
- Passive Solar Design: All residential units oriented for maximum solar heating
- Green Transportation: Connected grid enabling future transit and cycling
Parking Consequences
The narrow street design that achieved environmental benefits later contributed to serious parking shortages as secondary suites proliferated beyond original assumptions, demonstrating the challenge of balancing sustainability goals with livability.
East Clayton Live-Work Success: Creative Neighbourhood Commerce
East Clayton in Google Maps 3D View | Go To Street View
While many New Urbanist developments struggle with mixed-use commercial, East Clayton has quietly achieved something remarkable: genuine neighbourhood businesses integrated into residential areas. The live-work concept has evolved into creative solutions that serve local needs while maintaining residential character.
Successful Neighbourhood Commerce
East Clayton's commercial areas demonstrate how flexible zoning can enable innovative business models:
- Basement Daycare: A successful childcare business operates from a basement space along the 68th Avenue strip, serving local families while exemplifying the live-work concept
- Home-Based Services: Professional services, consultants, and creative businesses operating from residential live-work units
- Neighbourhood-Scale Retail: Small shops and services that genuinely serve walking customers from the immediate area
- Flexible Commercial Spaces: Ground-floor and basement commercial areas that can adapt to changing business needs
Innovation in Practice
The live-work areas along 68th Avenue between 188th and 192nd Streets showcase how mixed-use development can work at a neighbourhood scale:
- Businesses that serve local residents' daily needs
- Entrepreneurs who live and work in the same community
- Flexible spaces that can accommodate different business types over time
- Integration of commercial uses without disrupting residential character
Beyond the Strip Malls
While East Clayton does include conventional strip mall development along Fraser Highway, the real innovation lies in the fine-grained commercial integration throughout residential areas. This model provides:
- Convenient services within walking distance
- Opportunities for local entrepreneurship
- Community gathering places at neighbourhood scale
- Economic diversity supporting local residents
Basement-level commercial space showing how businesses integrate into residential areas
Live-Work Success Factors
- Flexible Zoning: Regulations that enable rather than restrict business innovation
- Residential Integration: Commercial uses that complement rather than disrupt neighbourhood life
- Local Market Focus: Businesses serving immediate community needs
- Adaptive Spaces: Commercial areas that can evolve with changing business models
- Community Support: Residents who value and patronize local businesses
Policy Innovation Success
East Clayton's live-work model has influenced zoning changes across BC, demonstrating how pilot projects can drive broader policy innovation. The basement daycare and other neighbourhood businesses prove the concept works in practice.
Long-Term Outcomes & Current Evolution
Successes After 20+ Years
- Housing Diversity Model: Secondary suites and coach houses successfully integrated into numerous BC communities
- Environmental Innovation: Stormwater management techniques adopted widely across Lower Mainland
- Policy Influence: Planning innovations studied by municipalities across North America
- Density Achievement: Higher density than typical suburbs while maintaining neighbourhood character
- Community Building: Strong neighbourhood identity and resident engagement
- Academic Legacy: Continues to be studied as model for sustainable development
Learning and Adaptation
East Clayton's evolution demonstrates the importance of learning from experience:
- Parking Solutions: Community and municipal efforts to address parking challenges through better management and enforcement
- School Planning: Enhanced coordination between housing development and educational capacity planning
- Infrastructure Adaptation: Modifications to environmental systems based on real-world performance
- Commercial Evolution: Growing success of neighbourhood-scale businesses serving local needs
Current Planning Evolution
East Clayton continues evolving through new planning initiatives:
Clayton Corridor Plan (2024)
Surrey's latest planning effort addresses transit-oriented development around future SkyTrain stations:
- Two Transit-Oriented Areas covering 277 acres
- Integration with Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension
- Stations planned at 184th Street and 190th Street
- Higher density development around transit nodes
West Clayton Development
Surrey invested $14.9M in infrastructure to unlock West Clayton development:
- 1,000+ additional housing units planned
- Lessons learned from East Clayton applied to new development
- Updated approach to parking and infrastructure planning
Community Amenities
Recent investments in community infrastructure:
- Clayton Community Centre (2023): North America's first Passive House certified community centre
- School Expansion: Ongoing efforts to address capacity challenges
- Park Improvements: Enhanced recreational facilities and programming
Key Insight
East Clayton demonstrates that successful sustainable development requires ongoing adaptation and management, not just initial visionary planning. The community's evolution provides valuable lessons for long-term stewardship of innovative development.
Relevance to Langley: A Local Success Story
As a neighboring municipality with similar development patterns and challenges, East Clayton offers numerous lessons for Langley's future growth:
Direct Policy Applications
- Secondary Suite Integration: East Clayton's basement suite model provides proven approach for increasing housing options
- Coach House Development: Laneway housing demonstrates gentle density that maintains neighbourhood character
- Live-Work Flexibility: Zoning approaches that enable small businesses in residential areas
- Environmental Infrastructure: Stormwater management techniques adapted to Lower Mainland conditions
- Collaborative Planning: Community engagement processes that build consensus around innovation
Implementation Lessons
- Parking Planning: Learn from East Clayton's challenges to provide adequate parking for density
- School Coordination: Plan educational capacity concurrent with housing development
- Transit Integration: Coordinate development timing with transit infrastructure
- Commercial Realism: Understand market limitations for walkable retail in suburban contexts
- Long-term Stewardship: Plan for ongoing community management and infrastructure maintenance
Most importantly, East Clayton demonstrates that innovative, sustainable development can succeed commercially in Lower Mainland markets while providing genuine benefits for affordability, environmental performance, and community building. By studying both East Clayton's successes and challenges, Langley can adopt effective elements while avoiding implementation pitfalls.
References & Further Reading
- University of British Columbia James Taylor Chair: Headwaters Project Website - Original project documentation and research
- Nathan Pachal: East Clayton and Commercial Development (2013) - Analysis of mixed-use implementation challenges
- City of Surrey: East Clayton Neighbourhood - Official city information and current planning
- City of Surrey: Clayton Corridor Plan (2024) - Future transit-oriented development planning
- Patrick Condon: "Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities" - Book examining East Clayton and other sustainable development examples
- Surrey Now-Leader: Read about East Clayton's history from the prof who helped design it - Patrick Condon's perspective on the project
- Canadian Architect: Clayton Community Centre: Passive House Achievement - Recent sustainable infrastructure developments
About Our Case Studies
These case studies were researched and compiled by Strong Towns Langley Chair, James Hansen, to identify successful implementations of people-first urban design principles that could inform development in our region.
Have a suggestion for a case study we should explore? Know of an interesting example of sustainable, financially resilient urban development?
Contact James directly at james@strongtownslangley.org, find him on our discord, or contact us with your ideas.
James Hansen
Strong Towns Langley Chair