Coal Harbour is one of the newly developed neighborhoods of downtown Vancouver. The area lies in between Stanley Park to the West and the central business district of downtown to the East. In the mid 19th century coal was found within the harbour, hence the name Coal Harbour. Most of the development in the area has occurred within the last 15 years. The entire neighborhood is lined with a beautiful seawall.

Part of the city’s development plan for the area centered on the new Coal Harbour Community Centre. This centre also features a living green roof with grass field and playground while inside there are dance spaces and a full sized gym. Coal Harbour is also home to mostly rich and affluent residents as the average cost of a one bedroom apartment in the area is close to half a million dollars and quickly rising.

While most of the area is completely developed, there still remain some areas where new high-rises are being constructed. Both the new Fairmont Hotel and the new Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre are being constructed on the Eastern edge of the neighborhood. Within the harbour itself lies the Coal Harbour Marina, several floating gas stations as well as a Harbour Air Terminal. Several nice parks dot most of Coal Harbour.

Some of Vancouver's tallest buildings are either standing or currently being built just on the border of Coal Harbour and Downtown Vancouver. These include the already constructed Shaw and Bell towers as well as the new Shangri-La and Ritz Carleton Hotels currently under construction. The two new hotels are set to be Vancouver's two tallest buildings are roughly 60 stories each.