The downtown Vancouver boundaries include Burrard Street to Pacific Boulevard then on to Richards Street up to Smithe Street and then go back to Pacific Boulevard to Carrol Street, then to the Georgia Viaduct and then to the Vancouver Harbour. Downtown Vancouver has several higher education sites with one at Robson Square, the University of British Columbia, also the downtown campus of BCIT on Seymour Street and Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre.

There are several iconic buildings in downtown Vancouver, the Roman coliseum design public library is a downtown landmark and is the 3rd largest library in Canada, the Sun Tower, originally called the World Building was the tallest building in the city when it was built in 1912, is known for its faux patina steel dome painted to imitate copper cladding and is adorned with nine nude maidens along the cornice; The Dominion building is located on the edge of Gastown and across from Victory Square; The Marine building near the Financial District, is renowned for its Art Deco details and was intended to evoke some great marine rock rising from the sea with sea flora and fauna clinging to it, tinted in sea green and touched with gold. The massive brass doored elevators are inlaid with 12 varieties of local hardwoods with depictions of sea animals and the foyer floor is covered in zodiac signs. The building was designed to be an office building downtown, an architectural showpiece that would serve as the hub for a thriving marine trade. The building was budgeted at $1.5 million, but actually cost $2.3 million to build and due to the Great Depression, it was sold to the British Pacific Building Company for $900,000 and then convinced the Guinness family of Ireland to invest in the company. Later the British Pacific built the Lion's Gate Bridge and developed the British Properties in West Vancouver.

The diverse population of Downtown West Vancouver lives in high-rise apartments and townhouses and is close to Stanley Park and its Seawall, English Bay and False Creek. Transportation offers easy access to the Lower Mainland from Vancouver International Airport, North and West Vancouver, Horseshoe Bay and the downtown core.