Vancouver councillor Kerry Jang won't run in 2018 election

Vancouver city councillor Kerry Jang says he won't be running in the next civic election.

Jang was first elected in 2008. He says he's stepping aside to make room for new blood in his party, Vision Vancouver.

"The needs of Vancouver have changed quite a bit since [2008], and there are a whole bunch of new people who have ideas on how to tackle things like affordability, housing, homelessness and things like that," Jang said.

"This is their chance to do so."

• Vision Vancouver focusing on upcoming 'historic election'

Jang is the latest in a growing list of Vision mainstays to announce they will not be running in this fall's election, including councillors Andrea Reimer and Tim Stevenson and Mayor Gregor Robertson.

Jang, who is also a professor of psychiatry at UBC, says thatafter a decade on council, he's looking forward to life outside of the limelight.

"The nice thing about returning to private life is this: it's private."

With files from Dan Burritt.