Neighbourhood plazas

Help bring a neighbourhood plaza to life.

Residents, local organizations, and businesses can host small, community-based gatherings and events in neighbourhood plazas at no cost.

Examples include:

• Game nights
• Arts and crafts activities
• Cultural gatherings
• Community concerts

All activities must be free to attend.

Requests are quick to process and free of charge. Event insurance is not required.

Learn more and apply to host an event

Funding is available through our Community Placemaking Program to support placemaking projects in neighbourhood plazas.

Placemaking is when communities work together to design and use public spaces in ways that add meaning and value.

These projects can bring people together to reimagine public spaces, improve public areas, and strengthen community connections.

Past examples include:

• Community gatherings and dialogues
• Workshops and activities
• Temporary features

Learn more about the Community Placemaking Program

Neighbourhood plazas are shared community spaces that thrive through collaboration. Their success depends on partners and community members who help care for and activate them.

What we do

We coordinate plaza operations and provide maintenance services. This includes:

• Installing and maintaining amenities such as seating, planters, waste bins, signage, and storage
• Repairing and renewing infrastructure
• Supporting programming
• Responding to inquiries and concerns, and engaging with community members and stakeholders

Plaza partners

Plaza partners work with us to co-manage neighbourhood plazas. They support day-to-day operations, programming, and decision-making, and bring valuable local knowledge and strong community connections.

Community members

Community members help bring plazas to life by gathering, connecting, and spending time outdoors. Some take a more active role by organizing small events or placemaking activities, such as community art, pop-up gardens, or cultural activities.

Interested in getting involved? Email [email protected].

Read more about plaza stewardship

New pilot plazas are installed in neighbourhoods across Vancouver based on interest from local businesses, community organizations, and Business Improvement Associations.

Plaza locations being tested in 2026

• Dunbar and 27th
• Fraser and 17th
• Kamloops and Hastings North
• Main and 27th
• Main and 50th
• Woodland Drive Pedestrian Bridge

Monitoring and evaluation

Once installed, pilot plazas are monitored by City staff. Staff respond to issues and work to address challenges as they arise.

During the first summer, a community survey is mailed to nearby residents and businesses to evaluate their experience with the pilot plaza.

This feedback is shared with community partners and helps guide decisions about whether the plaza should remain, and what improvements may be needed.

Decisions consider several factors, including:

• Community and partner support
• How the plaza is used
• Safety
• Equity and accessibility
• Cultural redress and overall policy support

If a pilot plaza is well-supported and moves forward, it will be upgraded over time with more permanent features.

Interested in bringing a pilot plaza to your neighbourhood? Email [email protected].

In response to strong community interest in the Neighbourhood Plazas Program, we began upgrading some temporary plazas in 2023.

These upgrades are transforming the selected plazas into permanent public spaces that support community connection and activity for years to come.

Permanent plazas now open

• Bute-Robson Plaza
• Cambie-18th Plaza
• Granville-14th Plaza
• Kamloops-Hastings Plaza
• Main-14th Plaza

• Plaza Stewarship Strategy PDF file (1.7 MB)
• 2021 engagement summary PDF file (6 MB)
• 2020 engagement summary PDF file (12 MB)