What we heard in Stage 3

Recap of Stage 2

We received a lot of interest in the draft concept plan released in June 2017. We have engaged with a wide group of stakeholders, including over 5,000 people so far. Here are the highlights of what we heard in Stage 2:

• Bigger waterfront park
• Design to be bolder, more unique and authentic design rooted in Vancouver
• Meaningfully engage with the local First Nations
• Support for nature, wildlife and habitat
• Support and concerns for large events in the park
• Recognize rich cultural heritage of the area
• Define the big moves and be aware of fragmented spaces

Drawing on this feedback, we extended our listening phase to take the time to engage deeper with the the local First Nations and park stakeholders.

Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations

We’ve been working closely with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations to understand Indigenous values and principles. Our goal is to reflect what we have heard from the local nations in the revised park design. Through this work, we’ve learned from the nations that Northeast False Creek Park is an opportunity to:

• Make the cultures of three nations visible
• Orient the park to the waterfront in a way that reflects the connection the First Nations have with the land and water
• Create a welcoming place to gather, heal, and learn from Indigenous people
• Include harvestable plants

Read our Indigenous Engagement Report for more about these themes (4 MB)

Chinatown community

We’ve also heard from the Chinatown community. The key interests for the park that emerged as part of our early 2018 Chinatown event are as follows:

• Strengthen the park’s connection to Chinatown
• Enhance the park’s cultural context
• Support the cultural life of Chinatown

Read the January 2018 Chinatown workshop summary report:

• English version  (1.7 MB)
• Traditional Chinese version  (1.8 MB)

Event producers, residents, and sports-field users

On the one hand, we’ve heard from event producers that Northeast False Creek Park represents the last opportunity to host large events in Downtown. On the other hand, residents are concerned that frequently hosting events would limit their daily use of the park.

Lastly, the sports fields users wish that the renewed park maintain the service levels and see opportunities for sport hosting, tying in with the new Events and Entertainment District.

A welcoming and unique park

The City of Vancouver and the Park Board are committed to strengthening their relationships with local First Nations and Urban Indigenous people. Northeast False Creek Park is located within the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. It’s also next to Downtown and near significant Urban Indigenous communities. We see the waterfront park as a unique opportunity to physically express reconciliation.

The park is intended to be a welcoming and inclusive space. The revised park design will be a contemporary park, inspired by the way the three Nations relate to the land and water, and reflect values we can all relate to: sustainability, community, and wellness.

How did we get here?

By City of Vancouver

The Indigenous Engagement Working Group guided our extended listening phase with the three nations and was led by the Park Board reconciliation planner. Our key takeaway from this stage was to become aware of and to deconstruct our inherited colonial thinking. This shift in perspective allowed space for local First Nations values to find expression, and to create a unique, world-class waterfront park that is rooted in a sense of place.

• How did we get here?

  By City of Vancouver

  The Indigenous Engagement Working Group guided our extended listening phase with the three nations and was led by the Park Board reconciliation planner. Our key takeaway from this stage was to become aware of and to deconstruct our inherited colonial thinking. This shift in perspective allowed space for local First Nations values to find expression, and to create a unique, world-class waterfront park that is rooted in a sense of place.

• Replenish park identity statement

  By City of Vancouver

  This goal of this statement (200 KB, PDF) is to ground the new vision of the park design in Indigenous values and principles. It reflects what we learned and anchors the design in a philosophy centered on connecting to the land and water. This foundation welcomes all cultural communities of Vancouver and envisions the park as a place where people can replenish.

• Key themes we’ve heard from Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh

  By City of Vancouver

  The following themes emerged as part of our extended engagement: (1) Visibility of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh; (2) Oriented to the waterfront; (3) A welcoming space; (4) A place to gather, heal, and learn from local First Nations (5) Indigenous approach to planting.

• How did we engage with the Chinatown community?

  By City of Vancouver

  We’ve also engaged with a large group of people from Chinatown in January 2018. Over 100 people attended the workshop on the NEFC Area Plan to provide input.

• Key themes we’ve heard from the Chinatown community

  By City of Vancouver

  We’ve gathered input on a variety of aspects: (1) Connectivity and accessibility; park design; (2) Architecture, design and heritage; (3) Design for all ages; and (4) Community and people. The key themes for the park design are: (1) Connect to the waterfront, (2) Compliment the surrounding cultural buildings and spaces, and (3) host traditional cultural activities in the park.

• Paradigm shift

  By City of Vancouver

  We realized we had to seize the opportunity to design a remarkable and unique waterfront park, authentically Vancouver, reflective of this point in time, in the heart of Downtown. In the next stage, we will present a revised concept design, reflecting the new vision for the park, rooted in the local First Nations cultures, and welcoming for all Vancouverites.

• Enriched park design principles

  By City of Vancouver

  The extended engagement showed us Indigenous values and principles that built on and enhanced those we’d already heard in our public engagement. We have woven in what we learned while preserving the engagement done to date with the park stakeholders. Through this reconciliation journey, we have realized that committing to reconciliation benefits all of us.

•  

Guiding principles

We’ve added and refined the park design guiding principles defined in the earlier stage of the project. They now reflect what we’ve heard as part of our extended engagement with the three nations, and park stakeholders, including Urban Indigenous people and the Chinatown community.

Key documents

Stage 3: Extended consultation

• Indigenous Engagment Summary Report – June 2018 (4 MB)
• Chinatown workshop summary report – January 2018
  • English version  (1.7 MB)
  • Traditional Chinese version  (1.8 MB)
• Replenish Park Identity Statement (200 KB)
• Open house information displays – November 2017  (1 MB)

Stage 2: Draft park concept design

• Engagement Summary Report – November 2017  (4 MB)
• Draft Park Concept Plan – June 2017  (17 MB)
• Concept Design Report – June 2017  (10 MB)
• Concept Design Presentation video by James Corner at SFU Public Square – June 7, 2017 

Stage 1: Analysis and early directions

• Early Directions Presentation video by James Corner – February 2017 
• Early Directions and Guiding Principles Summary Report – January 2017  (24 MB)
• Engagement Summary Report – March 2017  (6 MB)
• Parks and Open Spaces Video – January 2017 

Next section: Streets and connectivity