

The Vancouver Park Board, City of Vancouver, and landowner Concord Pacific are working together on parks in Northeast False Creek, embedding design in local First Nations’ cultures to create a place of belonging and connection.
It’s a big plan that will revitalize Andy Livingstone Park and the Downtown Skateboard Plaza, and expand and renew Creekside Park north of Science World. It will also improve habitat for urban wildlife and the shoreline in False Creek. It will be a place to play, replenish, picnic, splash, and connect with others.
What's happening
We're now in Stage 4
We enhanced our park design guiding principles and confirmed them through a period of extended engagement. These revised guiding principles are organized around the groupings of Identity, Community, Nature, and Destination, and were approved by the Park Board with a report that also provides an update on the engagement process and learnings.
Northeast False Creek Parks – Project Update and Guiding Principles report PDF file (802 KB)
Staff is now developing two design approaches based on what we heard with a team of consultants led by James Corner Field Operations and co-designed with a Coast Salish design consultant.
Our revised principles reflect the time we took to engage more deeply with local First Nations, area communities, and park stakeholders. Adding to the input gathered in 2016-2018 from local residents, event organizers, field sport users, and other park stakeholders, we also better understand the key interests from the Chinatown and Black and African Diaspora communities, whose cultures are directly tied to this part of Vancouver.
Alert icon Engagement on many City and Park Board projects has been postponed due to COVID-19. When it is safe to do so, we look forward to bringing the new design approaches back to Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, Urban Indigenous Peoples, Chinatown, Black and African Diaspora communities, park stakeholders, and the public for input before a preferred approach is refined.
What we heard in Stage 3
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
Indigenous engagement summary report PDF file (4.5 MB)
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 physical connection to Chinatown
- Enhance the park’s cultural context
- Support the cultural life of Chinatown
January 2018 workshop summary report PDF file (1.7 MB)
In July 2018 we met with the Chinatown community to listen further, and heard about the need for a flexible, multi-generational, and culturally supportive space. The July 2018 workshop summary report PDF file (329 KB) provides further information.
In fall 2018, the Hogan’s Alley Society took initiative to involve the Black and African Diaspora communities more directly in the planning of the park and hosted a workshop to discuss the experience of the Black and African Diaspora communities in public space, cultural and physical safety, design, engagement, and inclusion.
We’ve heard from event producers that Northeast False Creek Park represents the last opportunity to host large events in downtown, while on the other hand, we heard from residents who 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 two full-size sports fields and see opportunities for sport hosting, tying in with the new events and entertainment district.
In summer 2018, an online survey was created for public input on our revised principles. We found out that most people think we are going in the right direction, and heard that further refinement of the principles was needed. They continue to guide the direction of the revised concept design.
The online survey summary report PDF file (642.5 KB) includes the refined guiding principles. You may notice that we introduced a new category — identity. We think that the principle of Identity better captures the direction to create a place inspired by and supporting Indigenous cultural practices, and also of belonging for Vancouverites. The language and focus of other principles was also adjusted.
Information on what we heard through the entirety of engagement activities in 2018 and how we are beginning to respond through design is outlined in the engagement summary report PDF file (4.5 MB).
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 Indigenous values we can all relate to, acknowledging the important role of the Chinatown and Black and African Diaspora communities in the area, and open to Vancouverites as an everyday place to replenish and connect with each other by the water.
Project timeline
Here is our process and anticipated milestones.
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Fall 2016 to spring 2017
Stage 1: Analysis and early directions
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Spring 2017 to summer 2017
Stage 2: Draft concept plan
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Fall 2017 to winter 2018
Stage 3: Extended engagement
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Spring 2019 to 2020
Stage 4: Revised concept plan and Park Board decision
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We are here
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TBD
TBD
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 engagement
- Engagment summary report – August 2019 PDF file (4.5 MB)
- Online survey summary report – September 2018 PDF file (642.5 KB)
- Indigenous engagment summary report – June 2018 PDF file (4 MB)
- Chinatown workshop summary report – July 2018
- Chinatown workshop summary report – January 2018
- Replenish park identity statement PDF file (200 KB)
- Open house information displays – November 2017 PDF file (1 MB)
Stage 2: Draft park concept design
- Engagement summary report – November 2017 PDF file (4 MB)
- Draft park concept plan – June 2017 PDF file (17 MB)
- Concept design report – June 2017 PDF file (10 MB)
- Concept design presentation video by James Corner at SFU Public Square – June 7, 2017 External website, opens in new tab
Stage 1: Analysis and early directions
- Early directions presentation video by James Corner – February 2017 External website, opens in new tab
- Early directions and guiding principles summary report – January 2017 PDF file (24 MB)
- Engagement summary report – March 2017 PDF file (6 MB)
- Parks and open spaces video – January 2017 External website, opens in new tab