April 2022

How can we make Vancouver a more liveable and sustainable city for the nearly 700,000 people who live here now, and for future generations? This question is at the heart of the Vancouver Plan, a city-wide strategic approach to support growth and change to 2050 and beyond. After three rounds of public engagement, the City released the draft Vancouver Plan on April 5.

Climate protection and restored ecosystems are foundational elements of the Vancouver Plan. We heard from Vancouverites that they want our neighbourhoods to have green spaces for all, and to grow in ways that supports our Climate Emergency Action Plan target to ensure policies are in place to allow 90% of people live within an easy walk or roll of their daily needs. The draft Plan sets out specific policies related to climate, ecology, and watersheds, while also incorporating climate resilience throughout other policy areas. 

The three main climate-focused policy objectives are: 
1.    Advance and accelerate actions to eliminate carbon pollution.
2.    Advance zero-waste practices that support sustainable consumption.
3.    Accelerate actions to build climate resilience.

YOUR TURN

We are now seeking public feedback from everyone who lives, works or plays in Vancouver. Learn more about our climate objectives and other Big Ideas in our draft Vancouver Plan and tell us what you think before April 24.

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Vancouver is a coastal community. Living close to the ocean means we need to plan for future sea level rise and to help vulnerable neighbourhoods become more resilient to current and future coastal flooding. To create a vision for the future that accomplishes these things while also prioritizing reconciliation, recreation, safety, people and homes, and the environment, we need to explore new ideas.

The City of Vancouver is now in the second phase of the Sea2City Design Challenge. This phase explores early ideas for coastal adaptation to sea level rise across a range of approaches. Two multi-disciplinary teams are working cooperatively with the City to explore approaches that respond to our equity, economic and ecological challenges.  

Outputs from the Sea2City Design Challenge will help guide urban development and ecological revitalization in Vancouver’s False Creek floodplain. They will also be used to inform the City’s ongoing coastal adaptation plans, with further refinement from project partners, Indigenous governments, stakeholders and coastal regulators. 

YOUR TURN

Join us for an online Community Conversation on April 20. Together, we will explore the early idea designs and collect your feedback to shape the next phase of designs.

Learn more about the project and check out early idea designs by visiting our Sea2City webpage.

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE ADAPTATION

The City of Vancouver is expanding the delivery of our School Active Travel Education Program to 37 schools across Vancouver. Certified cycling instructors from HUB Cycling will facilitate a program that provides hands-on skills and builds confidence for grade 6 and 7 students at participating schools, as well as free bikes and helmets to students who need them. By combining safety improvements around schools with safe travel education, we hope to encourage more students to walk, bike and roll to school.

Biking to school isn’t just fun, it’s also a great way to cut congestion from student drop offs and reduce carbon pollution. Burning gasoline and fossil fuels in our vehicles creates nearly 40% of Vancouver’s carbon pollution, so changing how we move around the city is a key climate action.

YOUR TURN

Schools interested in the Active Travel Education Program can visit the HUB Cycling Ride the Road webpage to learn more.

Ready to practice your new cycling skills? This year, Bike to School Week takes place from May 30 to June 3. Become a Bike to School Champion: Parents, teachers, and school administrators can register their school for free through HUB Cycling. All Vancouver schools that register by May 4 will be entered to win a City of Vancouver Walk Bike Roll prize pack.

SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

The future St. George Rainway, a new green corridor between Broadway and East 5th Avenue, will deliver key food sources and habitat for pollinators, birds, small mammals, insects and more. 

The City of Vancouver is looking to measure changes to different species along St. George Street before and after the Rainway is built to understand how this work will support local biodiversity. 

This spring, the City will be hosting a citizen science campaign to measure baseline conditions. Participants will use the application iNaturalist to collect data on the existing birds, plants, trees, insets and mammals that currently use St. George Street and it will be compared to data collected after the Rainway is built. 

Urban rainways not only support local biodiversity, but also have the potential to reduce localized flooding and treat pollutants like oil, fertilizer and bacteria before rainwater re-enters our waterways. The St. George Rainway supports our Rain City Strategy objective to capture and treat 90% of Vancouver’s average annual rainfall.

YOUR TURN

Share your feedback on the final concept design for the St. George Rainway from April 1 to 30 here.

Whether you’re a seasoned citizen scientist or a beginner, join a Bioblitz on April 23: visit our event page to RSVP and learn more. Keep an eye out for two more citizen science events planned for this year. 

SUPPORTING: RAIN CITY STRATEGY, CLIMATE ADAPTATION