2027-2030 Park Board Capital Plan

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• 2027-2030 Park Board Capital Plan approach

  The 2027–2030 Capital Plan was developed using a focused set of guiding principles to translate Board direction, approved strategies, asset needs, and available funding capacity into a deliverable 4-year program.

  Guiding principles

  • State of good repair and service continuity: Prioritize investments that maintain safe, reliable, and accessible services.
  • Policy alignment and public benefit: Advance investments that support Board priorities and community outcomes.
  • Deliverability: Focus on initiatives that can be delivered within available time and resources. 
  • Program-based flexibility: Allocate funding flexibly to respond to changing needs and opportunities.

  These principles informed the proposed service-area allocations and will continue to guide project refinement through the annual capital budget process.

• Reports to Council and Park Board

  2027-2030 Capital Plan

  • Park Board report PDF file (636 KB)
  • Park Board presentation PDF file (2.5 MB)
  • City report PDF file (58 MB)

  Review the Capital Plan

  2023-2026 Capital Plan

  • Park Board report PDF file (1.8 MB)
  • Park Board presentation PDF file (5.3 MB)
  • City report PDF file (9.2 MB)

  2019-2022 Capital Plan

  • Park Board report PDF file (350 KB)
  • Park Board presentation PDF file (6.4 MB)
  • City plan PDF file (6.6 MB)

• Public engagement

  Public engagement for the City of Vancouver’s 2027-2030 Capital Plan was conducted from May 22 to June 7, 2026.

  The citywide engagement process gathered feedback on the draft plan. 

  Find out more about the City-led process PDF file (58 MB)

Parks and open spaces: $223 million

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• About the category

  Guiding principles

  • Safety and prioritization: Prioritize initiatives that address major safety risks while advancing approved Board and Council priorities.
  • Approved direction and core services: Deliver approved plans and policies while maintaining core services and meeting community expectations.
  • Financial sustainability, equity and access: Improve financial sustainability, equity, accessibility, and reconciliation while reducing barriers to public amenities.

  These principles informed the proposed service-area allocations and will continue to guide project refinement through the annual capital budget process.

  Trends and actions

  • Growth and density pressures: Population growth and higher density increase demand, driving expansion of connected, equitable parks and public spaces.
  • Aging infrastructure challenges: Aging infrastructure increases costs, requiring targeted renewals and durable investments to maintain long-term service reliability.
  • Climate impacts: Climate change stresses infrastructure and ecosystems, requiring resilient amenities, urban forests, and nature-based adaptation solutions.
  • Evolving community needs: Changing expectations require inclusive, equitable spaces that support reconciliation, wellness, accessibility, and diverse community needs.

  Guiding initiatives

  • Urban Forest Strategy (2025) PDF file (55 MB)
  • Sport Field Strategy (2024) PDF file (9 MB)
  • Skateboard Amenities Strategy (2022) PDF file (10 MB)
  • Local Food System Action Plan (2021) PDF file (22 MB)
  • Parks Washroom Strategy (2020) PDF file (3.5 MB)
  • VanPlay - Parks and Recreation Services Master Plan (2020)
  • Accessibility Strategy (2019) PDF file (3 MB)
  • Track and Field Strategy (2019) PDF file (9.5 MB)
  • On-Water: Vancouver’s Non-motorized Watercraft Strategy (2019) (2 MB)
  • VanSplash: Vancouver Aquatics Strategy (2019) PDF file (4 MB)
  • People, Parks and Dogs Strategy (2017) PDF file (6 MB)
  • Biodiversity Strategy (2016) PDF file (4.8 MB)

• Asset inventory

  • $2.9 billion replacement value

  City assets

  Partner assets

  1,345 hectares of parks and open spaces, including 254 parks 31 kilometres of seawall and shoreline 20 hectares of beaches 3 kilometres of slopes/cliffs 23 marine structures 444 hectares of forests and woodlands 68 lakes, ponds, and streams 22,207 ornamental trees in parks 129,500 street trees 332 kilometres of pathways, walkways, and trails 5,456 park benches 154 playgrounds 255 sport fields 131 sport courts 51 dog off-leash areas 3 golf courses, 3 pitch and putts 282 park buildings 100 washrooms 50 picnic shelters and gazebos 32 hectares of parking lots 400 vehicles and equipment 360+ plaques 192 monuments 348 public art assets

  Portion of Pacific Spirit Regional Park within municipal boundaries Public open spaces at schools (primary, secondary, colleges, and universities) Public open spaces and waterfront at institutions such as hospitals, Granville Island and Canada Place Playgrounds, sport fields, and sport courts at primary and secondary schools

• Planned capital investments for 2027-2030

  Park land

  $15 million for new parkland acquisitions focused on increasing parkland in equity initiative zones, as outlined in VanPlay and population growth areas.

  Park amenities

  • New and improved parks: $46 million for enhancing the city-wide park system with improved accessibility, functionality, and user experience.
  • Sport fields and ball diamonds: $34 million to improve safety, playability and year-round capacity across the system through grass and synthetic turf renewals and replacements, drainage, irrigation upgrades and field conversions, aligned with the Sport Field Strategy.
  • Playground, courts, and recreational spaces: $25 million for new and upgraded playgrounds, spray parks, dog off-leash areas, sport courts, skateparks and designing a covered year-round multi-sport facility, improving access to low-barrier and free amenities across Vancouver.
  • Policy, Plans, and Service Reviews: $3 million to support guiding parks and recreation capital and service delivery, equity and efficiency improvements, and support engagement with Local Nations.

  Seawall and waterfront

  $12 million for maintenance and repairs of seawall, shoreline, and marine structures.  

  Urban forests and natural areas

  $11 million investment to support strategic tree planting across parks, streets and public spaces; restoration and enhancement of natural areas; biodiversity initiatives; and wildlife management; consistent with the Urban Forest and Biodiversity Strategies.

  Parks buildings, infrastructure, and vehicles

  • Public washrooms: $26 million investment to increase reliable access to public washrooms.
  • Park infrastructure: $18 million investment to support inspection, maintenance and rehabilitation of park infrastructure, including pavements, utilities (water, electrical and drainage systems), and slope stabilization work.
  • Fleet: $18 million for new and renewal of the park vehicle fleet.

  Arts, reconciliation, and culture

  $3 million investment to advance Indigenous place-making, reconciliation initiatives, cultural expression, public art, and partnerships that strengthen cultural presence and community connection within parks and public spaces.

Recreation facilities (sub-category of community facilities): $496 million

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• About the category

  Recreation facilities provide inclusive, low-barrier access to recreation, learning and community supports, while helping build neighbourhood resilience through inclusive public access.

  This capital plan emphasizes maintenance and renewal needs of aging infrastructure.

  Guiding principles

  • Create a healthy city for all by supporting healthy people and healthy communities
  • Maintain and renew community facilities to meet today’s needs
  • Accommodate community needs as Vancouver grows

  Guiding initiatives

  • Community Centre Strategy (2022)
  • VanPlay – Parks and Recreation Strategy (2020)
  • VanSplash – Aquatics Strategy (2019)

• Asset inventory

  • $2.1 billion replacement value

  City assets	Partner assets
  55 facilities (1,835,460 square feet) 25 community centres 9 rinks 9 indoor pools 5 outdoor pools 7 specialty recreation	YMCA, YWCA

   

• Planned capital investments for 2027-2030

  Aquatic facilities

  Renew, replace, and modernize indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities to improve access, accessibility, resilience, service continuity, and long-term system performance, guided by Van Splash priorities and asset needs.

  Arenas

  Address priority rink infrastructure needs and opportunities where project scope, feasibility, partnerships, funding availability, and annual budget approvals support investment and implementation.

  Community centres

  Advance renewal, maintenance, and targeted upgrades of aging community centres to ensure safe, reliable, accessible, and efficient services while meeting long-term service targets.

  Partnership, in-kind, and growth-related

  Facilities support planning and partnership development for new, expanded, or renewed aquatic facilities in growth and underserved areas, preparing projects for future construction and funding.

Service yards (sub-category of civic facilities and equipment): $20 million

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• About the category

  This category includes greenhouses, maintenance buildings, and service yards to support the sustainable and efficient delivery of park operations.

  Guiding principles

  • Improve the overall physical condition of the civic facilities portfolio.
  • Improve the resilience of the civic facilities portfolio, with higher priorities given to emergency preparedness, business continuity and high occupancy buildings.
  • Finalize longer-term strategies for individual portfolios, such as administrative buildings and service yards.

• Asset inventory

  Service yards

  • $400 million replacement value

  City assets	Partner assets
  4 service yards	Not applicable

• Planned capital investments for 2027-2030

  Facility renewal

  Upgrading aging structures, support buildings, and servicing infrastructure.

  Operational efficiency

  Improving layout, storage, circulation, fleet readiness, and maintenance functions.

  Health and safety improvements

  Modernizing facilities to meet current standards and support safe working conditions.

  Climate resilience and sustainability

  Enhancing servicing, supporting fleet electrification, and improving resilience to climate-related risks.