10 Goals to Shape the Next 25 Years

This document sets out 10 unique goals intended to guide provision of more equitable, accessible, inclusive, and resilient parks and recreation over the next 25 years.

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The goals were developed through Park Board Commissioner, public, partner, staff, and stakeholder input and research into best practices and precedents from around the world.

We believe that this renewed focus will improve parks and recreation and enrich the beauty and livability of Vancouver.

The draft goals where verified in May and June 2018 through the Park Board commissioner, staff, and community consultation.

Goal 1: Grow and renew assets

Grow and renew parks, community centres, and recreation assets to keep pace with population growth and evolving needs
Goal 2: Protect existing parks and spaces

Protect existing parks and recreation spaces from loss, encroachment, and densification

While Vancouver has more park space today than it did 25 years ago, the significant increase in our population and the city’s increasing density has put greater pressure on the parks’ system.

This is especially true in neighbourhoods like Vancouver’s downtown, Mt Pleasant, False Creek, and the Cambie corridor where the majority of new residents are living in condos with little or no access to private outdoor space or to nature.

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Goal 3: Prioritize delivery of resources

Prioritize the delivery of resources to where they are needed most

Vancouver is a city of diverse neighbourhoods with very different needs, including the need for parks and recreation facilities. Add to this, not all neighbourhoods of the city have equal access when it comes to the accessibility of green spaces.

That’s why the Park Board is working to ensure the equitable delivery of our limited resources.

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Goal 4: Focus on core responsibilities

Focus on core responsibilities of the Park Board, and be a supportive ally to partners

At the Park Board, there is a limit to our budget and resources, and that affects our ability to meet all of the public demand for amenities and services. This sometimes means having to say no to exciting new opportunities.

By coordinating with and enabling our hardworking partner organizations, we can share the planning, funding and delivery of many aspects of the parks’ system, allowing the Park Board to focus on its crucial core responsibilities.

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Goal 5: Adapt to climate change

Adapt parks and recreation amenities to a changing climate

Our rapidly changing climate can already be felt in Vancouver, with warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers. These changes will have numerous implications for people, parks, and infrastructure.

So how do we prepare for the difficult road ahead? At the Park Board, we have already begun to protect our population and our green spaces, both for today and the decades ahead.

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Goal 6: Create a green network

Create a green network that will connect parks, waterfront, and recreation areas
Goal 7: Restore wild spaces

Restore Vancouver's wild spaces and vital biodiversity

Although Vancouver is surrounded by wild spaces, the city itself has very few of them. You’ve told us that you want more access in the city to nature, including the opportunity to watch birds, see salmon spawn, or just admire majestic trees.

The Park Board is working to restore the city’s environmental integrity by reintroducing wild spaces, monitoring the health of ecosystems, rehabilitating our shorelines, and re-establishing our tree canopy.

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Goal 8: Foster safety and welcome

Foster a system of parks and recreation spaces that are safe and welcoming to all
Goal 9: Seek truth and reconciliation

Seek truth as a foundation for reconcilation with Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations
The City of Vancouver was founded on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, and those Nations have endured decades of unjust treatment at the hands of the colonizers.

At the Park Board, we are committed to:
- Hard work of truth telling
- Acknowledgment that First Nations are integral rights holders in the future of public parks and lands
- Important process of reconciliation with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations
- Working towards a relationship built on equality and reciprocity
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Goal 10: Secure funding

Secure adequate and ongoing funding for the repair, renewal, and replacement of our aging parks and recreation system

Today, Vancouver’s parks are at a major crossroads. Many of our green spaces were created and their facilities built nearly half a century ago. Now they’re in need of significant repair.

At the Park Board, we’re looking to secure funding dedicated to the ongoing maintenance of our green spaces, and the renewal and replacement of our aging recreation facilities.

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10 Goals to Shape the Next 25 Years

Goal 1: Grow and renew assets

Goal 2: Protect existing parks and spaces

Goal 3: Prioritize delivery of resources

Goal 4: Focus on core responsibilities

Goal 5: Adapt to climate change

Goal 6: Create a green network

Goal 7: Restore wild spaces

Goal 8: Foster safety and welcome

Goal 9: Seek truth and reconciliation

Goal 10: Secure funding

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