The Playbook: Implementation Plan

Articulate principles, values, and approaches by developing a robust policy framework

Example initiatives:

• Enhance the Park Board's understanding of equity from all perspectives and develop policy, tools, and approaches to help address inequities as a part of the upcoming Vancouver Plan and other future citywide planning strategies.
• Clearly and consistently describe approaches, decisionmaking criteria, and processes relating to common functions, issues, and questions, and store these statements in a Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Policy and Guidelines Manual.
• Reflect on the successes and impacts of the Strategic Bold Moves to inform an update of VanPlay, Parks and Recreation Services Master Plan (2019), in advance of 2029.

Support evidence-based decision making by collecting and managing data and information.

Example initiatives:

• Create an interactive online map of the VanPlay Initiative Zones and Equity Analysis Factors for staff and the community.
• Create and acquire Equity Analysis Factor data sets on an ongoing basis to support the engagement and cocreation of plans for investment in resources like parks and recreation assets and programming.
• Conduct a Recreation Provision Study to bolster understanding of both recreation demand and capacity, and how the system is integrated into the day-to-day life of Vancouverites, by mapping access to recreation opportunities, the function of those spaces and their proximity to residents.

Provide excellent customer service by enhancing communication with the community, our partners and stakeholders.

Example initiatives:

• Regularly report on Park Board updates, achievements, stories, challenges, and opportunities to the community and stakeholders.
• Tell the full Park Board story in meaningful and relevant ways by developing a plan for messaging, audiences, channels, and their evaluation criteria (Park Board Communications Plan).
• Refresh the Park Board public web page to make it more service oriented, consistent and comprehensive by including collated guiding documents and interactive maps, data sets, and dashboards to share information in an understandable and accessible format.
• Establish a consistent Park Board identity which reflects the values, vision, and mission of the organisation.

Advocate for the protection and enhancement of parks, recreation, and nature throughout the city as elemental parts of complete communities.

Example initiatives:

• Advocate for enabling additional flexibility in the delivery of developer contributions like Development Cost Levies and Community Amenity Contributions to help address high need areas of the City to provide ongoing operational funding to support new amenities and the required planning and strategy for increased efficiency and innovation.
• Advocate for increased access, activation and quality of park space by supporting planning initiatives (like rezoning and development adjacent to parks) that consider factors like complementing land uses, reducing shadowing, creating active frontages and facilitating a safe environment.
• Seek alternate funding opportunities (foundation funds, grants, provincial monies, levies, etc.) to diversify the funding stream and support the ongoing enhancement of parks, recreation, and nature.
• Seek to understand environmental and microclimatic conditions in parks to inform policy to optimize solar access to parks in the future in collaboration with Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability (Solar Access Study).
• Advocate for park and recreation provision requirements in keeping with the VanPlay Strategic Bold Moves to be implemented in a renewed Sustainable Large Sites Planning Policy.
• Guide planning for adequate park land and recreation space on rezoning and redevelopment sites in collaboration with Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability (Park Provision Policy).
• Advocate for goals and targets that are aligned with VanPlay goals and Strategic Bold Moves in the upcoming revision of the Greenest City Action Plan.
• Thoughtfully manage the impacts of park renewal, like increased quality of parks, on the immediately adjacent community by doing the following: developing innovative
  partnerships (such as with housing providers), considering impacts, using a community-led approach to design and management, and advocating for planning and policy
  that reduces displacement Community Conservation and Enhancement Study).

Conduct meaningful, wide reaching and effective community engagement through innovative opportunities and methods.

Example initiatives:

• Consistently conduct best practice community engagement by outlining approaches to tactics, strategy, analysis, and reporting (Community Engagement Policy).
• Foster engagement of under-represented groups in program and service planning and delivery, including – but not limited to – those with culturally diverse backgrounds,
  persons of low income, urban aboriginals, persons with disabilities, and youth. And reflect this in the Community Engagement Policy.
• Provide opportunities for "equity seeking groups" to be involved in the interpretation of data that is collected and used by the Park Board to ensure that assumptions are
  correct, stories are respectful and not discriminatory, and that useful actions to solve problems are identified. And reflect this in the Community Engagement Policy.
• Evaluate community and staff satisfaction by conducting post-occupancy surveys after completion of all major park land development projects.
• Seek level of satisfaction feedback on parks and recreation services by commencing a regular citywide survey of residents, stakeholders, program registrants, and permit clients.

Focus reconciliation efforts on decolonizing the Park Board and relationship building with Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

Example initiatives:

• Instill the mission, vision, and values of Park Board Reconciliation and Decolonisation into the Park Board’s organisational culture of learning, respect, and truth telling.
• Commission and develop an inventory of culturally significant areas throughout the city, as identified by Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
• Conduct a comprehensive colonial audit of the Park Board.
• Develop a united vision for the future of Stanley Park, in collaboration with Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations to shape how we will collectively manage and steward the park into the future (Stanley Park Comprehensive Plan).
• Strengthen relationships by employing Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh representatives and urban Indigenous peoples to work towards a decolonized process of collaborative stewardship.
• Ensure partnership agreements and consulting procurements reflect the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action and Park Board's Reconciliation and Decolonization values.

Strengthen and expand partnerships to build capacity and clarify roles.

Example initiatives:

• Expand spaces available to the community for parks and recreation purposes (e.g. schools outside of school hours) by working with partners such as the Vancouver  School Board.
• Develop a community centre funding model to financially better support centres that serve communities facing socioeconomic challenges.
• Clarify roles and responsibilities for partnership agreements which simplify working with the Park Board (Develop frameworks, principles, and decision making criteria in a Partnership Policy).

Support diverse cultural visibility through arts, culture and storytelling.

Example initiatives:

• Design and install a cultural kiosk at New Brighton Park in collaboration with Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
• Work with Arts, Culture and Community Services to develop a joint Monuments and Memorials Framework to guide the criteria and process for donations, commissions,
  and the conservation and contextualization of the City’s historic collection.
• Articulate guiding principles and values to determine appropriate naming and sponsorship for events, activities, projects in parks (Sponsorship Policy).
• Create funding mechanisms to support community arts and artists-in-residence that are focused on relationships between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.
• Provide clear decision-making guidance for cultural development, decolonisation, expression in parks, prioritisation of intangible cultural heritage and promotion of cultural redress (Cultural Framework).
• Strategically manage the commissioning, donation, and removal or relocation of public art in parks (Public Arts Strategy).

Foster an ethos of stewardship and community development which engages people, community groups and organisations in caring for and about parks and recreation.

Example initiatives:

• Take a community development approach to managing urban parks experiencing conflict and intense use by fostering community stewardship of spaces, providing
  activations and quickly resolving maintenance, operations and design issues as they arise (Team UP "Urban Parks").
• Leverage destination parks, events, and sport hosting as gateways to participation in, and advocacy for, parks and recreation, and also ensure events are conducted
  in keeping with the principles of access, welcome and inclusion, while considering the location of major events, recognizing public safety, and ensuring a balanced approach to use and access to events in parks (Special Events Policy).
• Describe stewardship opportunities, resources, processes, roles and activities along a spectrum of commitment and involvement (Stewardship Framework).
• Provide an active, safe and welcoming park at North East False Creek that provides opportunities for community stewardship (NEFC Park Operations and Stewardship Study).
• Spotlight exceptional contributors and volunteers in parks and recreation (Recognition and Appreciation Plan).

Improve the safety, cleanliness and physical accessibility of all parks to increase access for all.

Example initiatives:

• Increase capacity of park rangers services based on a detailed service review (Ranger Service Review).
• Audit the physical accessibility of all park amenities to inform a feasibility study to consider opportunities for improvement (Universal and Inclusive Design Audit and Feasibility Study).
• Design and build five additional fully-accessible destination play areas throughout the city, in addition to the already in progress project of intergrating accessible play features in parks.
• Ensure consistent quality and best practice application of lighting across the park system for safety, comfort, and convenience (Park Lighting Standards Policy).
• Outline the Park Board's approach to appropriate vehicle parking in and adjacent to parks (Parking Policy).

Enhance nodes and multi-modal connections to create a citywide network of parks and recreation.

Example initiatives:

• Work to address busy cycling routes and promote separation of pedestrians and cyclists for safety with all stakeholders, including locations like Kitsilano Beach Park.
• Improve flow and access throughout Stanley Park by separating pedestrians and cyclists for safety (implement the Stanley Park Cycling Plan).
• Conduct a citywide inventory and analysis of pathways and trails within and adjacent to parks. Analysis to include path types, surfaces, connections, rest stops, and other amenities to support use by all.
• Create a connectivity map for the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS) that identifies existing connectivity and gaps, required design improvements, and potential partnerships in the areas of ecological, recreational, water, artistic/cultural and active transportation connectivity. Maintain, add to and improve this data to continuously update the map on the GIS.
• Advocate for integration of the vision of a citywide network of parks and recreation as an elemental component of the upcoming Vancouver Plan.

Protect and acquire park land to provide access to space for sport, recreation, culture and nature throughout the city.

Example initiatives:

• Consider all decisions regarding land governance, management and design of waterfront lands along the Fraser River in close collaboration with Musqueam,
  Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, key stakeholders and relevant city departments.
• Acquire new park land that reflects the Strategic Bold Moves and Approaches for Action outlined in VanPlay while providing transparency in the decision-making process (Parks and Recreation Land Acquisition Strategy).
• Protect park land from loss and negative impacts by articulating clear guidelines, principles and processes for proposals in and adjacent to parks (Park Protection
  Policy).
• Update the Park Provision Study (2016 and 2018) to reflect 2021 census data and park land provision on an ongoing basis, timed with new census data.

Respond to challenges and future trends through proactive park design, operations and maintenance practices.

Example initiatives:

• Ensure new and renewed parks provide protection from heat and rain, adequate drinking water, places to sit, and sufficient tree canopy so they can be resilient to, and are able to provide comfort to the community during extreme weather. In order to do this, implement design solutions as updated in the Park Development Standards.
• Implement a total asset management program to advocate for appropriate funding and forecast future needs (Complete the Hard Asset Inventory and Condition  Assessment).
• Mitigate and be resilient to the impacts of climate change by planning park operations to thrive by considering future trends, managing current challenges, increasing  efficiency, being more sustainable and ensuring appropriate funding (Park Operations Strategy).
• Define acceptable asset condition and level of service for all parks and recreation assets and advocate for the relevant appropriate funding to achieve this standard using the results of the Hard Asset Inventory and Condition Assessment.
• Advocate for the development of planning policy that establishes appropriate setbacks from waterways to provide sufficient space to accommodate sea level rise, and dedicate waterfront lands for park space to both provide access to the water and secure space for recreation in the public realm into the future.

Provide a wide variety of park types, spaces and experiences that reflect the communities they serve.

Example initiatives:

• Expand programming to provide small-scale seasonal, pop-up park amenities such as picnic tables, lounging chairs, games, and other colourful, joyful additions to parks.
• Ensure all new park development projects reflect the Strategic Bold Moves and Approaches for Action outlined in VanPlay (Review and update Park Development  Standards).
• Activate parks by increasing the casual use of park space using placemaking techniques, pop-up activities, regular programming, music, and art to help provide a sense of  welcome and belonging (Park Activation Feasibility Study).
• Display beautiful, consistent and well-maintained horticulture by undertaking a comprehensive review of horticulture throughout all Vancouver parks and using this review  to create service level standards (Horticultural Standards Policy).
• Exhibit ornamental native species, bird and pollinator friendly gardening, and appropriate and beautiful naturally managed areas in parks by expanding public education  and outreach campaigns such as demonstration gardens.
• Align assessment of licences for commercial operations and exclusive use of parks and recreation amenities (including sports fields and fieldhouses) with values such as equity, cultural/artistic expression, inclusion, welcome, sustainability, local food, and reconciliation (Licence Assessment Process and Policy).

Increase the capacity, quality and diversity of recreation amenities through strategic management and investment.

Example initiatives:

• Implement the recommendations of OnWater, Non-Motorized Watercraft Recreation Strategy (2019).
• Implement the recommendations of the Track and Field Strategy (2019).
• Install Wi-Fi hotspots in all destination parks and outdoor recreation amenities.
• Outline renewal, expansion and maintenance needs for field sport facilities, rectangular fields and sport diamonds while also considering potential locations, designs, functions and associated programming in order to increase access, ability and function to host sport events, and opportunities for sport development (Sports Field Strategy).
• Increase the provision, quality and diversity of skate features in parks (Skateboarding Strategy).
• Undertake a comprehensive review and analysis of golf courses, pitch and putt courses and driving ranges to understand local and regional context, use and demand which helps describe guiding principles and opportunities to expand programming options (Golf Strategy).
• Update the 2015 Citywide Playground Assessment to determine current state of playgrounds across the city. 
• Develop and renew play areas with a focus on expanding the quality and diversity of features and experiences, including nature and adventure play, risky play, all-ages play features and universal accessibility (Playground Strategy).
• Undertake a comprehensive review of lawn bowling to understand current state, sport development needs, opportunity to expand use of facilities and amenities, and ways to expand opportunities for all ages and abilities while revitalizing the current player base (Lawn Bowling Strategy).
• Determine use, demand and quality of sport courts across the city and consider the full range of formal and casual court sports to inform types, location, infrastructure, long-term planning, maintenance and renewal timelines (Sport Court Strategy). 
• Review success and learnings to inform an update to the 2017 People, Parks and Dogs Strategy in advance of 2027.

Support a lifelong pursuit of sport and recreation for all ages and abilities.

Example initiatives:

• Create opportunities to support art in everyday life for recreation by encouraging participation in arts and cultural experiences, as well as skills development, in neighborhoods throughout the City.
• Expand the existing "All Bodies Community - ABC" recreation program, which supports programming to encourage physical activity by all.
• Describe a methodology to determine the appropriate and applicable fees and charges for recreation activities, permits, bookings, parking, etc. (Fees and Charges Policy).
• Facilitate and encourage increased participation in sport by women and girls (Women in Sport Strategy).
• Ensure all marketing and communications welcome all to participate in recreation opportunities, programs, and use of amenities (Recreation Marketing and Communications Plan).
• Support sport development and ensure fair and equitable use among field users (Field Allocation Policy).
• Manage use, access and demand for outdoor sport courts through a new booking system (Outdoor Sport Court Management Plan).
• Strategically support ongoing work to reduce barriers to participation by identifying resources required to both facilitate the expansion of the Leisure Access Program (LAP) and continue to expand inclusive recreation programming system-wide while still developing relationships in recreation to enable access and inclusion
  (Access and Inclusion Strategy).
• Conduct a survey by, and of, urban aboriginal youth to measure perceptions of safety and welcome at parks and community centres to develop outcomes and  recommendations that result in more opportunities for urban indigenous youth to use Park Board services, and engage with and provide feedback to Park Board recreation.
• Provide a free Swim to Survive program for all Grade 3 students.
• Describe the Park Board's philosophy and priorities for sport and recreation projects and their ongoing management (Sport Policy).
• Expand recreation and arts opportunities for older adults, and seniors of all abilities and a wide range of interests (Age-Friendly Recreation Strategy).
• Decolonize Park Board recreation amenities, services and programming (Reconciliation Through Recreation Strategy).
• Encourage gender diversity in sports participation (Gender Diversity in Sport Action Plan).
• Implement the revised Long Term Development for Sport and Physical Activity model while supporting relationships with partners through an updated Sport for Life Strategy (2008).
• Support ongoing improvements to youth services, resources, programs and amenities in the parks and recreation system that enhance social, environmental, sport, fitness, arts, and culture opportunities (Update the 2014 Strategic Youth Plan).
• Ensure all recreation amenities, programs and facilities meet the HIGH FIVE guidelines for healthy child development by incorporating staff implementation training and support.

Support access to sustainable, local and healthy food.

Example initiatives:

• Encourage food-focused programming and infrastructure for formal and informal gatherings that facilitate growing, cooking, eating, and sharing of food in parks and
  community centres.
• Work with Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations and Urban Aboriginal communities to support Indigenous food systems in parks and recreation.
• Facilitate access to local, secure, healthy food through concessions and restaurant partners (leases), community centre kitchens, farmers markets, community gardens, and field houses (Update the Local Food Action Plan).

Expand access to recreation facilities to keep up with population growth and changing needs.

Example initiatives:

• Keep up with population growth by increasing the access to facilities; for example, aim to maintain the current citywide ratio of 1.2 square feet of multi-functional community centre space (excluding rinks and pools) per person as the population grows.
• Maximize access to recreation facilities and amenities outside the Park Board system by developing strategic partnerships with other recreation facility and amenity providers in keeping with the Park Board's principles of access, inclusion and welcome.
• Anticipate population growth and increased usage of fitness centres by increasing the citywide average size of these assets.
• Ensure new facilities are located near transit and active transportation nodes where it is possible to encourage green transportation choices.
• Provide affordable, accessible and secure spaces for all-ages music performances and education in community centres in collaboration with Arts, Culture and Community Services.
• Implement recommendations of the revised VanSplash, Vancouver's Aquatic Strategy (2019).
• Determine the priority for renewal of community centres in collaboration with Community Centre Associations (Community Centre Renewal Plan).
• Conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study for an indoor dryfloor sport (or multi-sport) facility in preparation for the 2023-2026 capital planning process.
• Develop asset targets for the provision of arts and culture amenities and facilities such as studios, performance spaces, galleries and arts infrastructure in parks and  community centres (and update Strategic Bold Move: Asset Needs to include this).
• Undertake a needs assessment for the Burrard Marina, and develop a plan to guide upgrades, maintenance and operations of the marina facility.
• Review the current state, future trends, needs and opportunities for Park Board Service Yards to inform renewal plans in collaboration with Real Estate and Facilities  Management (Service Yards Strategic Plan).
• Develop Recreation Functional Planning Consideration Guidelines for the planning of new and renewed recreation facilities that include important factors such as the  provision of space for a broad range of functions, a balance of types of spaces, appropriate locations and relationships on site, a process for determination and inclusion of community priorities, and the inclusion of the principles of accessibility, welcome and inclusion for all ages and abilities.
• Increase access to five additional ice rinks by considering potential locations, partnership opportunities, innovative designs, integration into ongoing capital planning and renewal timelines of existing facilities (Ice Strategy).

Enhance existing facilities to create welcoming spaces and amenities which appeal to a wide range of recreational interests and are accessible to all.

Example initiatives:

• Advocate for increased maintenance budgets to better meet needs for facilities and amenities to account for increased intensity of use, particularly in Equity Initiative
  Zones (Strategic Bold Move Tool) and growth areas.
• Develop a robust culture of welcome, inclusion, anti-oppression, and truth and reconciliation within the Park Board.
• Equip community centres and large parks to act as emergency hubs and refuges during earthquakes, extreme weather and other emergencies.
• Advocate for enhanced transit and active transportation connectivity between existing facilities and amenities.
• Complete the Washroom Strategy to guide provision of new facilities, retrofits and renewals.
• Establish a vision and mission to guide investment, service delivery and outreach for VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory (VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory Strategic Plan).
• Develop a method to determine maintenance needs and priorities, in collaboration with Community Centre Associations and Real Estate and Facilities Management.
• Enhance customer service at pools and beaches (Aquatic Services Structural Review and Implementation Plan).
• Activate and diversify use (e.g. artist’s residences, local food, concessions, community partnerships, events, sport development, staff use) of fieldhouses (Fieldhouse Strategy).
• Support sport development while ensuring fair and equitable use between ice rink users and efficient management (Ice Allocation and Management Policy).
• Ensure pools are managed and used in line with Park Board priorities, values and principles (Pool Allocation and Management Policy).
• Provide accessible, welcoming, inclusive and right-sized programs for fitness, aquatics, and arenas by clearly defining services offered and describing an overarching philosophy.
• Promote self-serve admittance while improving accessibility and customer service by installing information and registration kiosks in the lobbies of all major facilities.

Protect and enhance the integrity of foreshores, waterways and beaches. 

Example initiatives:

• Identify marine conservation zones to protect and enhance delicate shoreline ecosystems, including fish spawning areas and bird habitat, and balance this with the  qualities of waterway recreation.
• Increase public access to shorelines and plan for how that access will adapt as sea levels rise by working with City, First Nations, and regional partners to develop policy,
  acquisition and design solutions.
• Create a thriving intertidal zone that supports a biodiverse habitat while protecting the parks and sea wall recreation trails from the impacts of storm surge and sea level rise like erosion (Habitat Sea Wall and Foreshore Areas Plan).

Protect Vancouver's freshwater resources through ecological restoration, green infrastructure, and water conservation.

Example initiatives:

• Identify, acknowledge, uncover, and connect freshwater features, and historic streams, to both help manage and filter stormwater and increase their visibility.
• Reduce potable water use in parks through service review, innovative design, new technologies and increasing the use of recirculating systems.
• Establish principles and a decision-making framework to determine appropriate locations to incorporate green infrastructure, like bioswales and wetlands, in parks to
  create wetland habitat, improve water quality, manage stormwater, and reduce need for irrigation (Water Management in Parks Policy).

Nurture, protect, and connect the city's ecological network and natural areas.

Example initiatives:

• Continue to enhance, nurture, and connect existing natural areas to address impacts of threats like community use, carrying capacity, climate change, and invasive species (among others).
• Establish an integrated approach to managing established and emerging invasive species in parks (Invasive Species Policy).
• Enhance habitat value for pollinators, insects, and birds by improving the soil nutrients and surrounding ecologies with horticultural methods and species selection (Ecological Horticulture Study), and incorporate the findings into the Horticulture Standards Policy.
• Create design and management guidelines for natural areas within parks of various typologies, in collaboration with Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First
  Nations and Operations staff (Naturally Managed Areas Guidelines).
• Identify locations for habitat corridors based on urban wildlife movement, bird flyways, biodiversity hotspots, hidden streams and green infrastructure gaps.
• Provide access to a naturally managed area of at least 0.2 hectres within a 10 minute walk of all residents.
• Implement recommendations of the 2016 Biodiversity Strategy, and update the strategy in advance of 2026.
• Implement recommendations of the 2019 Urban Forest Strategy, and update the strategy in advance of 2029.
• Implement the recommendations of the 2015 Bird Strategy, and update the strategy in advance of 2025.

Cultivate connection to nature through education, programming and stewardship.

Example initiatives:

• Engage residents in fun and easy environmental monitoring, citizen science and environmental education programs to demonstrate the benefits of an ecological
  approach to horticulture and naturally managed spaces in parks.
• Incorporate environmental education and interpretive signage into the park system in collaboration with Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.
• Support environmental stewardship by providing expertise and resources, giving appreciation and recognition, and supplying training capacity building opportunities
  to community stewardship groups and environmental art projects.
• Reflect on successes and lessons learned to inform an update to the 2014 Environmental Education and Stewardship Action Plan, in advance of 2024.

Grow and improve the health of Vancouver's urban forest.

Example initiatives:

• Encourage residents to look after street trees and report their condition to staff (Enhance the Tree Guardians program).
• Increase tree canopy cover in the Equity Initiative Zones, particularly the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, to improve the quality of the urban living environment by
  providing more access to nature, supplying increased shade, and reducing the urban heat island effect.
• Select urban forest species with consideration of location, connectivity, function, habitat, climate change adaptation and Local First Nations Forestry knowledge, species
  selections, and practices (Species Selection Policy).