Why we need a plan for this area

A long-term plan will help address the pressures facing the West End waterfront while creating new opportunities to experience and enjoy the area over the next 30 years. Learn more about the challenges and opportunities.

• |

• 

  Public life

  The West End waterfront offers a variety of spaces, such as beaches, fields, and public art, and hosts events like the Celebration of Light and Pride. As demand for parks increases, upgrades to facilities like changing rooms and washrooms are needed, and there are limited weather-protected areas.
  
  A long-term plan will help to address these needs and accommodate more use and visits to the area through:

  • Adaptable and multifunctional spaces that are able to accommodate growing use and population
  • Opportunities to extend or blur park boundaries between the park and other areas to create more park space
  • Infrastructure and spaces that accommodate different uses, adapt to changing weather through the seasons, and are better able to adapt to climate change 
• 

  Moving around 

  In the next 30 years, as our city and region grow, demand for travel to the West End waterfront will increase. To ensure accessibility for all, we need efficient, healthy, and sustainable modes of transportation. Although the area has a multi-modal transportation network, there are limited north-south walking and cycling connections, space constraints, and limited transit service. Also, not all destinations and facilities are equally accessible.

  A long-term plan will improve access, mobility, and on-site accessibility, so everyone can enjoy the West End waterfront area.

  The plan aims to:

  • Provide safe, comfortable, and accessible connections for walking, cycling, and transit to and through the area, and reduce conflicts on major paths and roadways
  • Increase universal accessibility to and through the area including on sand and to and on the water
  • Accommodate transportation needs of larger community events, festivals, and celebration
  • Support improved end-of-trip cycling facilities such as bike parking
  • Support loading and delivery options for local businesses and residents
• 

  Adapting to climate change and sea level rise

  The West End waterfront is experiencing and preparing for the impacts of climate change, including higher temperatures, drought, storm events, and rising sea levels.

  Over the next 80 years, sea levels are expected to rise by 1.2 metres, with more frequent coastal storm surges. Higher temperatures and prolonged drought are also affecting residents and visitors, especially seniors.

  We want to ensure this plan uses a sustainable approach so the area can be enjoyed by both present and future generations.

  Strategies for creating a more resilient waterfront could include:

  • Creating more space for intertidal environments as sea levels rise over time
  • Creating offshore habitat islands to reduce wave action and erosion along the waterfront
  • Designing temporarily floodable, multi-purpose spaces
  • Expanding the urban forest and tree canopy to provide more shade and cooling
  • Learning about traditional approaches and methods to adapt to climate change from the Host Nations 
• 

  Reconciliation

  English Bay and Sunset Beach, commonly known as the West End waterfront, is part of the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), collectively referred to as "Host Nations." It is a place of great cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance to them and a key amenity for Vancouver's urban Indigenous residents.
  
  Since colonial settlement and occupation in the mid-1800s, existing villages were displaced and destroyed, and the Host Nations' use, occupation, and access to the lands and waters have been interrupted. The area has been ecologically harmed and dramatically altered by colonial development, resulting in lost or damaged traditional harvesting and gathering sites.
  
  The West End waterfront planning process aims to return visibility and voice of the Host Nations on these lands, and to share their history, culture, and status as Aboriginal rights and title holders with the general public. This may include:

  • Visible acknowledgments of Indigenous territory in a variety of forms including design and parks features
  • Restoring Indigenous place names and language presence, as led by the Host Nations
  • Incorporating Coast Salish design and art in new facilities, wayfinding, and other features
  • Providing access and space for Indigenous traditional cultural practice
  • Working with the Host Nations to use both western and Indigenous expertise on ecological planning