Healthy City Strategy

Vision and foundations of a healthy city

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• Strategy vision: A healthy city for all

  What is a healthy city for all

  A city where we collectively create and continually improve the conditions that foster health, well-being, and equity for everyone, especially those who experience barriers.

• Strategy foundation: Healthy people, communities, and environments

  Our definition of health recognizes the connections between the health of people, communities, and environments. These concepts draw attention to: 

  • People are healthy when they have the resources to meet their needs, including not only basic health needs like food, water, and shelter but also a sense of meaning, purpose, and ability to plan for a positive future.
  • Communities are healthy when people can come together to meet shared goals.
    • Communities include any group that people may want to belong to: chosen or given families, neighbours, cultural communities, virtual communities.
    • Being part of healthy communities benefits individual health, and people’s individual health gives them the capacity to shape their communities. 
  • Environments are healthy when the physical, social, and economic surroundings support healthy people and communities.
    • This includes the health of the lands and waters that Vancouver is built on.
    • Mitigating and adapting to a changing climate is an important part of building a healthy city.

• Strategy lenses: Our commitments

  The strategy is guided by 3 lenses that reflect key commitments we've made:

  • Indigenous rights and reconciliation 
  • Equity and intersectionality 
  • Accessibility and inclusion 

  These lenses shape all aspects of the strategy and help make sure these commitments are incorporated into each of the strategy’s goals.

Our goals for a healthy city

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• Good health throughout life

  This goal focuses on supporting people to thrive through all stages of life, becoming a city for all ages, identities, abilities, and needs.

  • People’s identities, relationships, needs, and levels of independence develop and change throughout life.

  A focus on children and youth can shape the whole life course, while a growing population of older persons presents changing needs for access to spaces, infrastructure, and services.

  How we contribute to good health throughout life

  • Provide direct services in community centres and libraries
  • Facilitate growth in childcare spaces through planning and development
  • Support organizations that support children, youth, and older persons (example: grants)
  • Plan for accessible, age-inclusive communities
  • Convene and engage sectors and individuals to identify needs

• Affordable, safe, secure housing

  Housing is a basic need for everyone, but also one of the biggest challenges Vancouver faces.

  • Many people are unhoused or in precarious housing situations.
  • Many more have housing but struggle with unaffordability and insecurity for the future.
  • Others cannot find housing that meets their needs in a neighbourhood they want to live in.

  All of these challenges have direct impacts on people’s health and well-being, and on the sustainability of the city’s diverse communities.

  How we contribute to affordable, safe, secure housing 

  • Set targets for housing that respond to provincial legislation and needs across the city
  • Facilitate the creation of new housing through citywide and neighbourhood planning and development processes
  • Protect existing affordable housing through tenant support policies
  • Direct delivering non-market and market housing on City-owned land
  • Provide services, supports, and pathways to secure housing for people experiencing homelessness

• Food systems

  Food is a basic human right and a critical determinant of health. The lands and waters of Vancouver have sustained communities since time immemorial, and the region has substantial food production. But many people in the city lack access to healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food.

  • A just food system addresses these gaps while respecting cultural and ecological diversity, tackling food insecurity, strengthening food networks, and making sure food environments reflect all communities.

  How we contribute to food systems

  • Engage communities and building knowledge of access to food
  • Facilitate and support growth in food assets like markets or community gardens
  • Embed food security and access into land-use and policy planning
  • Support projects to advance Indigenous food sovereignty and resilience
  • Build community resilience by integrating food security into emergency preparedness
  • Develop regulations that prevent food waste

• Care and support networks

  Community, health, and social services build people’s capacity and connections with others. They fill gaps in well-being created by other systems, and they help people and communities prepare for emergencies and challenges.

  Vancouver benefits from a public health system and a rich ecosystem of community services. But more work is needed to meet all people’s needs.

  How we contribute to care and support networks

  • Support community-serving organizations to serve people experiencing inequity and build community capacity (example: through grants)
  • Integrate social infrastructure into planning and development processes
  • Support Indigenous-led services and programs through funding and partnerships
  • Respond to public health issues related to mental health and substance use with a multi-level approach of harm reduction, treatment, prevention, and enforcement

• Income and economy 

  Income in Vancouver is inequitably distributed, and many people struggle to meet a high cost of living, resulting in significant health impacts.

  Our economy is built on many successful businesses and sectors that create opportunity.

  • Sustainable economic growth requires continued focus on both supporting people to access adequate incomes and allowing the business sector to thrive.

  How we contribute to income and economy

  • Deliver programs that support improvements in business areas
  • Streamline processes such as commercial renovation permits
  • Leverage our procurement to support Indigenous-led projects
  • Engage with industry partners to address issues impacting local business
  • Facilitate major development projects that support economic development
  • Create local and low-barrier employment through our programs and policies
  • Engage communities and other levels of government on barriers to doing business, poverty, and inequity

• Community safety

  Safety is fundamental to health and well-being. Safety includes freedom from violence and discrimination, and also people’s confidence that they can be treated with respect, bring their full identities into the city, and feel that the city is built to include them.

  • Inequities in health, compounded by the impacts of health emergencies, have made some challenges with community safety more acute.

  This goal focuses on building a shared experience and sense of safety among all the diverse people in Vancouver.

  How we contribute to community safety

  • Provide core public safety services including policing, fire and rescue services, by-law enforcement, and park rangers
  • Support and work with organizations, programs, and services that promote community safety through grants and partnerships
  • Engage people in equity-denied communities to identify and address systemic barriers created by our programs and services
  • Create and manage public spaces that are safe, inclusive, and accessible

• Belonging and connection 

  A sense of belonging is a foundation for personal mental health, engaging with the community, and participating in society.

  • Social connections can take many forms, from casual connections to participating in events or finding in-person or virtual communities, but they all contribute to a healthier city.

  This goal focuses on creating the conditions for people to belong and to contribute to the shared future of the city.

  How we contribute to belonging and connection

  • Engage residents and communities in our planning and decision-making
  • Provide programs and services in libraries, community centres, cultural facilities, and civic spaces that bring people together
  • Identify and protect community-serving spaces through land use planning
  • Create public spaces and supporting events and festivals
  • Form partnerships with and supporting (example: grants) community services organizations that build community connection and belonging in neighbourhoods or with specific age groups or cultural communities in the city

• Active living

  Physical activity, access to different forms of recreation, and connection with the natural environment are key assets for health in Vancouver, but not everyone has access to these benefits.

  • Physical activity has direct impacts on individual health and is also an important way for people to connect with each other.
  • Access to nature is essential to well-being.

  This goal focuses on ensuring everyone in the city has equitable access parks, nature, and recreation opportunities.

  How we contribute to active living

  • Provide recreation infrastructure, programming, and services in community centres, and programs to reduce barriers to access
  • Maintain, renew, and expand parks and recreation infrastructure to meet the needs of the population
  • Expand tree canopy and green infrastructure in public spaces

• Arts, culture, and learning

  Culture is a core determinant of health. Participating in arts and culture helps people learn about and celebrate each other’s communities, cultures, and experiences.

  • Opportunities to learn from Indigenous Nations and communities in the city benefit everyone’s connection to these lands and waters.
  • Education and all forms of learning is essential to democratizing knowledge and information, giving people tools for their own development and supporting contributions to the broader community.

  How we contribute to arts, culture, and learning

  • Provide opportunities for information and learning through library spaces, collections, resources, and programs
  • Operate civic theatres as spaces for connection with arts and culture
  • Support artists and cultural organizations and programs through grant programs
  • Facilitate use of parks and public spaces for expression, connection, and enjoyment
  • Expand the visible presence of arts and culture across the city, including partnerships to increase representation of Indigenous culture

• Sustainable transportation

  Moving around the city is essential to accessing all the opportunities the city provides.

  • Transportation systems and choices can also have negative impacts on health.
  • Active transportation, including walking, wheeling, cycling, and riding public transit, is both a healthy choice and part of building a more equitable community.

  This goal focuses on continuing to encourage, promote, and prioritize active ways of getting around the city.

  How we contribute to sustainable transportation

  • Support active choices though land use that puts people closer to daily destinations
  • Promote low-carbon transportation options as part of broader climate action
  • Upgrade and expanding walking and cycling infrastructure to improve safety and access to nature, public spaces, and daily destinations for people of all ages and abilities
  • Invest in transportation programs that incentivize walking, cycling, and transit through training, promotions, events, or programming
  • Improve road safety through street design, regulations, and education campaigns
  • Embed health promotion into transportation planning for activity and well-being

• Complete neighbourhoods

  Compact, complete neighbourhoods support strong local economies, build positive social connections, create opportunities for active living, and reduce environmental impacts.

  • Vancouver is known for its vibrant communities, but not all parts of the city are equally walkable or complete.

  This goal focuses on continuing to build neighbourhoods that include access to services, housing, employment, parks, recreation, and social infrastructure.

  How we contribute to complete neighbourhoods

  • Plan sustainable, compact, and mixed-use neighbourhoods with diverse housing, parks, employment, and services to create complete communities
  • Provide development and land use guidelines for livable, walkable neighborhoods
  • Create safe, accessible, inclusive, and vibrant public spaces 
  • Facilitate and supporting space for social, cultural, and childcare services
  • Expand green infrastructure projects that promote sustainability and well-being

• Climate change and disaster resilience

  Climate change is having substantial impacts on Vancouver, along with hazards and emergencies that challenge the city’s resilience.

  • Risks in Vancouver include earthquakes, flooding, extreme heat, poor air quality, and others.
  • These emergencies disproportionately impact people in equity-denied communities with fewer resources to respond.
  • Vancouver has a long legacy of work on environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation, and disaster and risk reduction.

  This goal focuses on addressing climate change while supporting people and communities to thrive.

  How we contribute to climate change and disaster resilience

  • Advance our actions that contribute to addressing climate change
  • Develop policies and regulations to reduce emissions and build resilience in buildings and infrastructure
  • Expand tree canopy and green spaces
  • Minimize the environmental impact of our operations and services
  • Respond to emergencies and disasters, supporting residents, and maintaining services through grants, resources, and partnerships

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• Healthy City strategies

  • Healthy City Strategy: 2026 update PDF file (2.2 MB)
  • Healthy City Strategy Phase 2 Four-Year Action Plan - 2015 to 2018 PDF file (5.1 MB)
  • Healthy City Strategy Phase 1 Action Plan - 2014 to 2025 PDF file (6.3 MB)

• Previous Healthy City updates

  2024

  City Council approves refresh of Healthy City Strategy

  April 9, 2024 – City Council approved a refresh of Vancouver’s Healthy City Strategy. Council directed staff to report back with recommendations for the updated Healthy City strategic framework later in 2024 or 2025.

  Review the report PDF file (151 KB)

  2023

  Vancouver wins first-ever Partnership for Healthy City Dashboard

  March 16, 2023 - We were a proud recipient of a 2023 Partnership for Healthy Cities Award for our efforts to address the root causes of health inequities experienced by people in Vancouver. The City received $150,000 USD in funding to further Healthy City work.

  Review the news release

  2017

  City calls for program ideas to mitigate the effects of the overdose crisis

  May 25, 2017 – In our efforts to mitigate the effects of the overdose crisis, we called for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from organizations with innovative program ideas who needed funding in order to implement their initiatives. We used our 2017 Contingency Budget for the Opioid Crisis to fund the projects.

  Review EOI guidelines PDF file (298 KB)

  Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Addictions transition to new Urban Health Leaders Action Council

  February 21, 2017 – The Mayor’s Task Force on Mental Health and Additions provided its final report to City Council. Council approved a number of grants to respond to mental health and addictions needs, and to create an Urban Health Leaders Action Council integrating mental health and addictions efforts with the Healthy City for All Leadership Table.

  • Download the Council report PDF file (414 KB)
  • Review the presentation to Council PDF file (3 MB)

  Healthy City Action Plan Progress

  February 21, 2017 – City Council received an interim update on Healthy City trends and pressures and action taken to date.

  Review the presentation to Council PDF file (4.3 MB)

  2016

  Council approves $1 million contribution to St. Paul’s Mental Health Hub

  November 1, 2016 – We approved a $1,000,000 Innovation Fund grant to St. Paul’s Foundation for a Mental Health Hub, in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence Health Care, and Vancouver Police Foundation. The hub included new clinical care beds and a transitional care centre to provide support and referrals.

  • Review the Council report PDF file (113 KB)
  • Review the presentation to Council PDF file (1.6 MB)

  Fentanyl crisis update

  September 21, 2016 – Council received updates from Vancouver Coastal Health on the number of fentanyl deaths and overdoses, and measures being taken to increase first responder awareness and access to Naloxone.

  Review the presentation to Council PDF file (557 KB)

  City of Vancouver commits to become a living wage employer

  September 21, 2016 – We unanimously committed to a plan to implement a living wage policy for staff and contractors at the City, with a report back on certification process by July 2017.

  • Review the Council report PDF file (168 KB)
  • Review the presentation to Council PDF file (1.1 MB)

  New Start: A Strategy for Immigrants & Refugees in Vancouver

  September 21, 2016 – Council received an update from the Vancouver Immigration Partnership on the New Start strategy, identifying priority actions to enhance newcomers’ access to services; to strengthen intercultural and civic engagement; to build welcoming and inclusive workplaces; and to support governments and public institutions addressing needs.

  Review the presentation to Council PDF file (1.2 MB)

  School food update

  September 21, 2016 – Council received an update on school meals program provisions and granted an additional year of funding ($80,000) to Strathcona Community Centre Association’s community breakfast program.

  • Review the Council report PDF file (355 KB)
  • Review the presentation to Council PDF file (470 MB)

  Unveiling of the West End Sex Workers Memorial

  September 16, 2016 – The West End Sex Workers Memorial Committee, with support from the City, unveiled a memorial lamp post to honour the lives of sex workers in the West End who were adversely affected by municipal actions taken in the mid-1980s.

  Healthy City Strategy implementation update

  June 15, 2016 – Council received updates on the Healthy City Strategy and approved investments in projects related to 9 Healthy City goals, including a mental health hub at St. Paul’s Hospital.

  • Review the meeting agenda
  • Review the staff report PDF file (326 MB)
  • Review the Fentanyl Crisis: Public Health Emergency Response presentation PDF file (439 KB)
  • Review the Innovation Fund Recommendations to support Healthy City Strategy Action Plan (2015-2018) Implementation presentation PDF file (6.4 MB)
  • Review the Mental Health Hub Project presentation PDF file (660 KB)

  2015

  Vancouver moves forward with Healthy City Strategy Phase 2 Action Plan

  July 8, 2015 – Council approved the first four-year action plan for the Healthy City Strategy. The action plan sets out 19 high-priority actions for the City and partners to undertake from 2015 to 2018 to make progress on the goals of A Healthy City for All. Council also directed us to report back on progress in 2017

  • Review the Council report PDF file (1 MB)
  • Review the staff presentation to Council PDF file (6.8 MB)

  City of Vancouver recognized for excellence in planning

  June 19, 2015 – We won gold for the Healthy City Strategy from the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC) as part of their 2015 Awards of Excellence in Planning

  Healthy City Strategy Phase 2 Action Plan finishes development

  Spring – We completed development of Phase 2 of the Healthy City Strategy.

  2014

  Council approves Healthy City Strategy Phase 1

  October 29, 2014 – Council approved A Healthy City for All: Healthy City Strategy 2014-2025 Phase 1. The first phase of the strategy sets out a vision, principles, long term goals, targets, and indicators. Staff will report back to Council with Phase 2, the first four-year action plan, in 2015.

  • Review Healthy City Strategy Phase 1 Action Plan - 2014 to 2025 PDF file (6.1 MB)
  • Review the staff presentation to Council PDF file (4.8 MB)

  2014 fact sheets

  • Goal 1: A good start PDF file (3.1 MB)
  • Goal 2: A home for everyone PDF file (2.3 MB)
  • Goal 3: Feeding ourselves well PDF file (1.4 MB)
  • Goal 4: Healthy human services PDF file (1.9 MB)
  • Goal 5: Making ends meet and working well PDF file (2.2 MB)
  • Goal 6: Being and feeling safe and included PDF file (1.2 MB)
  • Goal 7: Cultivating connections PDF file (1.3 MB)
  • Goal 8: Active living and getting outside PDF file (3 MB)
  • Goal 9: Lifelong learning PDF file (1 MB)
  • Goal 10: Expressing ourselves PDF file (1.4 MB)
  • Goal 11: Getting around PDF file (1.9 MB)
  • Goal 12: Environments to thrive in PDF file (2.3 MB)

  Talk Healthy City for All on Breakfast Television

  July 23-25, 2014 – We held a Talk Healthy City for All forum on City TV Breakfast Television from July 23 to 25. Listeners could tune in, learn about the goals, and share their ideas. Afterwards, the forum reopened until August 2.

  Review the ideas shared on our Talk Healthy City for All forum PDF file (398 KB)

  Healthy City Strategy Phase 1 Action Plan draft complete

  June 2015 – We completed a draft of Phase 1 of the Healthy City Strategy.

  Talk Healthy City for All: Round Two

  June 6, 2014 – Hundreds of ideas were shared since we launched Talk Healthy City for All on April 24. 9 first-round winners were sent to the Social Innovation Exchange Ideas Festival and the THNK Creative Leadership Workshop on May 30.

  Healthy People, Healthy Places

  June 6, 2014 – We partnered with Vancouver Coastal Health to host a summit called Healthy People, Healthy Places. People from across the Lower Mainland presented ideas, engaged in dialogue, and shared knowledge on planning and designing communities for greater health and well-being. We focused on 3 key opportunities: active transportation and walkability, community and neighbourhood planning, and the Broadway corridor.

  Update on Talk Healthy City for All presented to Council

  May 14, 2014 – Staff presented an update on Talk Healthy City for All, the public engagement on the Healthy City Strategy where you could share bold and innovative ideas for reaching the Healthy City Strategy targets by 2025.

  Review the presentation to Council PDF file (965 KB)

  Host your own Healthy City for All Ideas Lab with our kits

  May 13, 2014 – We offered Do-It-Yourself kits for people to host conversations around Healthy City for All. The kits contained materials that would encourage participants to develop bold and innovative ideas for reaching our targets.

  Recap of #HealthyCity4All Twitter chats on Storify

  May 9, 2014 – Since launching Talk Healthy City for All on April 24, we held several #HealthyCity4All Twitter chats to get people thinking about goals of the Healthy City Strategy. We discussed topics like lifelong learning, cultivating connections, and making ends meet.

  Talk Healthy City for All

  April 24, 2014 – We conducted an engagement process called Talk Healthy City for All, where people had the opportunity to share ideas on ways to achieve the Healthy City Strategy goals and targets. We aimed to build understanding of and support for the Healthy City Strategy, gather innovative ideas, and encourage residents and organizations to take action.

  DTES Social Impact Assessment (SIA)

  February 26, 2014 – With help from the SIA Reference Group, we prepared a Social Impact Assessment (SIA). The SIA was part of the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan Process to examine how future developments and land use changes could affect the low-income community in the area. The SIA was meant to identify impacts before any development was implemented to help maximize the positive effects on a community while minimizing the negative.

  • Download the Social Impact Assessment PDF file (10 MB)
  • Review the local area profile PDF file (12 MB)

  New award recognizes leadership in making Vancouver a healthier city

  February 21, 2014 – We launched the inaugural Awards of Excellence, a new awards program recognizing outstanding civic achievements. Award categories included the Healthy City for All Award, which paid tribute to outstanding leadership by an individual or organization in working towards creating a healthier city.

  Learn more about the Awards of Excellence

  City supports "A GP for Me" initiative

  February 19, 2014 – We supported an initiative by the BC Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC to help you find family doctors and support patient-doctor relationships.