Resilient Vancouver

Key areas of focus

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  Thriving and prepared neighbourhoods

  How to help communities share knowledge, contribute to decision making, and collectively prepare for and recover from both shocks and stresses.

  Activities include

  • Establishing Neighbourhood Living Labs which encourage residents, businesses, and community groups to design and test ideas about resilience in their own communities
  • Supporting the creation of a community-led Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Disaster Response and Recovery planning process. This is aimed at improving support for vulnerable groups facing ongoing challenges and extreme events. 
  • Engaging artists to explore and inspire creative solutions to various city complex challenges
  • Expanding the Resilient Neighbourhood Program and Toolkit through neighbourhood grant program. This is aimed at providing a framework to collaborate with community-based organizations and other partners on resilience initiatives.
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  Proactive and collaborative government

  Our strategy addresses how to achieve resilience through various collaborations, and how to change systems in the city that make people vulnerable.

  Activities include

  • Applying the UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction Framework to align with partners and embed leading practice
  • Implementing state-of-the-art hazard modelling tools to reduce risk through land-use, zoning, and urban design
  • Deepening our understanding of the experiences of diverse women* in climate change and disasters (*including trans*, gender-diverse, 2-spirit people and cis women)
  • Creating a regulatory framework for equitable post-disaster redevelopment in Vancouver
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  Adaptive buildings and infrastructure

  How to improve building performance in case of an earthquake, and to upgrade facilities including water services and flood prevention.

  Activities include

  • Formalizing a cross-departmental Resilient Buildings governance model
  • Completing a seismic risk assessment and engaging stakeholders to identify and evaluate risk reduction and policy options
  • Exploring options to accelerate upgrades or redevelopment for civic buildings critical to community response and recovery
  • Mapping and designing a resilient lifeline infrastructure network

Guiding principles

Through input from stakeholders, we developed a set of guiding principles that provide a framework for the Resilient Vancouver strategy.

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  Reconciliation

  As Vancouver is on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓ íl̓ witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, who have lived here for millennia, it's essential that we continue to build reciprocal relationships recognizing their generous and resilient cultures and take direction from them.

  Vancouver’s reconciliation journey is just beginning, and this work is linked to resilience in our community.

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  Equity and intersectionality 

  The impacts of shocks and stresses are not equal for all people. Systems of oppression like colonization, racism, sexism, and classism are stresses that impact people on a daily basis, and these power systems are amplified in the context of shocks.

  Truly advancing resilience means elevating and supporting people within our community that are most at risk and have been systematically excluded from power structures for generations. We can do this by prioritizing equity and intersectionality in all of our work.

  Moving forward, as Vancouver’s equity framework evolves, we'll revisit and reassess our work, and integrate emerging principles and accountability mechanisms.

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  Sustainability

  Social, economic, and environmental sustainability are long-term values that are championed through a range of city strategies and initiatives.

  Our ability to withstand shocks in the future relies on the:

  • Health and well-being of current and future generations
  • Maintenance and regeneration of natural systems
  • Mitigation of climate change
  • Protection of biodiversity
  • Inclusive economic development

  Initiatives to enhance resilience must abide by the principle of sustainability and vice-versa.

  Vancouver has a strong foundation to build on this regard, and must continue to lead, act and advocate for bold innovation and action towards social, environmental and economic sustainability.

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  Recovery

  Our first priority as government is protecting and facilitating the health, wellness, and safety of the residents and visitors to our city.

  Recovery means moving beyond a focus on response and survival in the face of shocks and stresses. It means planning and designing physical and social systems and structures that are flexible, adaptive, and redundant enough to bounce back when they experience shocks, and intentionally planning to regenerate and ‘build back better’ when crises occur.

  A focus on recovery includes post event planning as well as investment in mitigation that minimizes the impact of shocks and alleviates chronic stresses.

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  Reciprocity

  This is a strategy built on partnerships. It has been supported by local knowledge and global networks. Strong, trusting relationships and diverse perspectives are central to solving tough problems.

  The City of Vancouver has convening power and influence, which we can and should leverage to support reciprocal partnerships that amplify resilience efforts.

  In our relationships and engagements, we must avoid simply extracting knowledge, but instead use these opportunities to build the capacity of our community, and recognize and value the resources contributed by many groups and individuals to make our city a better place.

Documents

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  Reports

  • A city for all summit report PDF file (3.5 MB)
  • Phase one engagement report PDF file (1.7 MB)
  • Preliminary resilient assessment PDF file (4.5 MB)
  • Resilient Vancouver Strategy PDF file (11 MB)
  • Sharing our stories in resilience PDF file (4 MB)
  • Shaping resiliency PDF file (1.8 MB)
  • Vancouver Economic workshop commission report PDF file (330 KB)