Small is Mighty
How seemingly small actions and community-led urban biodiversity projects across the country are having a big impact.
City Profile
Vancouver
Vancouver
- At 110 groups, Vancouver reported the most park groups and has the second highest rate of volunteers at about 22 per 1,000 people.
- Vancouver is one of 19% of cities with a standalone biodiversity strategy, one of two cities with a bird strategy, and one of 63% with a citywide park system master plan updated within the last 10 years.
- At 2 hectares of parkland per 1,000 people, Vancouver sits in line with other dense cities such as Montreal and Toronto.
- In 2019, Vancouver released the final report comprising VanPlay—the city’s park master plan that lays out a 25-year vision for parks that prioritizes equity, asset needs, and connectivity.
- The city is investing $4.5 million in upgrading 7 playgrounds, with a focus on risky play and social spaces for all ages.
- Vancouver has started construction on a new $13.8 million downtown park with an elevated walkway and cafe.
Data 2020
2
ha parkland per 1000 people
1262 ha total parkland
38%
of total parkland is natural area
482 total ha
11%
of total city land is parkland
11497 ha of total city area
38
Dog parks
36
Community gardens/urban farms
1.1
Parkland provision goal (ha per 1000 people)¹
21.6
volunteers per 1000 people
1400 total
110
community park groups
No
Policy to waive permit fees for groups with financial need?
Community grant program
$82
Parks operating budget per person
$52,800,000 total²
$143,700,000²
Total parks capital budget
$1,045,710
Total philanthropy/sponsorships
¹This is a citywide target. How this applies to neighbhourhoods and communities is determined using the Parks Asset Target in VanPlay. ²Increase from 2019 due to improvements in data reporting.
Park Master Plans
Environmental Strategies
related Vancouver stories
Connecting the dots
Why habitat corridors are important for urban biodiversity and what cities are doing to make sure parks large and small are connected.
The Space Squeeze
As populations and development boom in many cities, finding space for new parks is creating challenges—and spurring innovation
The New Wave of Parks
Leading examples of projects that use creative measures to expand parkland
Don’t just tick the box—think outside of it
Why community engagement requires going deeper—and broader—to provide meaningful opportunities for people to see themselves reflected.
Power to the People
Park groups of all types are delivering outsize impacts for their communities through collaborative programming—but they need support in order to thrive.
Feed them and they will come
How creative community groups and city support are growing connections through food in parks.
Forging a Different Path
A look at the complexity and lessons learned from striving toward a non-displacement approach to homelessness in Vancouver and Montreal.
Accessibility Beyond Design
Cities and communities are using creative programming, training, and tech-based interventions to make parks inclusive for people of all abilities.
Towards Equitable Parks
How to ensure we are prioritizing equitable park development as part of the COVID-19 recovery
Don't See your City on the List?
Twenty-seven cities participated in this year's report and we hope more will join us next year.
Learn how to participate in 2021