Alberta St. blue green system and Columbia Park renewal

In Phase 3 of the project, we are sharing the recommended concept design for Alberta Street and Columbia Park, and how community feedback received in Phase 2 helped guide the design direction. The recommended concept design for both the street and the park aim to incorporate amenities and features that were identified as priorities by the community through the previous two rounds of engagement.

The recommended concept design includes amenities and design features to improve recreation, habitat biodiversity, rainwater management, access to nature, open green space, and active transportation infrastructure like walking, biking and rolling.

Review the recommended concept design from Phase 3 (PDF 3 MB) and see how input from Phase 2 shaped the design.

How can you get involved:

1. Review the information boards from Phase 3: Recommended concept design (PDF 3 MB)

2. Come see us at a pop-up event

Come out to the project site, meet the project team and see the recommended design concept. Learn how we arrived at the current design and how feedback themes from previous project phases have informed the recommended concept design.

Columbia Park on Saturday April 20, from 11 am to 2 pm

3. Keep in touch

Sign up with your email address to receive project updates.

In spring 2022, we asked the public for their input on what street and park concept design options best reflected the needs of this growing community. The public shared their feedback through an online survey that ran from May 18 to June 8, 2022.

Staff reviewed all survey submissions and analyzed the data to better understand the preferred street and park concept options, desired features and amenities, concerns and questions of the community. This is what we heard from you! Phase 2: Concept options engagement summary report (PDF, 5.5 MB).

A preferred design concept for Alberta Street, West 43rd Avenue and Columbia Park will be developed based on Phase 2 engagement outcomes, stakeholder feedback and further technical analysis. The preferred design concept for Columbia Park will also consider findings from the Park Board Sports Field Strategy (to be completed in 2023).

Stay tuned for updates on our community engagement process by visiting this webpage or signing up for our mailing list.

We want to hear what you think about the concept options for Alberta Street and Columbia Park!

Review the information boards (PDF 82.7 MB) and complete the online survey.

Overview of Columbia Park Concepts:

The renewal of Columbia Park will have areas to manage rainwater and increase trees and planted areas in the park. These features will support birds, pollinators, and other urban wildlife, as well as help mitigate and adapt to climate change. The park redesign will provide a restorative nature experience for people and a chance to see wildlife and native trees and flowers as part of their daily routine. A washroom, walking/rolling paths and a playground will be included in all park upgrade options. However, the options vary in the amount of space dedicated to active sports, flexible open space, and natural planting areas.

Overview of Alberta Street Concepts:

Alberta Street (from West 37th Avenue to 45th Avenue) will be a park-like street that provides a connection for people and urban wildlife between Queen Elizabeth Park and Columbia Park. All the concepts for Alberta Street include more trees and planting areas, improved sidewalks and cycling facilities, access for emergency vehicles, and more places for pedestrians to stop and socialize along the way. There will also be rainwater management within the street to create a blue green system. The street concept options vary in the amount of space dedicated to vehicle drive lanes and parking, as well as how they provide spaces for cycling, rainwater management and planting areas.

How can you get involved

1. Read the project overview and review the concept options for the street and park

Review the information boards (PDF 82.7 MB) that provide a brief project overview, a summary of the results from the first round of engagement, and the concept options for the streets and park.

2. Share your feedback

Tell us what you think about the concept options by completing the online survey by June 8, 2022. Paper copies are available on request, and can be submitted by mail.

Come see us at a pop-up event!

• Thursday, May 26, 2022, at the Langara-49th Ave Skytrain station from 3 to 6 PM
• Saturday, May 28, 2022, at Columbia Park from 11 AM to 2 PM

3. Keep in touch

Sign up with your email address to receive project updates and notices about future opportunities to have your say.

In a natural system, rainwater would be absorbed into the ground, flow into a network of streams or be absorbed and returned to the atmosphere through soils, plants, and trees. Urban development disrupts this natural water cycle. Rainwater flows across pavement and rooftops, picking up pollutants that are then led to our waterways through pipes.

In the neighbourhood surrounding Columbia Park and Alberta St, rainwater and wastewater from our homes are conveyed in one pipe. These combined pipes are too small to accommodate the future multi-family housing and jobs envisioned in the Cambie Corridor Plan and increased rain events due to climate change. Pipe upgrades and better ways to manage rainwater are needed to reduce the risk of flooding and sewer overflows during rain events. Blue green systems will help to maintain or improve the drainage system, while improving the neighbourhoods’ climate resiliency.

A blue green system is a network of connected park-like streets that manage water and land in a way that is inspired by nature and designed to replicate natural functions and provide ecosystem services.

They bring nature into the city, by creating opportunities to capture and clean street contaminants from our rainwater before returning it to our atmosphere, surrounding oceans, and rivers. This approach mitigates the pressure on the pipe system and therefore enables growth while connecting parks and ecological areas with park-like corridors that work with the natural flow of rainwater in the city. These connections can provide opportunities for habitat, biodiversity, rainwater management and amenities to support walking, biking, and rolling.

In fall 2021, we asked the community to share their values and vision for the Alberta St Blue Green System and Columbia Park Renewal project through an online survey that ran from September 23 to October 21, 2021.

Staff reviewed all survey submissions and analyzed the data to better understand the vision, values, desired features and amenities, concerns and questions of the community. This is what we heard from you! Phase 1: Vision and values engagement summary report (PDF, 2.3 MB)

The feedback from Phase 1: vision and values engagement will be used to inform the design of three concept options for the project, including drainage design, new streetscape design and amenities, and park upgrades. In spring 2022, the community will be able to provide feedback and ideas on the concept options to help develop a preferred concept.

Stay tuned for updates on our community engagement process by visiting this webpage or signing up for our mailing list.

The City of Vancouver Green Infrastructure department, with the Vancouver Park Board and CityStudio supported UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture students to explore design proposals for an urban public park for their design studio class. The project addressed issues of accessibility and inclusivity to improve health, ecology & social connection.

The site chosen for the project was Columbia Park with many interesting and creative ideas proposed by the students (please note that these ideas are being shared to inspire and may not be feasible to implement).

Check our their work featured on the UBC SALA student blog: Inclusive Park – Sensing Landscape / Inclusive Design (ubc.ca)

The Alberta St Blue Green Systems and Colombia Park Project have a set of information boards (PDF 35.3 MB) that provide a brief project overview and important background information. You can click on the link here or find them under the "Document" section.