Vancouver Plan: Complete Neighbourhoods

The spring 2021 engagement workshops and survey for Complete, Connected Neighbourhoods have now wrapped up. A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who participated in our various engagement activities from February to June. We are now analysing the input we received, and will share back the results in the upcoming weeks.

How can we make Vancouver’s neighbourhoods more complete, connected and culturally vibrant for everyone? To answer this question, we need to understand your priorities. Our Complete Neighbourhoods survey invites you to look to the future and envision the neighbourhood you would like to live in. What would you want to see included? A greater diversity of housing? More shops and services? Different types of public space? The ability to walk to everything you need, and leave the car at home?

As we plan for the future, we’re looking for your input on what changes can be made across the city to support a network of complete, connected neighbourhoods. Have your say via our new survey. There’s a short questionnaire if you only have 5 minutes, and a longer one if you’re willing to spend a bit more time.

UPDATE: The deadline for the Understanding Priorities survey is extended until June 15, 2021.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTE: Translated versions of the survey are available in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Spanish.

BONUS: Participants who complete the longer Understanding Priorities survey will be entered in a random draw. Three $150 Support Local BC gift cards are available to be won.

Our second set of My City My Neighbourhood online mapping workshops is now complete. Following an initial set of mapping activities in March 2021, we added three additional sessions in late April/early May that allowed participants to create a digital map of places they use and love: favourite shops and cafes, cultural centres, parks, and any other important spots. Staff are currently reviewing input received through the mapping workshops. A synopsis of these and other Complete Neighbourhoods engagement activities will be available shortly.

Close your eyes and imagine the future…what would a typical day be like in a complete neighbourhood? How would it look and feel? What would it mean to have more housing, shops and public spaces close by? What sorts of things would make for better neighbourly connections? What sorts of connections to the city at large would you like to see?

In April 2021, the Complete Neighbourhoods team held a series of six Sketching the Future workshops. Participants at these sessions worked in small groups with a skilled illustrator to sketch out possibilities for future complete neighbourhoods – rendering ideas into images and working collaboratively to map out key opportunities for change.

The workshops focused on identifying opportunities for positive change and transformation to support more affordable, diverse and sustainable neighbourhoods across the city, with attention given to identifying general opportunities in low density neighbourhoods. A BIG thank you to everyone who participated in these sessions. Staff are currently reviewing input received through this process and will be sharing back a summary of these and other Complete Neighbourhoods engagement activities shortly. Stay tuned!

A BIG thank you to all the participants who joined us at one of our recent My City My Neighbourhood mapping workshops. Six sessions were held between March 10 and March 22. Participants at the events each worked to create a digital map of places they use and love: favourite shops and cafes, cultural centres, parks, and other spots that are important. In addition to mapping out daily and weekly needs across the city, attendees had a chance to share input on their neighbourhoods, pinpointing the things that make their respective parts of Vancouver unique, and the features that help to shape the experience of living there.

Results from these and other aspects of the Complete Neighbourhoods spring engagement will be available in a few weeks. Stay tuned!

1. A complete neighbourhood has all of your essential needs within close proximity to one another, and supports the needs of all residents in a community, regardless of income, culture, background or abilities. Think: diverse housing options, a mix of shops and services, alongside childcare facilities, libraries, galleries and recreation centres – linked by lively pathways, parks and plazas.
2. A complete neighbourhood supports the well-being, needs and dignity of people of all ages, identities, backgrounds and abilities. It is about strengthening social connections and networks, while also creating better opportunities for everyone to thrive, and lead better lives. A complete neighbourhood is a place of neighbours - friends, family, workers… long time residents and the new folks that just moved in down the street.
3. A city of complete neighbourhoods offers safe connections, convenient walking, rolling and biking routes, and easy transit access to key destinations – whether it’s work, school, healthcare, a wander along on the seawall, or a night out on the town. It’s about the city as a mosaic of connected, unique places.

So what exactly is a “Complete Neighbourhood”? We use the term to refer to a neighbourhood where you will find:

• A variety of livable, dignified housing options – including homes of varying sizes to serve the needs of individuals, families and households large and small; non-ownership options to support the needs of renters, owners, co-op and co-housing members; and a variety of types of buildings – such as apartments, duplexes, and townhouses.
• Shops and services – ensuring grocery stores, coffee shops and corner stores, pharmacies, restaurants, and other things that enable people to access their daily and weekly needs. It also means enabling more accessible goods and services for the city’s diverse communities.
• Social, cultural and recreational amenities – providing key services, such as schools, childcare and playgrounds, health services, seniors programs, settlement services, neighbourhood houses and community gardens. It also includes cultural venues and public art. The needs of each neighbourhood will vary, but the need to ensuring that residents are looked after fairly and equitably does not.
• Public spaces – including parks, plazas, and other gathering areas that will safely support the needs and comfort of the city’s full diversity of residents. This means trees and natural areas, seating, bathrooms and water fountains, diverse programs, individual and community activities – from picnics to quiet walks, from hopscotch to pickle ball, patios, cultural activities, and community markets.
• Safe, direct and convenient connections – including pathways and sidewalks, greenways and bike routes and easy access to reliable public transit. It means making sure travel to and through our neighbourhoods prioritizes walking, rolling and biking – and is comfortable and enjoyable for all ages, identities, backgrounds and abilities.

It is clear that some neighbourhoods are more complete than others. Some areas of the city are well-served by connections, while others are not. Some have different types of housing, but no stores close by. Other areas have a decent mix of stores, but don’t provide a good mix of housing, sufficient community services or public spaces. Still other areas have limited housing options, limited shops, and limited services.

Planning for complete neighbourhoods is an opportunity to strengthen all areas of the city – for the benefit of everyone.