Frequently asked questions
Why was Vancouver invited to be part of this pilot?
UN-Habitat is working with cities from different regions around the world. Vancouver is the only pilot city from Canada or the United States.
Vancouver has a reputation for good quality of life, although it also has many challenges. As a pilot city, Vancouver is being asked to use the data in this survey to inform its policies. This pilot will help update Vancouver's Healthy City Strategy, which has goals to improve quality of life. Vancouver also has experience collecting and analyzing data about quality of life.
Why did the City of Vancouver decide to be part of this pilot project?
Partnering with UN-Habitat on this initiative is a unique opportunity for the City to build data, research capacity, and learn best practices in quality-of-life data collection, analysis and policy; while also contributing to a global UN initiative. It also aligns with Vancouver’s own policy work including the City’s Healthy City Strategy and Council direction to explore alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is no cost to the City of Vancouver to participate.
Why does the City’s Quality of Life Survey ask questions related to services outside of the City’s purview?
Most of the survey questions are designed to create global indicators that have been set by UN-Habitat and are being collected in all of the pilot cities. This includes questions on people’s level of satisfaction with public services that impact their quality of life, such as transportation, education, health care, and more. These services are important to the quality of life of people living in Vancouver even though they are delivered by multiple agencies and levels of government. The survey is not intended to collect specific feedback on the performance of other agencies.
Why are you conducting this survey when many people experience poor quality of life in Vancouver?
City of Vancouver staff and City Council are focused on building a sustainable city where everyone can live, work, and thrive. We recognize there is still a lot of work to be done. This partnership with the UN allows the City to access data, research capacity and peer city support, and learn best practices in quality-of-life data collection, analysis and policy. By hearing from those who face challenges in their quality of life, we can better understand where the City should focus its efforts.