The City of Vancouver will be hosting a booth at Mount Pleasant Day Sunday, June 4^th 10am to 2pm to present the planting design concept for the St George Rainway and get your input on selecting community plants for the Rainway. The design of the Rainway planting has been informed by what we heard during the previous phases of engagement.

Come out to see how your comments have influenced the planting design for the Rainway and join us for some green rainwater infrastructure (GRI) activities, including:

seed bomb making; and

GRI themed snakes and ladders.

Event Details

Location: Mount Pleasant Elementary School, 2300 Guelph Street, Vancouver, Canada, V5T 3P1

Date: Sunday, June 4^th 2023

Time: 10am to 2pm

Green Rainwater Infrastructure uses nature (and engineering!) to help capture, convey and clean polluted urban rainwater runoff. These systems can also provide many environmental and social benefits to a community, like increased biodiversity. The Rainway proposed for St. George Street between Broadway and E 5th Ave will use plants and soils in a series of rain gardens to help manage polluted rainwater. This newly added green corridor will provide important food sources and habitat for a variety of wildlife, including pollinators, birds, small mammals, and insects.

The City of Vancouver wants to quantify the changes in biodiversity along the St. George Rainway by measuring species before and after the Rainway is built. In 2022, we hosted a series of citizen science campaigns to measure the baseline biodiversity conditions along St. George Street. Using the application iNaturalist, we collected data on the existing birds, plants, trees, insects, and mammals that currently use St. George Street.

We are excited to share the current state of biodiversity on the Rainway and a series of recommendations on we can build off the Rainway design to further encourage biodiversity in this report back: https://syc.vancouver.ca/projects/st-george-rainway/st-george-rainawy-2022-bioblitz-report-back.pdf

Contribute to the iNaturalist Project

Biodiversity observations can be added any time to the St. George Rainway Biodiversity Project on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/st-george-rainway-biodiversity

We have created some resources to help you join the project and learn how to make an observation on iNaturalist.

iNaturalist also has some local guidebooks to help you identify local plants, trees, birds and animals.

• Birds of Vancouver Guide
• Flora of the Lower Mainland Guide
• Animals of the Lower Mainland Guide
• Learning to identify trees of the Pacific North-west

In November 2021, we presented 4 street layout and 3 green rainwater infrastructure concept designs for the St. George Rainway and asked you to tell us your preferences.

The preferred street layout option was Option 1: Car-free space at Broadway and between 6th Ave. and 7th Ave.

The preferred green rainwater infrastructure concept was Concept A: Flow

The options presented in fall 2021 are shared in the engagement results.

Final Concept Design

Using your feedback, the City of Vancouver has developed a final Rainway concept design that reflects the vision, values and ideas shared by the community. Street space is being re-allocated to support rainwater management, urban nature, and improved opportunities to walk, bike and roll.

St. George Street between Broadway and the lane will be closed to vehicle traffic. A new public plaza is proposed in this space with seating areas and public artwork created by Engineering Artist-in-residence Holly Schmidt	St. George Street between 6th and 7th avenue will be a car-free space. This area will provide added green space, small seating areas, and outdoor learning opportunities.	St. George Street between 8th to 7th Ave., and 6th to 5th Ave. will change to one way vehicle traffic southbound. A two-way local bikeway to be added to St. George Street between E 6th Ave. and Broadway.

See all the details by checking out our design boards:

• All boards
• Background
• Final design concept
• Design details
• Next Steps

How did we do?

We will be collecting feedback on the final concept design though a survey, available online from April 1- April 30.

This will be the final chance for the community to comment on the St. George Rainway design. Feedback from this phase will be incorporated into a detailed design, with construction of the Rainway anticipated to start in early 2023.

Join City of Vancouver and community partners for a free outdoor event celebrating the rain

Experience the future St. George Rainway at this one-day pop-up Rainway display. Share your thoughts on the final concept design while enjoying fun and educational activities for the whole family.

Event Details

Date: Saturday April 2, 2022

Time: 10 am to 2pm

Location: St. George Street between E 6th Avenue and E 7^th Avenue

Things to Do:

Explore the future Rainway at our pop-up Rainway demo and share your feedback on the final concept design

Get a free bike tune up from Our Community Bikes

Work with Engineering Artist-in-residence Holly Schmidt to create unique art for the Rainway

Join in hands-on activities, exhibits and demonstrations led by community partners, including

• Coast Salish Plant Nursery
• Environmental Youth Alliance
• False Creek Watershed Society
• Girl Guides of Canada
• Nada
• Native Education College
• Still Moon Arts Society
• Swim Drink Fish
• City of Vancouver Adopt-a-catch-basin program

Bring a snack and enjoy our picnic area

Getting Around:

We have now launched Phase 3 of public engagement on the St. George Rainway, and we want your input on our initial concept designs!

The St. George Rainway is an exciting natural infrastructure project that will honour a historic stream that was once adjacent to St. George Street. This green rainwater and street improvement project will collect and filter rainwater, while also making improvements to the street that support sustainable transportation.

Urban rainwater runoff will be directed into green rainwater infrastructure, called bioswales or rain gardens, which use a combination of engineered and natural systems such as soils, plants, and trees to clean and absorb the water. The Rainway will help to improve water quality and reduce local flooding, while also adding many co-benefits to the neighbourhood.

In this phase of engagement, we have developed four street layout options and three green rainwater infrastructure concepts and we want to hear your preferences. Watch the video below and explore the project overview boards to learn more.

Have your say

Throughout November, you have the opportunity to rank your preferred Street Layout options and Green Rainwater Infrastructure concept designs. We will also be looking for your feedback on what public space improvements will encourage use of the Rainway. Here are the ways you can connect with us and share your feedback:

• Complete our survey, open from November 4^th until November 28^th
• Join our Virtual Open House on November 17^th at 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm or 7:30 pm to ask questions and learn more about the designs option. Register here.

Opportunities for young voices to be heard

We want to hear from all users of the Rainway, including youth. A fun collage-based activity package for children ages 6-13 has been developed so that youth can have their say on the Rainway. Work together with your children or community group to complete and submit a St. George Rainway Collage. To learn more and download the youth engagement package visit this page.

Want to learn more?

Virtual open house boards

• St. George Rainway Phase 3 Engagement Overview
• Street Layout Options
• Green Rainwater Infrastructure Concepts
• Public Space Improvements
• Background Information - policy links, bike routes, traffic counts, what is green rainwater infrastructure
• Biodiversity and Planting

Videos:

• Video tour of the Green Rainwater Infrastructure concepts: Flow, Ripple and Falls
• St. George Rainway project background
• What is Green Rainwater Infrastructure
• Green Rainwater Infrastructure Toolkit

The Rainway will be an amenity and resource for the entire community, including youth. The City of Vancouver is interested in collaborating with all site users, young and old, to share ideas for the design of the Rainway. To help reach youth voices, we have designed a crafting activity that asks similar questions as the survey, but in a format that is more accessible to children.

The activity is designed to:

• Teach youth about Green Rainwater Infrastructure, city planning, and civic engagement
• Provide youth with chance to select their favourite design concept and add their creative ideas for consideration in the final design of the St. George Rainway.

The self-guided activity can be completed by groups or individuals, and is designed for children aged 6 to 13. It involves making a collage and filling out a worksheet.

Download the activity sheets to participate!

For parents and educators, we have also produced an activity guide that provides additional information on the activity and includes resources for optional lessons on green rainwater infrastructure, city planning, and civic engagement, as well as a feedback form to let us know how the activity worked for you and your young people.

Download the activity guide here

Be sure to share your results!

This activity is designed as a way for youth to share their preferences for the St. George Rainway with the City. Please submit the finished work back to the City by November 28, 2021 in one of the following ways:

1. Photograph or scan the collages and worksheets, and share the images with raincity@vancouver.ca or
2. Mail the final collages and worksheets to the City:

St. George Rainway Engagement Team

Engineering Services, City of Vancouver

450 SW Marine Drive, 11th floor

Vancouver, BC, V5X 0C3

Share your Preferences on the St. George Rainway Design Concepts Starting November 4th

Throughout November, you have the opportunity to rank your preferred Street Layout options and Green Rainwater Infrastructure concept designs. We will also be looking for your feedback on what public space improvements that will encourage use of the Rainway. Here are the ways you can connect with us and share your feedback:

1. Visit us at the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market October 31 from 10 am – 2 pm for a sneak preview of the St. George Rainway concept designs
2. Complete our survey, open from November 4th until November 28th
3. Join our Virtual Open House on November 17th at 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm or 7:30 pm to ask questions and learn more about the designs options. Register for the open house: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/198472124467

About St. George Rainway Phase 3 Engagement: Concept Designs

The St. George Rainway is an exciting natural infrastructure project that will honour a historic stream that once rain down St. George Street. This green rainwater and street improvement project will collect and filter rainwater, while also making improvements to the street that support sustainable transportation.

Urban rainwater runoff will be directed into bioswales, also called, rain gardens, which use a combination of engineered and natural systems such as soils, plants, and trees to clean and absorb the water. The Rainway will help to improve water quality and reduce local flooding.

The Rainway is also an opportunity to incorporate many co-benefits along St. George Street, including:

• Mobility Co-benefits: Upgrade the street so it is safe and comfortable for people of all ages and all abilities
• Community Co-benefits: Include more outdoor community space for seating, gathering, and play
• Learning Co-benefits: Provide formal and informal opportunities along the Rainway to learn about nature, climate adaptation, Indigenous culture, and history.
• Nature Co-Benefits: Improve biodiversity and habitat connectivity using natural plant communities, including trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers.

Stay tuned as we officially launch the Phase 3: Concept Design survey on November 4th

From late May to early July 2021, community members shared the co-benefits they would like to enjoy along the St. George Rainway. Together, we explored themes of designing for mobility, community, learning, and nature. Ideas generated during a virtual public workshop in June became the basis for a survey, in which we asked the public to rank the co-benefit ideas and share additional ideas with us.

Check out our engagement report to see the top design ideas!

Sample page from the Engagement Report showing interest levels for various types of art in the Rainway.

Some emerging themes from Phase 2:

Nature should lead the design.

Street space priorities echo what was heard in the last survey with space for urban nature and space for walking and cycling coming out on top. See the report for the full rankings.

Current and future parking needs are important considerations, and while overall they are the lowest ranked street space priorities, they rank slightly higher among local residents.

The Rainway should be designed with safety in mind.

The design needs to be functional and accessible to all.

The project must make space for Indigenous knowledge.

How is this input being used?

City staff have been working on concept designs for the street layout and green rainwater infrastructure. These concept designs incorporate the vision and ideas we heard from community during engagement in Phase 1: Values and Vision and Phase 2: Co-design for Co-Benefits, as well as feedback from our community-based Advisory Committee.

The concept designs balance the public feedback with Council priorities, technical feasibility, and financial viability. Want to learn more about project feasibility? Watch our series of videos about the project goals, what green rainwater infrastructure is, and the parameters that influence our design.

Phase 3 of engagement will be launching at the end of October. It will focus on getting feedback from the public on a series of initial design concepts and options.

What’s next?

• Enjoy a self-guided sensorial walk: listen to the audio tour or download the pdf of activities to explore St. George Street using all your senses.
• Stay tuned for Phase 3: Initial Concept Designs, which will launch at the end of October. Save the dates:
  • Have a sneak peak of the design options at the Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market on Sunday, October 31, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
  • Give your feedback in a survey live from November 4 to 28.
  • Drop into our virtual open house on Wednesday November 17 between 6:30 – 8:30 pm for a chance to learn more about the project and ask staff questions.

More information on the next phase coming soon!

Thank you to everyone who attended our workshop on June 1! We had robust conversations that gave us some great ideas of what community members want to see on the St. George Rainway. We are now launching a survey that will let us hear from more people, confirm that we properly captured the suggestions from the workshop, and collect additional ideas.

Key ideas from the Co-design for Co-benefits workshop are summarized in the above graphic recording. It highlights some of the big ideas that were shared in each group on the themes of Mobility, Nature, Community, and Learning.

Some key messages we heard were that safety and accessibility are very important, both in terms of how people get around, and in creating an inclusive and welcoming feel for the Rainway, where the whole community can get involved, from kids to seniors and everyone in between. Participants also wanted a wild and natural-feeling space, where they can learn and share their knowledge about the ecology and history of the area, and develop a deeper relationship with nature and the water cycle.

What do you think?

This survey takes what we heard at the workshop on June 1 and gives an opportunity for input from more of our neighbours. We want to hear your thoughts on what was discussed in the workshop and any other ideas you have to share.

Whether you attended the event or not, you are invited to fill out the survey. Share your thoughts with us on how we can best design the St. George Rainway to meet our drainage needs and enhance mobility, nature, community, and opportunities for learning in the neighbourhood. The survey will be open from June 14 to July 4: https://shapeyourcity.ca/st-george-rainway/survey_tools/co-designing-for-co-benefits

Co-designing for co-benefits videos

If you want to learn more about the project, we have also have recordings available from the June 1 event that provide an overview of the project, including background, feasibility and opportunities for the Rainway.

We are now launching our second phase of public engagement for the St. George Rainway project. In the first phase we got a better understanding of how you envision the project, and what you value most. We are now inviting you to dig into the design and share your ideas for the Rainway. Together, we will come up with potential design elements and ideas that will deliver important rainwater management and drainage functions, promote active transportation, and bring exciting co-benefits to the neighbourhood.

This phase of public engagement is all about getting creative with how we can incorporate the themes of mobility, learning, nature, and community with the important rainwater management function of the Rainway.

After this phase is complete, City staff will use the ideas submitted to develop several design options for the Rainway, which will be brought back to the public for comments in Phase 3.

There are 3 ways to participate in this phase of engagement.

Virtual Design Workshop, June 1^st 6:30-8:30 pm (Registration Required):

In this online workshop we will be collecting ideas for how to enhance the green rainwater infrastructure and active transportation functions of the Rainway and deliver other benefits and amenities to the neighbourhood. Join us to co-design for:

• Mobility
• Learning
• Nature
• Community

Registration required. To register, visit https://sgrcodesign.eventbrite.ca

Online Survey:

Share your ideas for the design of the St. George Rainway! Our upcoming survey builds on the ideas collected in our June 1^st workshop and provides the opportunity for even more people to share their thoughts.

The survey will be posted here and open from June 14-July 4^th.

Sensorial Walk:

We’ve recorded a sensorial walk audio tour of St. George and put it online! The walk launches the last week of May. Check here or sign up for our mailing list (button on the right) for updates, or find the signage posted along St. George Street to start exploring your neighbourhood in a new way.