We are looking for a Finance Coordinator to lead accounts payable and receivable, revenue reconciliation, budget tracking, and assist with financial insights that support organizational decision-making and fiscal sustainability.
In East Vancouver’s Champlain Heights, we sat down with two organizations leading a grassroots effort to restore native forests and build community.
Discover how Arts in the Parks is transforming Toronto’s green spaces into vibrant hubs of creativity—and how Park People helps make it all possible.
Pumpkin parades are a creative way to celebrate local creativity and give carved jack-o’-lanterns a second life. Here’s a step-by-step guide to make your pumpkin parade a smashing success.
Navigating grant applications can feel a little overwhelming at first. That’s why we’ve assembled this guide to walk you through the steps, share helpful tips, and offer resources that can make the journey smoother.
The 5th Montreal Park People Forum is back on September 17 under the theme “Collaborating for Social Connection and Vibrant Parks.”
By donating to Park People, you’ll support vibrant parks for everyone.
Food is a great way to bring people together in parks! Adding an outdoor picnic to events like a park stewardship day or a harvest festival can make the experience even more enjoyable.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you plan a successful event—from securing permits to post-picnic cleanup.
When selecting your location, think about accessibility, proximity to parking or transit, and amenities like restrooms, water fountains, and shade. Read our resource on making your event accessible and inclusive to help guide your thinking.Once you’ve picked the perfect spot, research your park’s rules and regulations. Many parks require permits for group events, especially if you’ll be reserving picnic tables, bringing grills, or hosting activities.Here’s a general guide, but note: regulations will vary depending on the city you live in. Contact your local parks department to confirm requirements and apply for permits well in advance.
Learn more about events permits in the following cities:
Keep the menu simple, portable, and easy to serve. Finger foods like sandwiches, wraps, and fruit skewers work perfectly. If grilling is allowed, burgers, hot dogs, or veggie options can elevate your picnic. Provide plenty of water and refreshing drinks, and don’t forget desserts like cookies or cupcakes! Bring coolers or insulated bags to keep perishables fresh and ensure food safety.
You’ll also want to provide diverse food options to accommodate different dietary needs and preferences—such as vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, halal and kosher options. Be sure to clearly label ingredients and allergens at the event.
Note: If you’re advertising your picnic as open to the public and are serving or selling food, you may be required to contact your local Public Health Authority and fill out a Temporary Food Establishment Application as part of your Special Event Permit.Only food that’s prepared in an inspected kitchen (a commercial kitchen or a community kitchen) can be served to the general public. If you’re not buying prepared food, or do not have access to this type of kitchen, consider encouraging community members to bring their own picnic basket of homemade food. The experience of eating together, rather than sharing food, can help you get around some permit hurdles.
Bonus tip: There are some foods that are considered lower risk foods. Focus on them to keep your application and health inspection simple.
A successful park picnic is more than just food—it’s about the fun! Think about activities that can engage attendees of all ages. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Once your permit has been approved and your agenda is planned, it’s time to let your community know about the picnic!
A good picnic leaves the park as beautiful as it was before. Encourage attendees to clean up by providing designated trash and recycling bags. Enlist a few volunteers to help with final cleanup efforts, ensuring that nothing is left behind. If compost bins are available, separate food scraps appropriately. Consider adding a “Leave No Trace” message to your promotions to emphasize sustainability, and encourage participants to bring and use reusable plates and utensils.
Read our resource on how to plan a zero-waste event in your park.
A community picnic is a great way to start a local community park group or find new volunteers for an already established one.Collect people’s email addresses on the day of the picnic so you can follow-up with them on future park activities, and talk to people about what other events they would like to see in the park. A movie night? Nature walk? Community garden? The sky’s the limit!
I’ve always been drawn to the sun. Like a housecat, I’ll seek out a sunbeam and bask in it all day. Needless to say, the dark and damp Vancouver winters aren’t usually my favourite time of the year.
But I’m proud to announce that this was the year I finally pushed myself to get outside and brave the elements. And I’ve never appreciated the wet winter weather more!
Feelings of freedom and pure joy overtook me as I welcomed the raindrops splashing on my face. I felt like a little kid again as I ignored all the usual nagging worries of frizzy hair. I accepted the rain and to my surprise, it was delightful.
Since we can’t pick and choose our weather, it’s important to get outside and enjoy nature—no matter what the forecast.
Here are 10 drizzle-friendly ideas for easy family activities, plus some guidance for parks groups looking to organize all-weather events for the public. We promise they’ll have you looking forward to the next rainy day.
Do you have any other tips or ideas for rainy day activities? We’d love to hear from you!
This case study is part of the 2023 Canadian City Parks Report, showcasing Inspiring projects, people, and policies from across Canada that offer tangible solutions to the most pressing challenges facing city parks.
In June 2023, the District of Saanich introduced a new dog park strategy, redefining the ways that public spaces will be shared among people and pets.
Work on the strategy began in 2021, driven by changing needs in a growing municipality. Alongside Saanich’s population growth has come increased conflict between park goers, rooted in differing expectations of how park spaces should be used.
Recognizing the divisive nature of the issue, community engagement became the anchor of the dog park strategy, involving a wide spectrum of stakeholders and community members. Through the engagement activities, Saanich city staff sought to identify shared values and challenges that transcended different stakeholders’ individual positions.
The engagement process kicked off with public surveys designed to capture a broad cross-section of perspectives in the community. The surveys were complemented by deeper methods, including park pop-ups and community dialogue sessions, providing a platform for residents to voice their concerns, share their perspectives, and connect with fellow community members. An important goal of the sessions was to foster empathy and understanding among participants, helping to find common ground.
Open houses served as a forum for collaboration. Residents, pet owners, wildlife advocates, and environmentalists came together to discuss their visions for Saanich’s parks. Through hearing from one another directly, these diverse stakeholders began to identify common values despite their different perspectives.
A shared love for the municipality’s natural environment, an appreciation of public spaces, and a desire for accessible, safe, and enjoyable parks emerged as common threads. These conversations allowed the focus to shift from conflicting interests to the shared aspiration of fostering a vibrant, sustainable community that accommodates everyone’s needs.
The engagements also uncovered common challenges. Residents collectively acknowledged the need to protect the environment, maintain the safety and well-being of pets and people, and address the increasing demand for public spaces on Vancouver Island’s largest municipality as the population of Saanich continues to grow.
Out of these learnings, the People, Pets, and Parks Strategy took shape with a list of six shared community values at its core. These values were determined through consultations, and each recommendation in the strategy is linked to one or more of the values, transparently rooting each action in the strategy to the goals outlined by the community. The city went further to prioritize transparency with residents by publishing a detailed FAQ page explaining the motivation behind each decision.
The strategy is paired with a commitment to the development of new, dedicated off-leash dog parks. These areas are strategically located to balance the needs of pet owners and other park users. This approach exemplifies the commitment to create parks that are safe, enjoyable, and environmentally sustainable, addressing both common values and challenges.
More on this topic:
TD Park People Grants is a nation-wide program that builds vital connections between people and parks.
Each year, we support over 70 community groups across 21 urban areas to animate their local green spaces with engaging events. From Indigenous plant medicine workshops to nature walks, we’re looking for unique ideas that centre environmental education, sustainability, or stewardship, and are designed with accessibility and inclusivity in mind.
In 2025, event organizers are eligible to receive $2,000 to bring their park vision to life.
Need some inspiration for your park event? Read on to learn about three of the incredible groups that received TD Park People Grants in 2024!
La Boussole is a Francophone nonprofit organization based in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. They support people experiencing poverty or marginalization to access health services, housing, and employment in French, while uniting their voices to raise awareness of the issues that face the community.
Through their 2024 TD Park People grant, La Boussole sought to reduce the barriers that prevent Downtown Eastside residents from enjoying nature in their city—such as transportation costs and the stigmatization that unhoused people face when in green spaces—and create restorative experiences that supported their participants’ mental health and wellbeing.
La Boussole organized two events, starting with a nature walk in Spirit Pacific Trail. Participants were led by a facilitator who shared knowledge of natural preservation, Indigenous land rights, and climate justice as they explored the lush forest together. Next, they held an eco-art-therapy session in Stanley Park, where participants were guided to create art using natural elements without damaging the environment.
“These kinds of events are crucial for our audience as the Downtown Eastside area is extremely urban,” noted La Boussole’s facilitators. “The population is suffering from extreme heat in summer and losing its connection to nature.”
Thanks to their efforts, 28 participants had the chance to deepen their connections to the environment, and to one another, through restorative experiences in their local forests.
”I really enjoyed this outing in the forest. It was nice to return to the Pacific Spirit Park, it’s been a long time since I’ve been there. I love forest smells, pine smells and it was cool to go on the walk with Aloïs because there were lots of things we learned that I didn’t know. Being with the whole group, everyone was able to share a little bit of their little anecdotes, the little information they had on their side so it was a great experience.”
Event participant
LifeSchoolHouse is a network of barter-based “folkschools” that create connections through skill-sharing across Nova Scotia. Folkschools are informal learning spaces, usually held in a person’s home, where neighbors become teachers as they share their skills in small group workshops.
LifeSchoolHouse breaks down the financial barriers many people face when trying to access education, and helps to connect neighbours in simple but meaningful ways. In this vein, organizers at the LifeSchool House in Spryfield, Nova Scotia used their 2024 TD Park People grant to organize two free outdoor events where neighbours shared knowledge of environmental education, sustainability, and stewardship with fellow community members.
These immersive experiences included guided nature walks for 43 participants of all ages to explore their surrounding environment. 16 volunteer teachers assisted them in identifying flora and fauna, while offering tips on sustainable practices for preservation.
After their walk, the groups enjoyed a locally-sourced lunch followed by a litter clean-up session—offering a tangible way for participants to keep contributing to the wellbeing of the local green spaces.
“These parks are right in our backyards and we don’t even realize all the treasure they hold.”
“Thank you so much for putting this together! We expected it would be fun, but it far exceeded all expectations. Everyone was so kind, especially with the sort of chaos that comes with little people. It meant so much that my child was welcome. We loved getting to meet everyone, and feel like this is our community!”
The Kapabamayak Achaak Healing Forest Winnipeg is a living memorial to Indigenous children lost to or affected by the residential school system. It was the second Healing Forest developed in Canada, and is part of a growing network of sites linked by the National Healing Forest Initiative.
A place for healing and contemplation, the Winnipeg forest is an open-air, land-based classroom for elders to share teachings and ceremony. These Keepers of the Forest have hosted dozens of teachings and ceremonies since the site was developed in 2017.
In 2024, they used their TD Park People grant to partner with local schools to bring together children and educators to reflect upon Truth and Reconciliation and the value of environmental conservation. Their land-based learning experience incorporated Indigenous Ways of Knowing, showing children the healing power of connecting with the land and traditional plants like the sage which grows in the forest.
Their two events in 2024 brought together over 300 attendees (students, teachers, and community members), and included a nourishing meal of bannock and jam.
“The schools we work with have large numbers of Indigenous children. Many have relatives who are still dealing with the intergenerational trauma of residential schools. These events honour their lived experience and provide a path to healing based upon Indigenous Ways of Knowing.”
Event organizers
Have these events inspired you?
Visit our TD Park People Grants page for more information, and full eligibility criteria, for this year’s program. Applications are open now and close on February 24, 2025.
At Park People, we believe parks are vital to the health of Canada’s cities and our environment, and everyone—regardless of their income, identity, ability, or age—deserves equal access to the benefits of public green space.
Yet not everyone experiences parks in the same way. Systemic racism and white supremacy are prevalent and visible in our parks and public spaces where Black, Indigenous and racialized people experience suspicion, surveillance, harassment, and violence.
Our Canadian City Parks Report found Black, Indigenous, and people of colour were far more likely to report that concerns about policing, ticketing, and social judgment prevented them from visiting parks as much as they’d like.
It’s clear we must do more to address the reality that in their current form, Canada’s parks are not for everyone.
Park People is actively working with communities across Canada to disrupt and dismantle the implicit and explicit structures of power, privilege, and racism in parks and public spaces.
Here are some useful reports, articles, toolkits, and webinars that we’re reviewing to better educate ourselves in this work. We hope you’ll join us.
Racism in Canada is Ever-Present, But We Have a Long History of Denial, Maija Kappler, May 2020
Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present, Robyn Maynard, 2017.
Subdivided, Ed. Jay Pitter and John Lorinc. 2016.
Why Race Matters in Planning Public Parks, Brentin Mock, March 2016
Public Space, Park Space, and Racialized Space, KangJae Lee, January 2020
Placemaking When Black Lives Matter, Annette Koh, April 2017
Being Black in Public, Jay Pitter, November 2024
Parks Need Leaders of Colour, Park People, July 2021
Urban Parks and Forests Are Missing in Racialized and Marginalized Neighbourhoods, Nature Canada, March 2022
Place Driving Equity, Reimagining the Civic Commons, November 2021
A renewed attention on environmental equity and justice, National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, December 2022.
Five Ways Urban Planners Are Addressing a Legacy of Inequity, Jon Gorey, May 2023
Race and Nature in the City Engaging Youth of Colour in Nature-Based Activities, Jacqueline L. Scott & Ambika Tenneti, April 2021
In our survey, 60% of cities said that developing non-profit partnerships to co-manage parks is a high or medium priority in the next year. This strong interest is perhaps unsurprising given the benefits collaborative governance models offer, from deepening community engagement to enhancing stewardship at a time when municipal maintenance resources are strained.
Yet, the nuts and bolts of these arrangements are often opaque. Roles and responsibilities, funding sources, decision-making processes, and community involvement structures are just some of the variables that define the distinct ways these partnerships play out.
In Saskatoon, Meewasin Valley Authority offers an example of how collaborative governance can operate in a large-scale urban park. At approximately 6700 hectares, Meewasin Valley is a treasure within Saskatoon that includes land on both sides of the South Saskatchewan River, 60 kilometres of trail networks, and extensive biodiversity.
It is a rarity not only for its size, but also its unique governance structure. Meewasin Valley is managed by three core partners: the City of Saskatoon, the University of Saskatchewan and the Province of Saskatchewan.
The Meewasin Valley Authority, a non-profit organization, is the mechanism that allows the three partners to work together in managing the park. The organization was created in 1979 after the completion of a 100-year concept plan, which outlined a vision for collaborative governance to allow integrated decision-making. This is important given the park’s complicated landscape, consisting of land owned privately, and by universities, First Nations, the federal government, provincial government and multiple municipalities.
Today, the non-profit consists of a team of staff who carry out day-to-day management of the park, park programming, community engagement and park stewardship, and a Board of Directors composed of four representatives from each of the core partners. The Board focuses on policy across five committees: Development Review, Conservation Advisory, Design Advisory, Education Advisory, and Fund Development.
Establishing clearly defined roles and responsibilities through memoranda of understanding has been key to Meewasin’s success, as has refining elements of the partnership over time. The funding model, for example, has evolved over Meewasin’s history to reflect the reality of increased demands on public funds. To supplement core funding, Meewasin has expanded revenue sources through fundraising, grants, contract work within mandate areas, an endowment, paid programming and capital campaigns for larger projects.
Looking to the future, Meewasin is broadening its engagement with partners across the country and deepening its relationships with First Nations. Meewasin is currently engaging with Parks Canada in a pre-feasibility study to explore its potential as a National Urban Park. It is also part of Park People’s Cornerstone Parks network, a national community of practice that allows representatives from large urban parks with complex governance structures to exchange challenges, learnings, and engage in collective problem-solving.
Further reading:
As many cities struggle to find ‘new’ parkland in dense urban areas, one Montreal initiative highlights the power of partnerships to make use of what’s already there.
Nestled within Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, the Darlington Ecological Corridor was founded by Alexandre Beaudoin, Biodiversity Advisor at the Université de Montréal. The goal of the project was to bridge the nature flowing from Mount Royal into the urban landscape, providing new passageways for both wildlife and residents.
Tying together a patchwork of open spaces along a former railroad, the project connects land fragmented along lines of ownership into a cohesive green corridor by fostering collaboration.
The Darlington Ecological Corridor uses an innovative co-management model integrating diverse stakeholders. By uniting academic institutions, community organizations, non-profits, experts, and local residents, the project weaves together several priorities into a coherent vision that serves both the community and nature.
The concept of co-management involves engaging a network of partners working collaboratively, with well-defined roles and responsibilities outlined through management agreements. In this model, Éco-pivot serves as the trustee, providing administrative support and oversight. Université de Montréal contributes academic insight, with 19 master’s students currently dedicated to the project and shaping its evolution. The borough plays a pivotal role, providing a dedicated staff person to anchor the project within the borough’s institutional framework. This tangible commitment by the local government legitimizes the project’s significance within the community and ensures its alignment with broader objectives.
A distinguishing feature of the Darlington Ecological Corridor’s governance model is its adaptability. Over time, through community and partner involvement, the project has broadened its mission, assuming a larger role in addressing social challenges. This evolution is exemplified by a partnership with Multi-Caf, a local organization focused on combating food insecurity in the neighbourhood. The site has a vegetable garden developed in partnership with the YMCA to introduce youth to urban agriculture and gardening. This collaboration highlights the corridor’s transition from a primarily ecological initiative to a multifaceted project that addresses pressing social needs.
The Darlington Ecological Corridor has influenced ecological corridor movements in other boroughs across the city, prompting a similar initiative in the Sud-Ouest. Following the borough’s first-ever participatory budget, one of the winning projects was an ecological corridor connecting the Sud-Ouest to Lasalle.
The success of the Darlington model highlights how creating more connected partners can create more connected green spaces, inviting us to think beyond land acquisition as a strategy to meet parkland needs.
In Park People’s recent survey of stewardship program participants in large urban parks, 97% said stewardship contributes to their mental well-being, and 90% to their physical health. Yet, our survey also hinted at critical gaps in who has access to these benefits, with participants disproportionately identifying as cis-gendered women, able-bodied and white.
In North Vancouver, the city was noticing similar gaps in its City Park Stewards program—a city-led initiative established in 2001 that offers monthly volunteer events where residents can engage in activities like invasive pulls, native plantings, and educational workshops. To help reach under-represented groups, the city applied for a $5000 grant from BC Healthy Communities intended to support upstream health benefits in the community.
“We applied with the idea that we could enhance community cohesion and sense of belonging through the park stewardship program by increasing inclusivity and diversity.”
Anu Garcha, Planning Assistant at the City of North Vancouver
When the grant was successful, the city began outreach to partner organizations that serve diverse populations including underhoused communities, newcomers, and at-risk youth, as well as promoting through other city programs like English classes at the public library.
“Building these relationships is very important because it helps us connect with different people in the community.”
Anu Garcha
At the end of the events, city staff invite participants to share feedback about their experience in a voluntary exit interview. The interview includes prompts about whether participants felt welcome and included, the impact of the events on their sense of connection to others and the environment, and ideas for improvement. Importantly, interview participants are offered honoraria in recognition of their time and insights.
Participants have shared many benefits from the program, including discovering new green spaces, learning more about local ecology, and making new friends.
City staff are taking direction from the interviews to continue maximizing these benefits, said Angela Negenman, Environmental Coordinator at the City of North Vancouver.
“For those experiencing homelessness, maybe this is something that could give them an edge to get a landscaping job, right? If we are able to figure out what those things are through this process, we’ll be able to improve the program.”
Angela Negenman, Environmental Coordinator at the City of North Vancouver
The conversations have also unearthed important barriers. For example, city staff learned that getting to the events can be a challenge—not just in terms of accessing transportation, but also feeling comfortable venturing to new parts of the city. In response, the city has provided free bus passes to participants, and when possible, a staff member from the partner organization accompanies participants to the park.
“I wouldn’t have thought of [these barriers] if they hadn’t been shared with us. It’s definitely eye-opening.”
Angela Negenman
The city held a community meeting with residents who selected a smaller 10,000 square foot space in the park to be a programmed pollinator habitat, which would be stewarded by the community group Cianchino created with ongoing support from the city. In the future Cianchino said she wants to implement a QR code system in locations identified for potential naturalization asking residents to let the city know how they currently use the space.
Supporting community stewards will be a key part of the project’s ongoing success. Working with volunteers, Cianchino led the group’s first “bio blitz,” where residents measure the number of pollinators before the planting of native species this fall. Cianchino also works with the group to discuss what people can do in their own yards to support naturalization efforts. The core of the Eco Park Strategy, she said, is a series of linked habitats and green corridors,
“and you can’t just do that through public land. It’s critical that we educate landowners and help them build capacity to naturalize their spaces in a manner that works for them.”
Karley Cianchino, City of Brampton Environmental Project Specialist
Another learning is that outreach is more effective ‘offline,’ through posters and in-person visits, and must be ongoing, as there is high turnover at many of these organizations. For example, participants from a local shelter are often only there for short-term stays.
It’s not just participants who benefit from the park stewards program. For the city, the program is important in educating the public, building ongoing stewardship habits, and restoring degraded natural areas.
Another unexpected benefit is a morale boost for parks staff. Negenman noted that for operations staff involved with the program, engaging directly with the community and seeing public education in action “just gives them a different perspective on the work.”
These are benefits that Negenman knows firsthand, too: “it’s definitely inspiring, it fills my bucket.”
More cities across Canada are prioritizing the naturalization of existing parkland. Converting manicured parkland into natural meadows has multiple benefits including increasing climate resilience, biodiversity, and nature connection for residents.
However, these projects have also proven controversial. For example, Vancouver’s “no-mow” pilot project, which naturalized certain sections of parks, was met with opposition by some residents who viewed the spaces as unkempt–a challenge that many other cities in Canada have reported facing.
Karley Cianchino thinks a lot about park naturalization. As City of Brampton Environmental Project Specialist, Cianchino’s job is to plan parks collaboratively with communities through the lens of nature.
Brampton prioritizes naturalization projects using its unique Eco Park Strategy–a citywide strategy that contains principles for conserving and enhancing both natural and cultural heritage. The strategy includes a helpful tool in understanding how to plan spaces, situating them on a scale from highly naturalized systems to high functioning social systems, recognizing that most places are a blend.
“If a park has a low environmental score, then we’ll look for opportunities to bring some restoration work forward.”
No matter how good they are, strategies have a habit of sitting on a shelf gathering dust. To ensure that doesn’t happen, Cianchino said that she does a lot of internal coordination, including a bi-monthly Eco Park meeting, as well as “casual conversations” with colleagues about new projects and discussing how to incorporate the Eco Park objectives. For example, if a park is undergoing upgrades, perhaps that’s an opportunity to incorporate naturalization work. This approach not only minimizes redundant community engagement and resource allocation but also enhances synergy between projects.
Not all of these projects go off without a hitch, however. Recently the city naturalized a large section of Dearbourne Park–the first time the city had brought its naturalization program to a busy neighbourhood park. It wasn’t received well, Cianchino said, with residents pointing out they had lost park space they used for other activities.
Further Reading:
The Vancouver Park Board is now four years into their 25-year parks and recreation master plan, VanPlay. With a focus on equity, population growth, and evolving demographics, this strategy sets the stage for investments in green spaces and ensures the city keeps up with emerging needs.
While the city now boasts more parks than it did 25 years ago, rapid densification has resulted in a one-third decrease in park space per person. To tackle this challenge, the master plan offers a toolkit for efficient decision-making, accommodating diverse needs and user groups.
What sets this strategy apart is its integration of equity principles, including examinations of intersectionality, privilege, and oppression. At the heart of VanPlay is the goal of rectifying historical inequities in park access and quality across different neighbourhoods. VanPlay positions the City of Vancouver as a leader in this area.
VanPlay employs geospatial data to identify underserved areas that require increased park investments. These areas, known as Initiative Zones, are identified through an analysis of three key factors: park access gaps, demand for low barrier recreation, and tree canopy coverage. With the option to layer additional factors over time, such as income, community engagement, capital investments, and demographic data, the Park Board can gain a deeper understanding of nuanced needs and can effectively target key policy areas.
A significant priority of VanPlay is its water strategy. Vancouver, a city renowned for its connection to the waterfront and beaches, has unfortunately buried 91% of its urban streams. VanPlay enhances biodiversity and rainfall management by revitalizing these streams and bringing them back to the surface. This initiative simultaneously creates more natural spaces in the city, provides new amenities for residents, and helps manage rainwater during storms. It is a significant win for biodiversity and climate resilience.
When it comes to public space, streets play a crucial role. In Vancouver, streets occupy 32% of the city’s land area, compared to 11% for parks. Recognizing this untapped potential, VanPlay encourages the transformation of streets into public spaces. Collaborating with Planning and Engineering, the master plan suggests the creation of parklets, street closures, laneway activations, and more to meet the growing demand for public space.
Connectivity is another key focus of VanPlay. Vancouver already boasts the world’s longest continuous waterfront trail, the iconic 28 km seawall. Building on this success, VanPlay aims to expand the city’s network of bike lanes and pedestrian pathways. The master plan also introduces “network enhancers,” such as bike repair stations, wayfinding signage, lighting, and seating. These elements not only improve connectivity but also enhance safety, utility, and overall enjoyment between destinations.