Building Healthy Neighbourhoods

Building Sustainable, Accessible Communities

We live in one of the best cities in the world, and we want to keep it that way.

We’re shaping the future by developing healthy, liveable neighbourhoods that make it easier for everyone to lead active, fulfilling lives.

Enhancing our Active Transportation Network

From sidewalks to bike lanes, we’re investing in our active transportation network to better connect our city. The City’s 2023 to 2027 Active Mobility Plan outlines projects to enhance walking infrastructure, improve the sidewalk network, build new curb ramps and expand the cycling network.

It also supports the Climate Emergency Action Plan target of having two-thirds of all trips by active transportation and transit by 2030.

Reducing Emissions

Building sustainable communities leads to healthier environments, stronger economies and greater well-being for all.

Launched a pilot program to reduce emissions by providing grant funds to retrofit Vancouver’s market rental buildings.
Working with senior government, agencies and industry experts to expand renewable energy.
Enabled third-parties to install and operate public EV charging infrastructure on city streets.
Approved by-law amendments to encourage and increase electrical vehicle charging at gas stations and parking lots across the city.
Advanced plans to connect River District Energy to Metro Vancouver’s Waste-to-Energy facility, enabling it to switch to sustainable, thermal energy.
Changed the Building By-law, requiring homeowners to upgrade existing water heaters to the highest efficiency standard during renovation over $150K (beginning 2025) and water heater replacements (beginning 2027). This change will reduce carbon emission by up to 14.7K tonnes per year by 2030, and streamline existing renovation requirements.
Directed staff to report back with a strategy to plant 100,000 trees by 2026.
Supported the launch of a shared e-scooter system.
Enabled mass timber construction up to 18 storeys in height for residential and commercial uses, an increase from the current height limit of 12 storeys.

Putting Safety First

We’re creating streets that are safe, no matter how you get around. By implementing better signage, upgrading crosswalks, improving visibility and designing intersections that prioritize safety, we reduce the risk of accidents and make our roads safer for all.

Allocated additional funds to accelerate the installation of pedestrian safety measures across the city, particularly around schools, community centres and parks.
Directed staff to work with stakeholders to identify effective tools for high-risk intersections, including speed and red-light cameras, and other new and/or alternative safety measures.
Committed to a regularized road paint maintenance plan.
Launched a Scramble Crossing Pilot Trial at Granville and Robson for summer 2024.

Supporting Families

Prioritizing the needs of families and meeting the demand for quality childcare is essential to building a strong and thriving city.

As part of the 10-year Childcare Strategy, we’re streamlining the City’s regulatory framework, leveraging partnerships and exploring options to enable greater flexibility for the delivery of childcare spaces in residential areas.
Directed staff to work with the Vancouver School Board to identify available public land where new childcare spaces could be located, and work with the Province to pilot a prefabricated childcare construction and housing program.
Passed the Youth Safety and Violence Prevention Strategy.
Authorized a new lease with Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, constituting a grant of about $15M.

Spaces for All

We want to make it easier for people to lead active, fulfilling lives. That’s why we’ve made accessibility and inclusivity a key priority.

Created a new Accessibility Committee and directed City staff to continue working towards making our infrastructure, facilities, programs and services more accessible and inclusive for all.
Passed Vancouver’s new Accessibility Strategy, which includes a multi-year action plan.
Adopted the adaptable housing design provisions of the new 2024 BC Building Code as part of the next edition of the Building By-law to improve accessibility.
Reviewed Vancouver’s Age-Friendly Action Plan and directed City staff to explore adopting the Age-Friendly Cities Framework.
Allocated funds to hire a Seniors Planner, who will ensure that our city planning reflects the needs and interests of our seniors community.
Broke ground on the new Marpole Community Centre. The mass timber, LEED™ Gold building includes 74 childcare spaces and will be the first City-owned community centre built to achieve Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) Gold, the highest level of accessibility in the country.

Healthy Neighbourhoods

We’re building healthy, accessible and sustainable communities that
support wellness and enhance quality of life.