2008
MAPPING PROJECT
YOUMAP VANCOUVER
NEIGHBOURHOOD AMENITY
Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park
IS A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN
VANCOUVER CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
AND
YOUMAP VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOOD AMENITY MAPPING PROJECT GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS AND DOUGLAS PARK
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS AT SMART GROWTH BC ADVISORY SERVICES:
Tom Lancaster Kristi Tatebe Erin Welk Claire Williams
YOUMAP COMMITTEE OF THE VANCOUVER CITY PLANNING COMMISSION:
Neil Griggs, Chair Jillian Glover, Commissioner David Godin, Commissioner Michael Klassen, Commissioner Bob Ransford, Commissioner Andrew Yan, Commissioner
Alan Boniface, Commissioner and VCPC Chair Elizabeth Ballantyne, VCPC Manager
SPECIAL THANKS TO SHIRLENE COTE, PROJECT INTERN
THANKS ALSO TO SGBC STAFF VOLUNTEERS:
Jason Emmert Cheeying Ho Hilary Mandel Alice Miro Amanda Mitchell
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CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 7 2.0 INTRODUCTION ...... 8 2.0.1 WHO/WHAT IS THE VANCOUVER CITY PLANNING COMMISSION? ...... 9 2.0.2 WHO/WHAT IS SMART GROWTH ADVISORY SERVICES? ...... 9 2.0.3 THE YOUMAP VANCOUVER TEAM ...... 10 2.1 PURPOSE ...... 10 2.1.1 RATIONALE ...... 10 2.2 INTERPRETING THIS REPORT ...... 10 2.2.2 SYMBOLS AND DESIGNATIONS USED ON THE MAPS ...... 11 2.2.3 INTENDED USE OF THIS REPORT ...... 11 3.0 PILOT NEIGHBOUROODS ...... 12 3.1 PLAN AREA ...... 12 3.2 NEIGHBOURHOOD BACKGROUND ...... 15 3.2.1 GEOGRAPHY ...... 15 3.2.2 BRIEF HISTORY ...... 15 3.2.3 RESIDENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS ...... 15 3.3 ACCOMMODATION OF PROJECTED GROWTH IN NEIGHBOURHOODS ...... 16 4.0 PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ADVERTISING PROCESS ...... 17 4.1 STAKEHOLDER ASSESSMENT & IDENTIFICATION ...... 17 4.2 DEVELOP COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS ...... 18 4.3 OUTREACH TO STAKEHOLDERS AND NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUPS...... 18 4.5 YOUTH ENGAGEMENT ...... 20 4.6 INVITATIONS TO PARTICIPATE ...... 21 5.0 FESTIVAL DESCRIPTION ...... 23 5.1 DATES ...... 23 5.2 LOCATIONS ...... 23 5.3 FACILITY SET-UP ...... 23 5.4 FESTIVAL PARTICIPANT MATERIALS ...... 23 5.5 FESTIVAL STATIONS ...... 24 5.6 THE WALK’N ROLL NEIGHBOURHOOD TOUR ...... 25 5.7 ONLINE MAPPING TOOL ...... 26 6.0 FESTIVAL RESULTS ...... 27 6.1 GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS ...... 27 6.1.1 GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS MAP DESCRIPTIONS ...... 28 6.2 DOUGLAS PARK ...... 33 6.2.1 DOUGLAS PARK MAP DESCRIPTIONS ...... 34 7.0 EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 39 7.1 COMMON THEMES IN PARTICIPANTS’ COMMENTS ...... 39 7.2 NEIGHBOURHOOD DATA FROM FESTIVALS ...... 41 7.3 FEEDBACK TO NEIGHBOURHOODS ...... 42 7.4 ONLINE MAPPING TOOL ...... 42 7.5 YOUTH ENGAGEMENT ...... 43 7.6 LANGUAGES ...... 43 8.0 YOUMAP PROCESS TOOLKIT ...... 44 8.0.1 INTRODUCTION ...... 44 8.1 YOUMAP PROCESS TOOLKIT ...... 44 8.2 TASK DESCRIPTION ...... 47 8.2.1 FINALIZE WORKPLAN WITH PROJECT COMMITTEE ...... 47 8.2.2 ALLOT TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES ...... 47 8.2.3 IDENTIFY HIGHER-LEVEL STAKEHOLDERS ...... 47
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8.2.4 CONSULT WITH CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS ...... 47 8.2.5 DEFINING THE NEIGHBOURHOOD BOUNDARIES ...... 48 8.2.6 SECURE VENUE(S) ...... 48 8.2.7 NEIGHBOURHOOD LEVEL STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION ...... 48 8.2.8 DETERMINE ISSUES TO BE RESEARCHED ...... 48 8.2.9 RESEARCH AND WRITE ISSUES PAPERS ...... 48 8.2.10 BUILD THE ONLINE MAPPING TOOL MAPS ...... 49 8.2.11 DEVELOP/CUSTOMIZE PROCESS WEBSITE ...... 49 8.2.12 DEVELOP COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY...... 49 8.2.13 DEVELOP YOUTH ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY ...... 51 8.2.14 DELEGATE COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES ...... 52 8.2.15 INITIAL CONTACT WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS...... 52 8.2.16 CONTACT MEDIA ...... 52 8.2.17 ADVERTISING – SAMPLE EMAILS ...... 52 8.2.18 MEETINGS WITH KEY STAKEHOLDER GROUPS ...... 54 8.2.19 DETERMINE RELEVANT WORKSTATIONS ...... 54 8.2.20 CUSTOMIZE WORKSTATIONS ...... 54 8.2.21 FINAL EDIT OF ALL MATERIALS ...... 56 8.2.22 DEVELOP VOLUNTEER STRATEGY ...... 56 8.2.23 SOLICIT VOLUNTEERS ...... 56 8.2.24 ESTABLISH EVENT STAFF ...... 58 8.2.25 DEVELOP ALL PRINT MATERIALS FOR FESTIVAL ...... 59 8.2.26 PRINT MAPS ...... 59 8.2.27 LAUNCH ONLINE MAPPING TOOL ...... 59 8.2.28 SET-UP THE VENUE (NIGHT BEFORE) ...... 59 8.2.29 VOLUNTEER BRIEFING (30 MINUTES BEFORE) ...... 59 8.2.30 ENSURE ADVERTISING IS IN PLACE ...... 60 8.2.31 HANDOUT WORKSHOP MATERIALS TO PARTICIPANTS ...... 60 8.2.32 COLLECT WORKSHOP PASSPORTS AT END ...... 61 8.2.33 GATHER WORKSHOP MAPS ...... 61 8.2.34 ANALYZE ONLINE MAPPING RESULTS ...... 61 8.2.35 REPORTING TO PARTICIPANTS & STAKEHOLDERS ...... 61 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA ...... 62 9.1 GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS ...... 62 9.1.1 STATION 3 - AMENITY ARENA ...... 62 9.1.2 STATION 5 - WHAT’S MISSING?...... 66 9.2 DOUGLAS PARK ...... 71 9.2.1 STATION 3 – AMENITY ARENA ...... 71 9.2.2 STATION 5 - WHAT’S MISSING? ...... 76
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FIGURES FIGURE 1: AMENITY ARENA WALL MAP ...... 12 FIGURE 2: GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS BOUNDARIES ...... 13 FIGURE 3: DOUGLAS PARK BOUNDARIES ...... 14 FIGURE 4: POPULATION GROWTH PATTERNS IN VANCOUVER 2007-2026 ...... 16 FIGURE 5: PUBLIC PROCESS ...... 17 FIGURE 6: WORKSHOP POSTER ...... 18 FIGURE 7: YOUMAP VANCOUVER MEDIA ADVISORY ...... 19 FIGURE 8: SAMPLE MEDIA MESSAGE ...... 20 FIGURE 9: SAMPLE EMAIL SENT TO THE SMART GROWTH BC LISTSERV (1) ...... 21 FIGURE 10: SAMPLE EMAIL SENT TO THE SMART GROWTH BC LISTSERV (2) ...... 22 FIGURE 11: WORKSHOP WINDOW AD ...... 23 FIGURE 12: COVER OF YOUMAP PASSPORT ...... 24 FIGURE 13: PARTICIPANTS IN AMENITY ARENA IN DOUGLAS PARK ...... 24 FIGURE 14: FORCES OF CHANGE VOLUNTEER IN GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS ...... 25 FIGURE 15: ‘WHAT’S MISSING’ WALL OF IDEAS ...... 25 FIGURE 16: ONLINE MAPPING TOOL SCREENSHOT FROM DOUGLAS PARK ...... 26 FIGURE 18: PARTICIPANTS MAPPING IMPORTANT PLACES IN GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS...... 27 FIGURE 19: GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS - PLACES ...... 29 FIGURE 20: GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS - ROUTES ...... 30 FIGURE 21: GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS - AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE ...... 31 FIGURE 22: GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS - EXTENT OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ...... 32 FIGURE 23: PARTICIPANTS IN THE AMENITY ARENA IN DOUGLAS PARK ...... 33 FIGURE 24: PARTICIPANT PHOTO; DOUGLAS PARK ...... 34 FIGURE 25: DOUGLAS PARK - PLACES ...... 35 FIGURE 26: DOUGLAS PARK – ROUTES ...... 36 FIGURE 27: DOUGLAS PARK - AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE ...... 37 FIGURE 28: DOUGLAS PARK - EXTENT OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ...... 38 FIGURE 28:PARTICIPANT PHOTO; GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS ...... 63 FIGURE 29: PARTICIPANT PHOTO; GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS ...... 64 FIGURE 30: PARTICIPANT PHOTO; GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS ...... 65 FIGURE 31: PARTICIPANT PHOTO; GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS ...... 65 FIGURE 32: PARTICIPANT PHOTO DOUGLAS PARK ...... 73 FIGURE 33: PARTICIPANT PHOTO DOUGLAS PARK ...... 75
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What could be more concrete than a particular spot on the planet, its specific quality and character in relation to our experience of that place, including our memories of the past there and our hopes and expectations about the future there? For most of modern history-- that is, since man gave up a nomadic existence for a settled one-- this complex of ideas and emotions has been bundled into the notion of a place called home.
James Kunstler, noted urbanist and author, in a speech to the Congress for the New Urbanism, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 1999
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg6 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY YouMap Vancouver was a pilot project carried out jointly by the Vancouver City Planning Commission and Smart Growth BC to develop a new approach to citizen engagement and community asset mapping and to field test the methodology. This report outlines the YouMap Vancouver process, describes the pilot project as conducted in the two case study neighbourhoods of Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park, provides a toolkit for replicating YouMap in other Vancouver neighbourhoods, and concludes with an evaluation and future directions based on the process and findings. The YouMap Vancouver project is based on the idea that many of the community amenities that make Vancouver a great city are intangible, and develop both organically and also through careful and thoughtful community-led and city-implemented planning. While ‘hard’ amenities such as community centres and playgrounds are easy to quantify, ‘soft’ amenities such as neighbourhood-oriented shops and invisible social fabrics are much more difficult to identify for outsiders and for policy makers. And yet it is essential to recognize that a neighbourhood’s unique clusters of hard and soft amenities, and their inter-relationships, are critical elements that allow them to be vibrant, livable, and successful. By setting out to understand how a neighbourhood works, and the various subtle layers of the concepts of ‘community’ and ‘place’ as lived and experienced by the people of a neighbourhood, the pilot YouMap Vancouver project was a step towards developing the larger picture of how Vancouver might manage change, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, to truly become one of the world’s most livable cities. Any neighbourhood-based public policies must understand and be sensitive to these neighbourhood mechanisms and inter-relationships in order to be effective. Through a combination of traditional public engagement methods such as neighbourhood asset mapping with new internet-based mapping technologies within the venue of a neighbourhood ‘Festival,’ YouMap Vancouver invited residents of the two case study neighbourhoods into a proactive dialogue about managing short- and long-range change. The neighbourhoods of Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park were selected on the basis of their broad socio-economic characteristics to represent the diversity in the City. Through the Festivals and the online participation, citizens were able to share information and insights about their neighbourhoods and explore the meaning of complex concepts such as ‘neighbourhood’ and ‘community amenity’. The engagement process was intended to develop capacity among citizens around managing change – through a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses, assets and needs of their neighbourhoods and interconnections between these factors. The intent was that this deeper understanding would empower citizens to make informed planning decisions over issues around neighbourhood change. In summary, this project is designed to facilitate a personal neighbourhood discovery process where participants, individually and collectively, physically inventory and map those elements of their neighbourhood that they consider assets, strengths, weaknesses and needs. Mapping and visually referencing these elements as part of a dialogue can lead to a greater appreciation of the inter- relationships among the things that citizens’ value and desire for their neighbourhoods - the things that residents may struggle to express in words when they are reacting to the forces of neighbourhood change. This understanding is at the foundation of how to promote, build and support more livable and complete neighbourhoods and how to achieve net gain from development that shapes change. Key findings of this case study include the following: • Community interaction is a key feature or benefit of neighbourhood elements that are considered an amenity. Whether spaces and places are publicly or privately provided, the opportunities they provide for community interaction were often cited as their primary amenity, regardless of their specific function (restaurant, library). • Neighbourhood amenities and assets are not solely those provided by the City, but result from a number of tangible and intangible, and visible and invisible, relationships. City facilities such as community centres and playgrounds are, indeed, major ‘hard’ amenities, but they do not
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comprise all the amenities in a neighbourhood as experienced by the residents. These relationships may not be immediately apparent or observable by neighbourhood outsiders, and require an active and widespread public engagement process if they are to be described, understood and appreciated. • Participants are deeply passionate about their neighbourhoods and hold diverse views about what makes their neighbourhood great. These neighbourhood passions must inform the description of the neighbourhood amenities, which combine both facilities and services provided by the City, and also by a neighbourhood-oriented private sector. Any perceived risks to the neighbourhood-oriented private sector can be seen as a threat as great as the potential closure of a public amenity. • Interactive open-source internet mapping is a viable technology for the City of Vancouver to consider in its public consultation processes. While there remain technical challenges to ensure total security and validity, it can be a cost-effective instrument for data gathering and public outreach. • Neighbourhood boundaries as experienced by residents are elastic and not necessarily those as defined by the City. The City of Vancouver’s current definitions of city neighbourhood boundaries provide a starting point, but are often superseded by residents who frequently cross these boundaries.
2.0 INTRODUCTION Vancouver is standing on the cusp of significant change: The city is turning 123-years-old, going increasingly global and growing at rates never seen before – it is projected that there will be more than one million of us living in Vancouver by 2030. In 2007, the Vancouver City Planning Commission (VCPC) launched a multi-pronged exploration of the City’s resilience in the face of change, called “Vancouver: A City Built for Change.” The key questions being asked are: • How ready is Vancouver to deal with big new societal, economic and environmental issues? • How adaptable to change are the City’s spaces, buildings and neighbourhoods? • How can neighbourhood residents be supported in developing a deeper understanding of the tangible and intangible assets, strengths, and weaknesses of their neighbourhoods as a basis for making informed and often difficult decisions when faced with change? At the VCPC’s Summit on Change in March 2008, key drivers of change were identified and explored. To understand how we can best adapt to change and, at the same time, maintain the beauty, livability and uniqueness of our neighbourhoods, the VCPC led a community asset mapping pilot project called YouMap Vancouver. The project was a partnership between the Vancouver City Planning Commission and Smart Growth BC, through its Smart Growth Advisory Services, and funded by the City of Vancouver. YouMap Vancouver is an innovative approach to mapping community assets or “amenities.” It expands the definition of “amenity” beyond ‘traditional’ assets such as parks and libraries to include the intangible features of neighbourhoods that combine to create the unique character of neighbourhoods, such as special places, viewpoints, community gardens, trees, historic locations, cafes and shops, trails and more. The YouMap process is designed to empower local residents of all ages and backgrounds to build an inventory of what makes their neighbourhoods special, by establishing an inventory of strengths and assets, and identification of gaps, and strategies for filling them. The intent is to engage citizen in an interactive exploration of the assets and gaps in their neighbourhoods, leading to a discovery of the
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connections between patterns of neighbourhood development and the often spontaneous generation of valued amenities and assets as the outcome of planning decisions. This report describes YouMap Vancouver, a pilot project combining a mapping festival event with online mapping, conducted in two neighbourhoods in the fall of 2008: Douglas Park and Grandview Woodlands.
2.0.1 Who/What is the Vancouver City Planning Commission? The Vancouver City Planning Commission is a citizens’ advisory body appointed by Council to provide advice on issues affecting long-range planning in the City of Vancouver such as land-use, development, governance, transportation, and the public realm. Its role includes public consultation, which may take the form of seminars, workshops and conferences. Membership of the Commission consists of the following: • 11 members of the general public appointed by Council • 2 members of the general public appointed by the VCPC • 2 liaison Councillors appointed annually by the Council • 1 liaison appointed annually by each of the Park Board and School Board Commission tasks include the following: • submitting reports on matters relating to planning and development of the City. • representing ideas and opinions about the future of the City of Vancouver. • reporting to Council in response to any proposal likely to have a significant effect on the future of the City. • considering plans and proposals for major developments and changes to land use. • producing events which bring together key thinkers - elected officials, city staff, corporate executives, and citizens. City of Vancouver website: http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/civicagencies/vcpc/index.htm Vancouver City Planning Commission website: http://www.planningcommission.ca
2.0.2 Who/What is Smart Growth Advisory Services? For eight years, Smart Growth BC (SGBC, www.smartgrowth.bc.ca), a provincial charitable non-profit, has been assisting and facilitating municipalities, governments, businesses, community groups, and the development industry in adopting and implementing smart growth principles into planning and developments. We have amassed a substantial body of knowledge and research around the smart growth planning and development principles that are supported and promoted through our various programs. Many communities around the province express demand for smart growth strategies to address rising municipal costs, housing affordability issues, local environmental (air, water, soil, etc.) degradation and quality of life issues. SGBC specializes in the following mission-based consulting services through our Smart Growth Advisory Services: Integrated Land Use Planning and Design that is comprehensive in its inclusion of community vision and identity, servicing requirements, parameters of the Local Government Act, development/economic climate, local context, smart growth principles, and market forces.
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Background Technical Research Reporting that is relevant to local government issues and planning processes and includes both qualitative and quantitative data gathering and assessment, policy analysis, growth projections, and demographic analysis. Community Consultation and Visioning generated through innovative methods of public engagement and applicable to regional planning, official community planning, neighbourhood planning, site planning, design guidelines, and long range development strategies. For example, intensive design Charrettes and alternative computer development modeling/build-out scenarios.
2.0.3 The YouMap Vancouver Team The project was and initiative of the Vancouver City Planning Commission and steered by the YouMap Committee and Smart Growth Advisory Services. Advisory Services staff also coordinated and implemented the mapping Festivals.
2.1 Purpose • To conduct a trial of a new approach to engaging neighbourhood residents in a forum for assessing the tangible and intangible amenities in their home neighbourhoods; • To define the extent of each neighbourhood from the citizens’ perspectives; • To develop a stand-alone process toolkit for rolling out YouMap in other Vancouver neighbourhoods; • To evaluate the pilot project against objectives with recommendations for future application.
2.1.1 Rationale As the City of Vancouver grapples with the increasing pace of change and growing challenges, a public engagement process like YouMap Vancouver has the potential to empower citizens to participate creatively and positively in shaping the future of their neighbourhoods in the face of inevitable pressures. New initiatives and global issues, such as the Olympics, rising energy prices, climate change, and food security, continually re-shape the context for decision and planning. Engaged citizens who understand the interplay among the forces that shape development and change can contribute to making their neighbourhood more resilient and rich in the kinds of amenities that they value. Community mapping exercises like YouMap can catalyze informed community participation in planning for change in their neighbourhoods.
2.2 Interpreting this Report The following section will assist the reader in using the entire YouMap report and in understanding the steps taken in developing the process, conducting the festivals, reporting on the results, and analyzing the raw materials gathered. While Sections 2 to 7 deal with the actual festivals that took place as part of YouMap, Section 8, the Process Toolkit is a stand alone methodology and resource for conducting further iterations of the YouMap process.
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2.2.2 Symbols and designations used on the maps The mapping that was used for the YouMap process was generated from orthophotos provided by the City of Vancouver Graphics (GIS) department. Using these as base maps, participants were encouraged to mark them up as creatively as possible. As such there was some interpretation done in order to categorize the information on the maps and standardize reporting of it. Generally, there were points, lines (routes), and areas (parks, shopping areas, etc.) that were grouped further into categories by use. Symbols on the maps include home, work, shopping, play, bike route, and transit route. Boundaries are depicted in larger, transparent lines of varying colour, intended to denote standardized areas. These include neighbourhood boundary, shopping area boundary, neighbourhood core boundary, and larger, city-wide catchment area for the neighbourhood.
2.2.3 Intended Use of this Report Because the YouMap process is fundamentally community-oriented, the primary users of the mapping report are city staff who work most closely with the neighbourhood groups, local businesses and community members, and the neighbourhood residents themselves. The following groups are critical process participants and report users.
Neighbours As well as being able to access the mapping project results online, the outcomes can inform future City visioning processes or other neighbourhood planning initiatives. Neighbourhoods can use the YouMap process as a productive pre-visioning exercise; visioning exercises are often oriented towards what people want without taking the time to explore what is currently present and valued by the community. Local Business Owners Business owners can use the process and results to better tailor existing business services to the needs of the public. Entrepreneurs can build on the process to engage further with the public on community preferences for neighbourhood goods and services and to see what gaps exist in current service provision. Neighbourhood Groups Neighbourhood groups can use this report to structure the conversation with their membership. The process and results can be of great use in structuring priorities for action for their neighbourhood. City-wide Community Organizations In providing services throughout the city, these organizations could look to YouMap to see what priorities citizens have for action, what types of amenities are lacking and can be provided, as well as how to engage neighbours, neighbourhood groups and local businesses in the discussion about service provision. City Staff YouMap offers creative ways of engaging people on specific topics in a proactive way to map intangibles instead of the ‘hard’ amenities that are often within the direct jurisdiction of City departments, recognizing that the intangibles associated with place and public realm often have more significance to people than the tangible. As the primary step in engaging citizens in the discussion around what makes neighbourhoods great, livable places, the YouMap process can provide a positive and creative foundation for further consultation around change. The process also illuminates the overlap among city departments in meeting a neighbourhood’s needs and underlines the importance of an integrated cross-departmental approach.
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Elected Officials YouMap provides the mayor and councilors with new tools and process for engaging with neighbourhoods, and specific segments within neighbourhoods. For example, the online mapping tool is most effectively used to engage younger participants, as well as those that are often hard to reach due to mobility issues or dislike for public process. The results of the amenity gap identification process can inform the setting of priorities for action. Using YouMap to hear from the public their perspectives on managing change in advance of a City planning process can create a platform for informed, constructive dialogue.
3.0 PILOT NEIGHBOUROODS The selection of Douglas Park and Grandview Woodlands for the pilot YouMap project was the outcome of an extensive process of developing criteria and reviewing them with City staff. The objective was to identify two neighbourhoods with contrasting asset and amenity composition.
3.1 Plan Area Figures 2 and 3 depict the areas identified for the mapping processes in Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park, respectively. Three factors were involved in determining the area boundaries: first, the degree to which an area can be depicted on a wall map with enough detail for users to be able to engage effectively in the process; second, the degree to which major street boundaries can be considered hard neighbourhood boundaries; third; the population of the area, which must be large enough to generate a critical mass for participation in the mapping exercise.
Figure 1: Amenity Arena Wall Map
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Figure 2: GRANDVIEW WOODLANDS BOUNDARIES
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Figure 3: DOUGLAS PARK BOUNDARIES
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3.2 Neighbourhood Background 3.2.1 Geography Grandview Woodlands The City of Vancouver neighbourhood boundaries for Grandview Woodlands extend north to the water, south to Broadway and from Clark Street east to Nanaimo. While conceptions of the Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood differ, it is undeniably anchored by Commercial Drive, with residential areas to the east and west of this main street. Douglas Park Douglas Park is part of the larger city designate neighbourhood of South Cambie. The small neighbourhood that is centred on Douglas Park Community Centre and is anchored by Cambie Street to the east, Oak Street to the west and the arterial streets of King Edward and 16th to the south and north respectively.
3.2.2 Brief History Grandview Woodlands The Grandview Woodlands area began to develop in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Development accelerated following the arrival of the city water system on Commercial Drive in 1904. Transportation has played a central role in the areas history from its origins and development patterns to a focus for community action. After the First World War Italian, Chinese, and East European immigrants arrived in the area, modifying the neighbourhood's demographics. A second wave of Italian immigrants arrived after World War II. There immigrants renovated old houses and changed the look of Commercial Drive with new shops and restaurants. Grandview Woodlands’ neighbourhood amenities were substantially augmented in 1975 when the Britannia Community Services Centre was built; at the time it was one of the North America's largest facilities. Douglas Park Once a large forest area, Douglas Park was characterized by the old ‘beaver meadow’ that served as an elk pasture until the gold rush in 1858 brought about the extinction of elk in Greater Vancouver. Most of the houses were built in the 1920s and 40s, with roads surfaced with crushed slate from the quarries on the nearby Little Mountain. One of those open pit mines was converted to the main water reservoir for Vancouver in the 1920s. Cambie Street developed as a service arterial, complete with shops and restaurants to service the growing population. Most recently, the Douglas Park neighbourhood has been subject to intensive construction along Cambie Street due to the new Richmond Airport Vancouver (RAV) line that runs from the Airport to downtown Vancouver. The rapid transit line will improve transit options for residents in Douglas Park, and will likely increase the density of the neighbourhood, particularly around the RAV stop at King Edward and Cambie Street.
3.2.3 Residential Characteristics Grandview Woodlands The charismatic and lively area of Grandview Woodlands features a diversity of population, housing and land use. Commercial Drive hosts a diverse array of businesses including ethnic restaurants and food
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stores, funky coffee bars, unusual clothing stores and street activity. The "Drive" is known throughout the city for its cosmopolitan appeal.
The Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood is characterized by a mix of buildings. Elaborate houses on large corner lots sit next to cottages on narrow ones. The largest houses date from the late 1890's and early 1900's, when Grandview Woodlands was initially promoted as a prestigious residential area. Douglas Park The main arterial streets in Douglas Park (Cambie, Oak, King Edward and 16th) are characterized by storefront shops and restaurants, and some 3- to 4-storey apartment buildings. The residential character of Douglas Park is primarily single-family detached housing. The houses were mostly built from the 1920s to 1940s. The neighbourhood follows a Clarence Perry design, oriented around the leisure and park amenities of Douglas and Heather Parks. The Douglas Park neighbourhood remained insulated from the trend in the 1980s and 1990s that saw many of the heritage homes in other Vancouver neighbourhoods replaced with a simpler ‘Vancouver special’ house. Recently, homes in Douglas Park have been renovated to include a secondary suite as a mortgage helper.
3.3 Accommodation of Projected Growth in Neighbourhoods Since there is little land remaining in the city that is undeveloped, the majority of the coming population growth will be taking place in existing neighbourhoods through infill and intensification. If population growth rates meet the projections, there will have to be serious consideration given to how densification occurs without jeopardizing community character. Figure 4 illustrates the projected growth trend in Vancouver over the next 20 years. Figure 4: POPULATION GROWTH PATTERNS in VANCOUVER 2007-2026
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4.0 PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ADVERTISING PROCESS The steps involved in building awareness about the mapping projects in the two neighbourhoods with the objective of attracting participation are outlined in the table below and described in the following sections. Figure 5: PUBLIC PROCESS
Activity Outcome
1 – Stakeholder Meetings with YouMap Committee and City of Assessment and Vancouver staff members to brainstorm a list of Identification stakeholders
Stakeholder contact information gathered and collated
2 – Develop Design and produce communications materials Communications for all outreach activities. Material
3 – Outreach to Email to regional and neighbour stakeholders; stakeholders and direct phone calls; postering and meeting neighbours business owners; bulk mail out of poster.
In person meetings with key organizations and individuals
4 – Media Direct contact with key media about the Communication project. Distribute media release 1 week before the festival.
4.1 Stakeholder Assessment & Identification The YouMap Committee developed a list of neighbourhood contacts in each of three categories of participants: • Regional Stakeholders • Neighbourhood groups • Business owners The list was reviewed with City staff to ensure key stakeholders at each level had not been missed.
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4.2 Develop Communications Materials The YouMap Committee in consultation with City staff developed and refined a series of key messages about the project and a graphic identity for YouMap Vancouver. One Page Communications Piece – The 1-pager was developed to describe the YouMap project, its goals and objectives, and the key desired outcomes. It was used in email messages to regional stakeholders and neighbours, and in the outreach we conducted with the media. Posters – Posters were developed to be displayed in key locations in each of the neighbourhoods. The posters used the YouMap branding, and identified key messages about YouMap Vancouver and the date and locations of the Festival. The posters were displayed in business windows, on neighbourhood association displays, on information bulletin boards and on signposts. The poster was also mailed to all residences and businesses in the neighbourhood through a postal bulk mailout. Website – all communication pieces directed people to the project website: www.youmapvancouver.ca. The intent was for the website to hold all of the relevant information about the YouMap Vancouver project, and also act as a portal for the online mapping tool. Martini Coasters – Martini Coasters were created in a similar style to the posters and displayed information about the YouMap project, Festival dates and the location. The Martini Coasters were left at participating businesses and handed out to neighbours in Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park. Organization Websites– Notices of the YouMap Vancouver Festival events were posted online on selected websites for relevant organizations.
4.3 Outreach to Stakeholders and Neighbourhood Groups The ‘one page communications piece’ was emailed to all regional stakeholders and neighbourhood groups, with follow-up phone calls. During the phone call, the caller asked the following questions: • What are the most effective methods of reaching neighbours (i.e. neighbourhood newsletters, listservs, poster boards)? • Who else should we contact? • Can you suggest local businesses that would sponsor the YouMap project for prizes, display advertising materials (cards/posters) or provide food and drinks at the festival? If speaking with a business – ask if they are willing to sponsor the project in some capacity. • Can you describe the relevant issues (related to land use) in your neighbourhood? The direct telephone calls to key individuals in both Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park proved to be a very effective way of developing relationships and building excitement about the project. Local champions of the project came forward to help with the recruitment of participants for the events. Phone calls were also made to businesses in each neighbourhood, with door-to-door distribution of posters and martini coasters for display. Posters were also placed throughout the neighbourhood in community centres, and on bulletin boards and sign posts. Figure 6: Workshop Poster Posters were mailed to all residences and businesses within the neighbourhood boundaries in the week leading up to each of the festivals.
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In the lead up to the Douglas Park YouMap Festival, Smart Growth Advisory Services had the opportunity to host a planner from China, through a program managed by the Canadian Institute of Planners. This planner translated some of the communications and outreach materials so that we were able to display posters that were written in Mandarin throughout the neighbourhood.
4.4 Media Plan The YouMap Executive Committee worked together to identify and contact key media representatives about the YouMap project. The Media strategy involved contacting key people about the project prior to sending out a Media release to all contacts. Our team personally contacted key people at the Georgia Straight, The Vancouver Sun, the Globe and Mail, the Courier, 24, Metro, Granville Magazine, BC Business, The Tyee, CBC, Global TV and CTV. A general media release was developed from the key messages communications piece and emailed to all of the Media contacts in the lower Mainland. SGAS staff conducted follow up interviews with interested media personnel. Figure 7: YouMap Vancouver Media Advisory
THE VANCOUVER CITY PLANNING COMMISSION AND SMART GROWTH BC LAUNCH YOUMAP VANCOUVER On October 3rd and 4th, the Vancouver City Planning Commission in partnership with Smart Growth BC will launch YouMap Vancouver at the Britannia Community Services Centre. YouMap Vancouver project asks neighbourhood residents to ‘map’ the amenities in their neighbourhood – essentially exploring the characteristics that make their neighbourhood a great place to live. YouMap Vancouver will empower local residents of all ages and backgrounds to rethink traditional definitions of ‘amenity’ beyond parks and libraries. “YouMap Vancouver Is a unique opportunity for community members to come together to celebrate the many great and often intangible things about the places they call home” says Tom Lancaster, Manager of Smart Growth Advisory Services. In a two-day Festival in the Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood, participants will have the opportunity to engage with their neighbours and knowledgeable facilitators about topics ranging from their favourite places to relax, to information about housing form and character, transportation and sustainability. The Festival is designed to be fun, engaging and educational. Among other things, festival goers may choose to take part in a ‘Walk n’ Roll’ tour through the neighbourhood. The facilitated tours will ask participants to photograph and record stories about their favorite places in the neighbourhood. The YouMap Vancouver project begins in Grandview Woodlands—one of two neighbourhood where the project is being piloted. The other neighbourhood is Douglas Park, where YouMap Vancouver festival is planned for October 24th and 25th. “We hope participants will leave the festivals with new perspectives and a greater understanding of their neighbourhoods” says Lancaster. Chair of the Vancouver City Planning Commission , Alan Boniface said the Commission hopes the mapping project will give residents an opportunity to identify the special places, the shops, viewpoints and public spaces that make their streets special. “This is aimed at allowing citizens to define at the neighbourhood level what makes Vancouver special so that when we plan and manage change in a way that values and builds on the strengths of Vancouver’s neighbourhoods.” The Grandview Woodlands YouMap Vancouver event will be held at the Learning Resource Centre from 5 – 7pm on October 3rd and from 10am – 2pm on October 4th. The Vancouver City Planning Commission is a volunteer body appointed by the Vancouver City Council to advise on issues related to long term planning in the City. The Commission strives to deliver outstanding long- range planning and research advice to City Council in part by listening creatively to Vancouverites. Smart
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Growth BC is a non-governmental organization devoted to fiscally, socially and environmentally responsible land use and development. To find out more about the YouMap Vancouver project go to the website: www.youmapvancouver.ca or phone Tom Lancaster at Smart Growth BC: 604 689 4600. For more information about the Vancouver City Planning Commission: www.planningcommission.ca For more information about Smart Growth BC: www.smartgrowth.bc.ca For more information about YouMap Vancouver go to: www.youmapvancouver.ca
Figure 8: Sample Media Message
Dear ______, I have a story I wanted to flag for you before we send out the press release next week re: are we ready for change? Vancouver is going global and growing at rates never seen before-- it is projected that there will be roughly one million of us living within the city boundaries by 2030. Are we ready for change? Furthermore, how can we adapt to change and retain what we love about our city and its diverse neighbourhoods? In response to these critical questions, the Vancouver City Planning Commission and Smart Growth BC are launching “YouMap Vancouver,” a community engagement initiative unique to its kind in Canada. We are beginning “YouMap Vancouver” through a pilot project, where we will invite residents of the Grandview Woodland and Douglas Park neighbourhoods to "map" the things that make their community great, and tell us what they need but can’t get in their neighbourhood i.e. what services and amenities are missing in their area? The YouMap project will empower local residents of all ages and backgrounds to challenge the traditional definition of "amenity" beyond parks and libraries. We will encourage local youth, elders, families, community groups, businesspeople and everyone in these neighbourhoods to reveal the special corners, shops, viewpoints and public spaces that make their streets special to them. The project will be taking place both, on-line through a web portal, and on our streets through community festivals: - October 3rd and 4th in Grandview Woodland - October 24th and 25th in Douglas Park I'm planning to send out a media release re: YouMap next Wednesday, October 1st, and wanted to give you the heads-up this is coming, in case you are interested in finding out more information in advance. I’m thinking it’d be so interesting to hear your perspective on either of these communities i.e. is there any buildings, gardens, or features of the built environment of these neighbourhoods that you particularly cherish? If you were to participate in one of the “YouMap” festivals or the on-line activity, what special places would you be talking about and why? Please, let me know if you are interested in hearing more. I can be reached at: 604.915.5234 x312. Kind regards,
4.5 Youth Engagement Youth were identified early in the YouMap Vancouver process as being an integral part of the residents in any Vancouver neighbourhood. In planning our regions, cities, towns, villages, and neighbourhoods, we need to consider the opinions and values of our youth. People often say that “youth are our future”, or “the youth are the leaders of tomorrow”. It is important to remember that youth are present today, not just in the future and they are the leaders of today as much as they are the leaders of ten years from now. As such, young people need to play a major role in urban and city planning, yet they do not. The Challenge
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1. Get youth involved in planning 2. Find out how youth want to be involved 3. Find out how best to get the message out that planning is happening 4. Design really exciting ways of engaging youth at events 5. Design and plan creative ways of hearing what young people think is important Process As part of the YouMap Vancouver project Smart Growth BC’s Advisory Services (www.smartgrowth.bc.ca and www.sgas.bc.ca) began to engage a small group of youth representatives in addressing the list of 5 challenges above. A series of casual, yet structured meetings began to be held to address the issues and develop a youth engagement strategy for planning that could be used in any planning process in any city, town, village, or neighbourhood in BC. Along with Smart Growth BC, a Downtown Community Schools Team Teacher and other Non‐Profit organization leaders assisted in guiding and developing this process. Unfortunately, the timing of the YouMap Festivals in October left little time for teachers to include YouMap Vancouver activities in their busy curriculum. However, the teachers we spoke with were very interested in the project. Given the right timing, it would be very valuable to have several classes of different ages complete the paper based and online components of the Festival.
4.6 Invitations to Participate Actual invitations to groups, businesses and individuals are provided here. Figure 9: Sample Email sent to the Smart Growth BC Listserv (1)
Dear Friends,
Do you live or spend time in Grandview Woodland or Douglas Park? This is your last chance to participate in YouMap Vancouver – a unique project that maps the amenities that make your neighbourhood great! YouMap Vancouver began with a pilot project in two Vancouver neighbourhoods: Grandview Woodland and Douglas Park. Although the dates for the ‘in person’ festivals and engagement have already passed, there is still an opportunity to YouMap Grandview Woodland and Douglas Park online. This unique tool allows you to identify places, areas and routes in your community, while also writing stories and adding photos about each entry. Log on to this site: http://www.goodmap.sgas.bc.ca/ Follow the instructions to create a login…then you are ready to YouMap! We will be shutting down the online tool for these two neighbourhoods on Tuesday, November 18th! Don’t miss out on your chance! Stay tuned for an announcement of the results early in 2009: www.youmapvancouver.ca
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Figure 10: Sample Email sent to the Smart Growth BC Listserv (2) Dear Friends,
Smart Growth BC, in partnership with the Vancouver City Planning Commission, has launched a community asset mapping initiative unique to its kind in Canada. YouMap Vancouver is an innovative approach to mapping community assets or "amenities." The intention of the project is to help rethink the traditional definitions of "amenity" beyond assets such as parks and libraries to include the intangible, qualitative characteristics of neighbourhoods, such as special places, viewpoints, and community gardens.
The YouMap project has begun with a pilot project in two neighbourhoods: Grandview Woodland last weekend, and Douglas Park – upcoming on October 24th and 25th.
In addition to the Festivals, we have launched an ONLINE MAPPING TOOL. If you live in either Grandview Woodland or Douglas Park – log on and YouMap your neighbourhood! The site allows you to identify places, routes and areas, as well as add stories and pictures about those places.
Go to the project website and follow the instructions: www.youmapvancouver.ca
Don’t let this opportunity slip away! Vancouver is changing quickly…yet it doesn’t have to change at the expense of the great things about our neighbourhoods.
If you have any questions about the Online tool or the YouMap Vancouver project, please contact Erin Welk: [email protected] / 604 689 4600
Best regards
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5.0 FESTIVAL DESCRIPTION Early in the concept development process for the project, the decision was made to design the public engagement events as Festivals, rather than the more traditional workshops, to emphasize the informal, open- ended and brain-storming nature of the process. Above all, the events were designed to be fun, creative, interactive, and thought-provoking. This section describes the locations and the event programming for each Festival - what participants were asked to do, the materials they engaged with, and the staffing.
5.1 Dates The Festivals took place over two days, on a Friday evening and Saturday. The Grandview Woodlands event was on October 3rd and 4th, 2008 and the Douglas park event was on October 24th and 25th, 2008.
5.2 Locations The first event, for Grandview Woodlands, was held on the Britannia Community Centre complex in a below ground-level space facing the school. For comparison, the Douglas Park event was held on Cambie Street at a vacant storefront. The Cambie Street event experienced higher walk-in traffic due both to the street-front location and the merchant-sponsored Halloween festival taking place on the Saturday.
5.3 Facility Set-up SGBC staff and VCPC members were present to greet participants – to describe the intent of the project and guide them to start the activities. The greeters and guides were considered critical to welcoming people and making them feel at home. They also collected worksheets, stamped passports and directed participants to other stations in the Festival. • Goals of the Festival and YouMap project were posted in visible place as people entered the space. • Participants were asked to sign in at the entrance table • The Walk’n Roll Tour times were heavily advertised on posters and other materials prior to the event. The times for the next tour were also displayed at each festival. • There was a food and drink station; with greater lead time, this could be sponsored by local businesses • A children’s area was setup with a volunteer and equipped with colouring and drawing supplies. The pilot project did not include a component to engage children in the YouMap process. Figure 11: Workshop Window Ad
5.4 Festival Participant Materials Each participant received a ‘passport’ when they come in the door that described all of the exercises with clear instructions for moving around and engaging with the Festival. Materials for participants included: • A map of the neighbourhood;
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• Section for people to fill out name and contact info for Passport draw prize, and also check age range box; • Passport included stickers for use in the individual and large mapping stations • Each participant also received a package of worksheets related to the stations, including a neighbourhood map. In order to get sections of a ‘passport’ stamped, the participant had to hand in the appropriate worksheets.
5.5 Festival Stations At each Festival there were five stations, each with a different exercise, staffed by SGAS staff, VCPC members, and Figure 12: Cover of YouMap Passport volunteers who had received pre-Festival training in working with participants. At each station there was visual/written information to describe the purpose and background, and to provide instructions. Each exercise was designed to be visual and spatial, to elicit meaningful responses and discussion.
Map YOUR Neighbourhood – Defining your neighbourhood boundaries At the first station, while seated at a table, participants completed the small map of the neighbourhood included with the worksheet package. Instructions were to mark your house and/or business and outline your sense of the extent of your neighbourhood. On completion participants handed the worksheet to a volunteer and received a stamp on their passport. Instructions then directed participants to the large map located on one wall.
Home Sweet Home Participants marked their home and/or business with coloured dots (blue for home, yellow for business) on the large, wall-mounted map of the neighbourhood. This exercise was designed to be a short follow-up to the individual neighbourhood boundaries task with the intent of generating a map showing where everyone at the Festival lived or worked.
Amenity Arena At the amenity arena station, a facilitator engaged participants in a ‘world café’ type of discussion of different categories of amenities. Specific amenities were recorded on the large wall map at this station with stickers or by drawing on the map. The facilitator recorded key points about places on flip chart paper, while a note taker recorded detailed notes about the conversations. There were three amenity categories: key places, routes (getting around) and areas (i.e. shopping, parks etc). The facilitator guided the discussion on these three themes using questions such as the Figure 13: Participants in following: Amenity Arena in Douglas Park Where can you bring your kids/dog? Why do you take them to that place?
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Where to shop for food? What can’t you get within walking distance? Where do you take your family from out of town? Why do you leave your neighbourhood? What for? And, how do you get there?
Forces of Change This station was designed to be educational, providing information about sustainability, energy scarcity, climate change, neighbourhood planning, building design, and other urban issues and challenges. The station offered participants the opportunity to learn more about the forces of change affecting their neighbourhood now and in the future. Facilitators offered an opportunity for participants to ask questions about how the different forces may affect their neighbourhood and comment on other forces of change with local impacts.
Figure 14: Forces of Change What is Missing? volunteer in Grandview Woodlands The intent of this station was for participants to build on the ideas and education from the rest of the Festival to identify things that their neighbourhood is missing, and in the current context of their neighbourhood, come up with solutions to achieve what is missing. Here, a facilitator helped participants look at tradeoffs for achieving different amenities. (i.e. achieving affordable housing might mean tradeoffs in locations and types of density in the neighbourhood). At this station, the facilitator tried to ensure that participants did not just ‘complain’ about what was missing in their neighbourhood without providing ideas for constructive solutions. Each problem and solution was posted on the wall on coloured paper that was shaped like a lightbulb.
5.6 The Walk’n Roll Neighbourhood Tour Figure 15: ‘What’s Missing’ The Walk ‘n’ Roll (cycle) Tours were a participatory community Wall of Ideas engagement activity. Participants were asked to bring their own digital camera although Smart Growth BC and staff had extra cameras for participants to use. A Festival volunteer took participants on a neighbourhood tour to take photos of significant places, which were then displayed on a laptop. For each photo participants were asked to describe the photo on a worksheet and why they chose to take a picture of that place. The time of the next tour was posted at the entrance to the Festival venue in the form of a clock with movable hands. The route for the tour was determined by the participants, who also made notes about their photographed places.
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5.7 Online Mapping Tool The YouMap online mapping tool was developed as an innovative component of the YouMap Vancouver project. It is a modification of the popular Google Map application used for getting directions and exploring the planet. Users were able to customize their neighbourhood map with favourite routes and flag points of interest. The YouMap Online tool allowed logged in users to add photos and comments. It was available for ’neighbours’ to use in the week before the Festival and for about 1 month following the Festival. Data collected by the tool was included with the responses from participants in the neighbourhood mapping events in the Results sections (Sections 6 and 9).
Figure 16: Online Mapping Tool Screenshot from Douglas Park
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6.0 FESTIVAL RESULTS This section summarizes results of the Festivals for Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park. More details are included in the Appendix (Section 9).
6.1 Grandview Woodlands The YouMap Vancouver Festival in Grandview Woodlands was held on October 3rd and 4th at the Britannia Community Services Centre. The Friday evening session was held from 5pm to 7pm, while the Saturday session was held from 10am to 2pm. Approximately 20 participants attended the Friday evening Festival. The Saturday session had better attendance, with 25-30 people working through the five YouMap stations. Below are highlights of the results from the five stations. Ten restaurants were identified by YouMap participants, although few more than once. This may be indicative of the wide range of restaurants in the neighbourhood. Residents’ clearly favoured locally sourced products delivered by family or locally run businesses. The community feel and atmosphere of the restaurant was important, as was how the business fit within the larger community identity. A typical comment: “great atmosphere; great place for writing.” Several grocery stores and other commercial businesses were highlighted as important places in the Grandview Woodland neighbourhood. Residents placed high importance on fair trade and locally sourced products in businesses that added to the identity of the Commercial Drive neighbourhood. Like restaurants and coffee shops, YouMap participants in Grandview Woodland valued the ability to walk to affordable commercial services where they can interact with friendly staff. The Britannia Community Services Centre is the heart of the community services and parks in the Grandview Woodland neighbourhood. Residents value the friendly Figure 18: Participants Mapping Important staff and variety of affordable classes that the centre Places in Grandview Woodlands. provides, offering a spot to meet and socialize with friends. Indeed, socializing was a common theme amongst all the identified characteristics of parks. Often, resident identified how community spaces improve their quality of life, by offering green space, safe areas for games or children play spaces, and affordable activities. YouMap Vancouver participants were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify significant routes they use to travel within and outside of their neighbourhood, and to describe why the route was important, and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. YouMap Festival participants in Grandview Woodland identified a range of important walking, cycling transit and automobile routes through the neighbourhood. Routes to the downtown core were identified as important with both bus (the #20 route) and cycling (the Adanac route) routes identified as key connectors to the rest of the City. Several walking routes were identified for their beauty and views of heritage homes and activities within the parks. YouMap Vancouver participants were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify general areas in their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the place was important and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. The areas overlapped with the places that participants identified. The most common areas identified were streets and parks – in Grandview Woodland notable areas included Commercial Drive, Trout Lake, Victoria and Tempolton Parks. Participants identified the importance of greenspace in which residents are able to feel a part of the community while people watching, meeting friends, playing outside and exercising.
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What’s Missing Grandview Woodlands participants generated more than 60 comments, often with solutions. Some examples: Missing: Drinking fountains and washrooms Solution: Paid model as in England (beautiful, clean and attended) Problem: 1st Avenue is very busy Solution: Pedestrian crossings at every block and longer signal times for pedestrian crossings.
6.1.1 Grandview Woodlands Map Descriptions The following four maps visually describe the results of the YouMap Vancouver Festival and Online Mapping tool in Grandview Woodlands. The results were compiled and presented in a series of maps to provide an overview of the results from the Festival. These maps are best used conjunction with the rest of the results section. Grandview Woodlands – Places The majority of the places that YouMap festival participants identified in Grandview Woodlands were green and community spaces or restaurants, cafes or other business services along Commercial Drive. Grandview Woodlands – Routes For residents of Grandview Woodlands, getting around by transportation methods other than the automobile means bus, cycling or walking. Festival participants most often identified the #20 bus route that follows Commercial Drive, taking riders along Hastings Street to downtown Vancouver. The Adanac Bike Route was often mentioned as a key artillery from the Grandview Woodland neighbourhood to downtown. The pedestrian routes identified by participants reflect greater individuality and personal choice. Routes included side streets in the neighbourhood favoured for their scenery and heritage ambiance and off street walking paths around and through parks. Grandview Woodlands – Areas of Significance Like the Places map, the Areas of Significance that Festival participants identified varied from parks and community spaces to areas identified for commercial services. In Grandview Woodlands, the business heart of the neighbourhood is undoubtedly Commercial Drive, while the Britannia Community Services Centre anchors the park and community space in the neighbourhood. Grandview Woodlands – Extent of the Neighbourhood During the festival, participants were asked to draw the ‘extent of their neighbourhood’. The intent of this exercise was to determine the extent to which residents use their neighbourhood. In Grandview Woodlands, participants at our Festival often felt that their neighbourhood boundaries corresponded with the City’s neighbourhood designation. In this way, residents told use their sense of place surrounding their homes extended much farther that simply a 5 minute walk from their home. Despite this, several participants did express a different and much smaller neighbourhood that centered around Britannia Community Services Centre and business services on Commercial Drive.
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Figure 19: Grandview Woodlands - Places
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Figure 20: Grandview Woodlands - Routes
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Figure 21: Grandview Woodlands - Areas of Significance
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Figure 22: Grandview Woodlands - Extent of the Neighbourhood
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6.2 Douglas Park The YouMap Vancouver Festival in Douglas Park was held on October 24th and 25th at a vacant storefront on the east side of Cambie Street. The Friday evening session was held from 5pm to 7pm, while the Saturday session was held from 10am to 2pm. Approximately 30 participants attended the Friday evening Festival, and approximately 60 participants attended the Saturday session. The storefront location contributed to the high traffic, with the narrow space often filled to capacity. Below are highlights of the results from the five stations. YouMap Vancouver participants at the Douglas Park Festival were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify significant places in their neighbourhood, and to describe why the place was importantly and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. Participants identified a range of places, from restaurants and cafes to commercial services, cultural and entertainment hubs and community spaces and parks. The results indicate that residents in Douglas Park recognize the importance of having meeting places with a friendly atmosphere in their neighbourhood. Also residents prefer to walk to services within their neighbourhood, and highly value those places where there is interaction with business owners or other neighbours. Typical comments included: “soul of the Cambie strip, brings life to the neighbourhood, Figure 23: Participants in the Amenity friendly owner” Arena in Douglas Park “great shopping, easily accessible on foot, locally owned businesses” Residents indicated there are many parks that provide green space and much needed social interaction – where kids can play and parents can relax or socialize. The community spaces also embody an importance essence of community spirit, identified as a very important quality for any neighbourhood. Asked about routes, residents identified transit, cycling, dog walking and other important routes within or through the neighbourhood. Several participants indicated how the options provided by different transit and bike routes was a huge asset in connecting the neighbourhood with the rest of the city. Also, residents seemed to value the quiet streets resulting from bike paths and traffic calmed areas. When asked about areas of significance, the results show considerable overlap with the places that the highlighted as significant, serving to underline their importance to the neighbourhood. Residents identified several areas valued for their ambiance, as areas that showcase heritage and history or contribute to a friendly atmosphere in the neighbourhood. Douglas Park is the main community centre, valued for is relaxing vibe, organized activities and the immediately surrounding area. Several other parks were identified as important, including Queen Elizabeth, Heather and Granville Island. Interestingly, several of these areas were identified despite being located well outside of the immediate neighbourhood.
What’s missing? Participants participated with enthusiasm and creativity at the What’s Missing station, generating many ideas, for example: Missing: No library in the neighbourhood Solution: Create a small storefront library where people can pick up book requested online; provide a few computers for online access; small meeting place
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6.2.1 Douglas Park Map Descriptions The following four maps visually describe the results of the YouMap Vancouver Festival and Online Mapping tool in Douglas Park. The results were compiled and presented in a series of maps to provide an overview of the results from the Festival. These maps are best used conjunction with the rest of the results section.
Douglas Park – Places The majority of the places that YouMap festival participants identified in Douglas Park were green and community spaces or restaurants, cafes or other business services, primarily located on Cambie and Oak streets. Douglas Park – Routes Residents of Douglas Park identified several methods of transportation for travelling within or outside of their neighbourhood. In addition to the automobile, residents identified transit, cycling, and walking Figure 24: Participant Photo; Douglas Park routes. Many participants at the YouMap Festival identified several bus routes they used regularly. Many identified the importance of maintaining these routes, despite the Richmond Airport Vancouver rapid transit line that will be operating in the fall of 2009. Several cycling routes were identified, including Heather Street and 10th Avenue. Indeed, these streets are valued by pedestrians as well, who enjoy walking on streets with less automobile traffic. The ambiance created by the trees and heritage homes around Douglas Park are valued by residents, many of whom enjoying walking and running on these quiet streets. Douglas Park – Areas of Significance Like the Places map, the Areas of Significance that Festival participants identified varied from parks and community spaces to areas identified for commercial services. In Douglas Park, the business heart of the neighbourhood is undoubtedly Cambie Street, with Oak Street around 16th Avenue and City Square at 12th Avenue providing secondary areas for daily services. In addition to parks and community spaces, the Ukrainian Cultural Centre was identified by participants as an importance space, regardless of religious beliefs. Douglas Park – Extent of the Neighbourhood During the festival, participants were asked to draw the ‘extent of their neighbourhood’. The intent of this exercise was to determine the extent to which residents use their neighbourhood. In Douglas Park, participants at our Festival often felt that their neighbourhood boundaries encompassed the services streets of Cambie and Oak, from 16th Avenue south to King Edward Avenue. However, many participants felt more connected to the areas east of Cambie Street, or connected to areas north of 16th Avenue. Regardless of the neighbourhood extent, Cambie Street was the central service area for almost all festival participants.
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Figure 25: Douglas Park - Places
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Figure 26: Douglas Park – Routes
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Figure 27: Douglas Park - Areas of Significance
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Figure 28: Douglas Park - Extent of the Neighbourhood
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg38 7.0 EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
7.0 EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS As a pilot project, the primary intent was to demonstrate a new way of engaging residents in a discussion about their neighbourhood that supports informed, creative, solution-oriented dialogue about change. Based on the enthusiasm of participants, depth of dialogue and thoughtfulness of comments, the consensus of the team is that the project was a success and validated the mapping process and tools as an approach to future public engagement for the City of Vancouver about managing change in neighbourhoods and identifying valued amenities.
7.1 Common themes in Participants’ Comments The facilitators at the two Festivals recorded the comments of participants at stations #3, #4 and #5. The primary objective at these stations was to have participants to identify places and amenities that create a sense of place and make the neighbourhood a unique place to live, and at the same time to also identify what amenities are missing that would improve their neighbourhood along with ideas about how to obtain them. The predominant responses participants gave when describing what was special in their neighbourhood were the naming of places and amenities which provided and encouraged community interaction. It was the community and social interactions enabled by physical places that were identified as amenities, more than the physical structures themselves. The following is a summary of the comments, as written by participants or recorded by the facilitators at both neighbourhood events, describing the value to their neighbourhoods of spaces and places that encourage community interaction: a) Play grounds and Parks … beautiful new playground built by the community… • They encourage neighbours to loiter and chat and build relationships…every weekend you see spontaneous games with parents involvement… kids’ playground and programs… • I often sit in this park on a sunny day, people watch or attend an event taking place in the park… • I love going for walks around the park - it has a good mix of kids, dogs, and bike riders… has a nice feelings, bocce ball amenities… • Cool people hanging out, drum circles, adds flavour to the neighbourhood… hanging out, meeting people, picnics... tennis to play or watch, sit with a book enjoying the sun b) Community Gardens… • Build team and community spirit working on project together… • Create community composting and gardens… • Importance of connecting people to food and gardening c) Coffee Shops… • Sidewalk seating, good coffee, free internet, friendly owner... • Sonny tries to establish relationships and remember your name…sidewalk café, nice friendly owner… • A meeting place - great to meet your neighbours… • Sunday morning coffee and paper… great meeting place.... quiet to read newspaper... close-walking distance… brings life and vitality to the neighbourhood d) Restaurants… • Restaurant server knows us well… my daughter can go in and order for herself... great that local businesses look out for my family.
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• Best ramen soup, independently owned, great value supper <$9… e) Theatre… • brings life and vitality to the neighbourhood… • an important community recreation centre... affordable and great… • theatre has been a part of the neighbourhood and cambie retail corridor before I was born... friendly theatre that feels independent f) Community Gardens… • Place for neighbours to meet/talk about gardening…the most amazing garden in our community, spills onto the sidewalk perfectly… • Yahoo! Finally a community garden, Kudos! • best ramen soup, independently owned, great value supper <$9… Stores that are part of the community… • Is the "general store" of the area… • Still a relatively "mom and pop" shop…best small grocery, best quality meats…amazing neighbourhood feel. • Like you’ve known them for years…smaller community based store… a project that brought the neighbourhood together …Connie who owns the store knows everyone … • Unique independent business.- staff are socially and politically engaging… good to have traffic through business area… this is where I do most of my banking… • I love the feeling of community the staff has managed to create… friendly people… great shopping and restaurants, great sense of community compared with rest of Vancouver… all locally owned locations… • Get to know shop owners and can owe money if I'm short… I'd rather support local entrepreneurs and business owners and keep $ here g) Community Scale … • I like these people having housing, church and cultural center all together... community spirit, family shops, community activities eg. Halloween and Christmas parties… • everything needed within blocks of where I live… brings community together for sports, courses at all age levels… lack of places to go for a drink with friends… • Need social programs and places for seniors/people with disabilities to jam/hang out (x3)… start a temporary library branch in several empty storefronts on Cambie… don't require a car, friendly people, feel somewhat safe… Library and community centre are the heart of the community…. we use it as the "night court" for bike polo. • It's the only lit court in this part of town, people come from as far west as Point Grey to play here… • Many medical clinics, doctors offices etc in walking distance…can walk to a movie… my son can walk to this school… wonderful neighbourhood for walking dogs, meeting neighbours, trees!... great wide street for walking/biking/scooting… all back alleys are great! • It shows how people really live… walk through alleyways to Yoga… nice to cruise alleyways, peaceful… lots of foot traffic, good for safety and meeting neighbours… feels like home when I cycle into this area.
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7.2 Neighbourhood Data from Festivals While the size of the population sample participating in the Festivals was too small to support generalizations about neighbourhood values and objectives, the kinds of statements and responses elicited indicate that the process supports reflective evaluation about community, awareness of the relationship between density and certain kinds of amenities, understanding of the value of intangible amenities in creating an appealing character for a community, and creativity in identifying strategies to address amenity gaps. The What’s Missing station at the Festivals was designed to ask participants to draw on learning about their neighbourhood at other stations, and apply them to practical solutions to problems they identify in their neighbourhood. The intent was to have participants think about potential tradeoffs to achieve a solution to a problem. For example, we wanted residents to consider questions about affordability by asking: can my residential neighbourhood maintain the single family houses, while at the same time offering more affordable housing options? Although residents did not provide solutions to all of the problems by thinking about tradeoffs, the What’s Missing responses indicate an appreciation of the complexity of relationships among many factors that create great neighbourhoods.
Grandview Woodland For example, while tangible amenities such as the Britannia Community Services Centre in Grandview Woodlands, especially the library and exercise facilities, the Woodland and Victoria Parks, and the Adanac bike route, were highly valued and mentioned often, the majority of the other amenities identified by YouMap participants were focused on intangible qualities of the neighbourhood. Places that encouraged social interaction – parks and community spaces as well as restaurants, coffee shops, and outdoor seating at cafes were highly valued by many participants. Participants identified the appeal of having many different kinds of services within walking distance, coupled with various walking, cycling and transit routes within and out of the area as neighbourhood assets. YouMap festival participants offered strong comments about their desire to maintain local ownership of businesses on the drive, another intangible asset. Further, residents suggested business license regulation and/or incentives could be used to regulate the types of businesses that would be appropriate and necessary for the drive, including a fishmonger, a butcher shop, a 24 hour restaurant, family oriented restaurants, and businesses that cater to a lower income demographic. Several participants identified the need for community gardening spaces, and suggested this activity as a solution to rising food costs and as a use for organic waste by starting a community compost in conjunction. Affordability was a key concern highlighted by many people who attended the YouMap Festival. Many people indicated that Grandview Woodland lacked a variety of housing types, such as apartments and row housing that would offer alternatives for a lower income population. One solution offered a compromise between the existing single family houses and increasing the density in certain neighbours, by simply increasing the density on each corner lot by building a duplex or triplex onto the single family lot. The responses by the Grandview Woodland residents suggest they are open to increasing the density of residential areas provided the character of buildings and overall feel about the neighbourhood can remain unchanged. Such responses indicate that renovating existing single-family residences, duplexes, triplexes and apartment buildings in appropriate areas can provide additional housing options. While many complaints were raised relating to transportation and traffic, solutions centred on enhancing alternative modes of transportation including buses, trams, bicycles and walking.
Douglas Park Like the Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood, residents in Douglas Park identified many intangible qualities about the neighbourhood, such as the local ownership of commercial services. A preference for places and areas that provide opportunities for social interaction was often identified. The ambiance along Cambie Street, along
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heavily treed residential streets and at Douglas and Heather Park is highly valued, providing options for exercise and relaxation. Many residents want to see more space allocated for community gardens in the neighbourhood. Several residents highlighted the need to use the public realm more effectively, perhaps by creating well used walking only areas, where automobile traffic is prohibited. The lack of the library in the Douglas Park area is probably the most identified amenity missing from the neighbourhood. Residents indicated that a full service library was not necessary if one or two of the empty storefronts on Cambie Street acted as a pick up and drop off for library books. This service would certainly require less municipal resources than a full service library, and prevent many residents from leaving the neighbourhood for this amenity. Housing density was also identified as a solution to affordability problems within the neighbourhood, with YouMap participants recognizing a link between affordable options and density. While not supportive of high rises, many residents suggested laneway homes, additions to existing houses and co-ops as ways to increase the density in the neighbourhood.
7.3 Feedback to Neighbourhoods For the pilot project, the final report was posted on the VCPC website, with extracts placed on the YouMap website. Email notification was sent to the YouMap contact lists.
7.4 Online Mapping Tool The YouMap online tool is meant to be a parallel experience to the YouMap public events held in the community. Because it is less of a social interaction, and limited to the two-dimensional plane of a computer screen, the outcomes will be unique. However, providing YouMap as an online experience as part of a YouMap process can have important benefits. It’s a necessary convenience. People in cities sometimes don't have the time to commit to public events, but may have the time to participate from the comfort of their own surroundings. We provide these conveniences in many other realms, why not community consultation too? It’s a worthwhile introduction for people who are tentative about getting involved in a more public exercise. Provided that the web experience is a rich one with photos and good documentation, the web can be a powerful marketing tool to engage young people and others who don't get involved in traditional public consultation. Advantages of the online experience • Ease of access • Attracts youth and others who don't usually participate in public consultation • Different perspective, less social, more individualistic; you see everything "from above" • Embraces innovation and social media • Quick to roll out Drawbacks of the online tool • Lacks social interaction and community spirit • Potential to receive more "angry" and selfish viewpoints - a risk with computer-based interaction • Flat perspective, more like writing a diary than actually visiting and knowing a place
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• No opportunity to ask questions easily • Lack of detail; documentation might be poor How can the online experience be enhanced to produce better data and outcomes? The goals of using the online tool are the same as with the public events held in neighbourhoods: participants should be able to both learn and share knowledge about their community. In order to make the online experience successful for the YouMap event and the user, it is important that the YouMap website is a rich user experience. This requires good use of the website for background documentation, and photos of the surroundings. The online tool is also an opportunity to ask more in-depth questions of online participants, like the ones from the public gathering. For example, what do you need that requires you to leave your neighbourhood? The online experience sends an important signal to communities that significant effort is being made to listen to and consult communities on the subject of change. It has its limitations, but the online experience can be improved with user feedback over time.
7.5 Youth Engagement The YouMap concept lends itself to engaging youth in the mapping process, both at the Festival events and in parallel processes in local schools.
7.6 Languages Most of the print material was available only in English for this pilot project, with selected pieces translated into Mandarin. In roll-outs of the mapping process in other neighbourhoods, resources must be allocated for translation into relevant languages and for ensuring linguistic capacity within staff to ensure successful engagement of all ethnic groups.
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8.0 YOUMAP PROCESS TOOLKIT
8.0.1 Introduction This section can stand alone as a toolkit for conducting the YouMap process in other Vancouver neighbourhoods in the future. It has been developed from a review of the process that was undertaken in the first two YouMap Festivals, as well as analysis on the effectiveness of the tools employed. One of the key goals of the YouMap process is to develop creative and effective tools for engaging the public in the proactive conversation around managing change. The process for running YouMap in Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park was developed out of best practices for community mapping for planning. Analyzing the process with participants, volunteers, and staff has generated new process ideas for more effectively reaching the project goals. This toolkit reflects the analysis and incorporates new recommendations into each of the YouMap steps. The process is broken into six phases, each of which is distinct in the steps needed to move forward systematically on the process. Many of the steps are overlapping in the timeline and can occur concurrently to maximize efficiencies. The most critical steps are at the outset during the communications and stakeholder identification.
8.1 YouMap Process Toolkit The following chart is a breakdown of all the steps, from start to finish, needed to run the entire YouMap process. The sequential steps are listed by the number of weeks from start-up at week one, to completion at week 32. Explaining each task is a corresponding chapter heading and description, task list, or set of tools required for each step. Also included are examples of emails distributed as part of the communications strategy, and materials generated for public dissemination.
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8.0 YOUMAP PROCESS TOOLKIT
PROCESS TOOLKIT Task # Tasks weeks 1&2 1&2 weeks 3&4 weeks 5&6 weeks 7&8 weeks weeks 9&10 9&10 weeks weeks 11&12 11&12 weeks 13&14 weeks 15&16 weeks 17&18 weeks 19&20 weeks 21&22 weeks 23&24 weeks 25&26 weeks 27&28 weeks 29&30 weeks 31&32 weeks
PHASE 1: PRE PLANNING 1 Finalize Workplan Among Project Committee 2 Allot Tasks & Responsibilities 3 Highest Level Stakeholder ID 4 Consult With Critical Stakeholders 5 Build Neighbourhood Decision Matrix 6 Choose the Neighbourhood & Boundaries 7 Secure Venue(s) 8 Neighbourhood Level Stakeholder ID 9 Determine Issues to be Researched 10 Research and Write Issues Papers 11 Build the Online Mapping Tool Maps PHASE 2: COMMUNICATIONS & ADVERTISING 12 Develop/Customize Process Website 13 Develop Communications Strategy 14 Develop Communications Materials 15 Delegate Communications Responsibilities 16 Initial Contact with all Stakeholders 17 Contact Media 18 Advertising 19 Meetings with Key Stakeholder Groups
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PHASE 3: ESTABLISH FESTIVAL WORKSTATIONS 20 Determine Relevant Workstations 21 Customize Workstations 22 Final Edit of all Materials PHASE 4: EVENT PLANNING 23 Develop Volunteer Strategy 24 Solicit Volunteers 25 Establish Event Staff 26 Develop All Print Materials for Festival 27 Print Maps 28 Launch Online Mapping Tool 29 Set-Up the Venue (night before) PHASE 5: FESTIVAL EVENTS 30 Volunteer Briefing (30 minutes before) 31 Ensure Advertising is in Place 32 Handout Workshop Materials to Participants 33 Collect Workshop Passports at end PHASE 6: ANALYSIS AND REPORTING 34 Gather Workshop Maps 35 Analyze Online Mapping Results 36 Reporting to Participants & Stakeholders
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8.2 Task Description 8.2.1 Finalize Workplan with Project Committee The first step is to establish a project steering committee, if there isn’t one already. Once there is a clear management system in place, engage the committee in a facilitated visioning process. Generate group consensus on the project goals and objectives in specific relation to the overall goals and objectives of the working group and the larger commission. Discuss the final details of the workplan amongst the YouMap Committee. Determine main issues/concerns and solidify roles and responsibilities. Determine if outside assistance is needed. Determine specific issues relevant to the various process components, as well as the best path to address them through the mapping workshop(s). Finalize the workplan and timeline through this dialogue.
8.2.2 Allot Tasks & Responsibilities Using the project goals and objectives as a guide, as well as a list of all human resources available, tasks are allocated according to hours available, skills, and dedicated availability. Specialized skills such as GIS, Urban Design, Graphic Design, Facilitation, Communications, Media, etc. Should be itemized and tasks allocated accordingly at the outset.
8.2.3 Identify Higher-Level Stakeholders Gathering and reviewing a list of all relevant higher-level stakeholders. The stakeholder identification process is best conducted by brainstorming a list of all known stakeholder agencies operating at the municipal, regional, or provincial level that are of relevance.
Category Name Person Pos. Email Phone Address Web Contacted Requested? City service Social service City planning City Department Regional Authority Provincial Agency NGO
8.2.4 Consult with Critical Stakeholders Once the list of higher level stakeholders has been developed, including key contact people, reference website information, etc., follow-up phone calls and emails to those agencies are required in order to determine interest in participation, as well as to initiate communications, begin introductions and build relationships. Maintaining a good record of who was contacted, on what date, and what was requested is recommended so as to avoid repetition. This is also a good opportunity to engage potential volunteers to staff the event(s), as well as solicit input on the process from these groups and offer a venue for their involvement in YouMap (City staff, service providers).
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8.2.5 Defining the Neighbourhood Boundaries Define the boundary to be used for the festival materials. Considerations to include in decision-making are: the physical size of the maps to be used for the mapping exercises, the population of the ‘neighbourhood’, the likely catchment of people using the neighbourhood core(s), and the pre-existing boundaries as defined by the municipality.
8.2.6 Secure Venue(s) While making the final decision on the neighbourhood(s) for YouMap festivals, determine the type and location of the venue that would best fit the objective of capturing as much public attention as possible. This varies in every neighbourhood, i.e. some neighbourhoods are more suited to a commercial venue while others would best be served by a community centre venue. Conducting a walk through the neighbourhood can often result in finding vacant offices, store fronts, etc. that could be used to host the event(s). Finding a high-profile location to hold the event(s) is critical to capturing the pedestrian passersby, but also for raising the profile of the event. If it was thought to be beneficial, another option would be to host a drop-in open house format for the mapping over the course of an entire week. This is dependent on human resources and the cost of the venue. Depending on the location and the neighbourhood, the potential benefits could very well be worth the tradeoff in costs. This is a decision that the steering committee must make. There may also be seasonal opportunities to tie in with local events and fairs which generate interest and traffic.
8.2.7 Neighbourhood Level Stakeholder Identification Category Name Person Pos.Email Phone Address Web Contacted Requested? Grocery Restaurant Entertainment Gifts Tourist Fashion Jewellery Service Retail Community Group Key Community Contact
8.2.8 Determine Issues to be Researched Once the YouMap committee’s objectives are established, the steering committee generates a list of related issues that require research, to be posted on the project website, as well as in the ‘Forces of Change’ station of the Festival. Relevant issues should range from the very local, i.e. neighbourhood-specific, to the global, i.e. global climate change and transportation.
8.2.9 Research and Write Issues Papers
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The issues generated in Step 8 should be researched and written with the audience in mind. Striking a balance between too much detail and too banal is critical in getting and keeping people’s attention, while also providing meaningful information for them to discuss and comment on. Depending on the number of issues to be researched, each issue paper should be between two and four 8.5 x11 pages including graphs, diagrams, and photos.
8.2.10 Build the Online Mapping Tool Maps Using the defined neighbourhood boundaries, customize the online mapping tool to reflect a slightly larger scope for each neighbourhood to allow people flexibility in defining routes, key places, etc. Determine the most appropriate format for the maps, be that orthophoto, GIS, or Google Earth. The decision is partially dependent on what types of GIS layers are available, the resolution on available orthophotos, as well as what level of detail is desired. Once the maps have been established, the text on the home page must be customized to reflect the neighbourhood and the process. Text on each individual neighbourhood page must also be customized.
8.2.11 Develop/Customize Process Website Create a customized website that hosts all relevant materials, workshop notes (using the existing www.youmapvancouver.ca website as a template), and other information useful to residents in the neighbourhood areas. An online mapping tool that people can use to provide their input to the process in the form of words and photos will be available. This gives residents the opportunity to voice their opinions outside of open house events.
8.2.12 Develop Communications Strategy The following section outlines how regional, city and neighbourhood level stakeholders are advised of the YouMap Vancouver project. The plan outlines the methods the YouMap team use to engage neighbourhood level participants, getting buy-in, garnering their support and involvement in the festival project.
Stakeholder Identification Three categories of participants include: City staff Regional Stakeholders Neighbours It is important that both regional and neighbourhood level stakeholders be advised of the project and its intent. The most intensive communications work will be with neighbourhood stakeholders, ‘neighbours’, for ______and ______. The list of all stakeholders identifies key regional, city, and neighbourhood level contacts. Next, identify local neighbours and neighbourhood level stakeholders in the study area. Key contacts must be identified in each of the neighbourhoods. A valuable tool for identifying participants is the list of key contacts in each neighbourhood. Using initial contacts to generate additional neighbourhood participants will achieve greater success than from existing contact lists. Tools The following tools should be used to connect with regional and neighbourhood participants. The time intensive (phone calls and face to face meetings) will be reserved for neighbourhood level participants.
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The YouMap Committee should refine a series of key messages about the project. A one page document should outline the ‘what, why, how, who and where’ of YouMap. The document should represent a standard for describing the YouMap project. These key messages should be used in developing all other subsequent communications tools, especially the introductory letter and script for phone calls. Introductory Letter – letter to be emailed to key regional and neighbourhood stakeholders. The letter to be developed using the key messages document. Phone calls –Phone calls should follow the introductory letter sent by email. The script for the phone calls should be developed from the key messages. Key questions for neighbourhood and business contacts: What are the most effective methods of reaching neighbours (i.e neighbourhood newsletters, listservs, poster boards)? Who else should we contact? Can you suggest local businesses that would sponsor the YouMap project for prizes, display advertising materials (cards/posters) or provide food and drinks at the festival? If speaking with a business – ask if they are willing to sponsor the project in some capacity. Can you describe the relevant issues (related to land use) in your neighbourhood? Business Communications Strategy – This strategy consists of door-to-door engagement with businesses along with the distribution of a flyer (similar to the introductory letter). The flyer describes the project, festival dates, and how a person gets in touch with the committee for more information. Local champions in the business community helping to recruit participants is one of the best ways towards securing participation in local events. Website – all communications pieces have the www.youmapvancouver.ca website. The intent is that interested participants will check out the site for more information about the project. Posters – Posters should be displayed in key locations in each of the neighbourhoods. These locations are expected to include business display boards, neighbourhood association displays, and information boards. Additional locations would be identified through discussions with neighbourhood locals and an neighbourhood walkabout. Martini Coasters – design a Martini Coaster that will be left at participating businesses and handed out to neighbours in Douglas Park and Grandview with all of the event details and graphics. Event Postings (for each neighbourhood) on relevant websites – Identify neighbourhood association websites and other places to post notices of the events online. Youth engagement strategy – develop outreach materials to engage youth in the festival processes. The following advertisement can be customized for distribution to school contacts:
Communications Strategy Summary
Activity Outcome
Stakeholder Meetings with YouMap Committee and City of Assessment and Vancouver staff members to brainstorm a list of Identification stakeholders
Stakeholder contact information gathered and collated
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Develop Design and produce communications materials Communications for all outreach activities. Material
Outreach to Email to regional and neighbour stakeholders; stakeholders and direct phone calls; postering and meeting neighbours business owners; bulk mail out of poster.
In person meetings with key organizations and individuals
Media Plan List the key Media contacts for the YouMap team and develop a media contact list. Complete the list by assigning tasks and timelines.
8.2.13 Develop Youth Engagement Strategy In planning our regions, cities, towns, villages, and neighbourhoods, we need to consider the opinions and values of our youth. It is important to remember that youth are present today, not just in the future and they are the leaders of today as much as they are the leaders of ten years from now. As such, young people need to play a major role in urban and city planning, yet they do not. Outlined below is a strategy for engaging youth in future YouMap processes Challenges 1. Get youth involved in planning 2. Find out how youth want to be involved 3. Find out how best to get the message out that planning is happening 4. Design really exciting ways of engaging youth at events 5. Design and plan creative ways of hearing what young people think is important Process The YouMap project would like to engage a small group of youth representative in addressing the list of 5 challenges above. A series of four casual, yet structured meetings would be held to address the issues and develop a youth engagement strategy for planning that could be used in any planning process in any city, town, village, or neighbourhood in BC. A small honorarium would be available to each of the participants in this process, along with a chance to participate in a more critical way once the process was run during late September of this year. It is expected that a school Team Teacher and other Non‐Profit organization leaders would assist in guiding and developing this process. Time commitment would be 18 hours over three months at minimum, with anything over that being optional. To get involved, please contact ______Community Schools Team Teacher at ______. WANTED: Who? Youth who want a voice in how their city looks/develops/changes
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What? Youth to participate in the development of a process for engaging other youth in the planning of their own neighbourhoods and cities (how do youth want to be involved, creative/exciting ways to engage youth at events, hearing what youth think is important) When? Three sessions. These sessions will be casual and fun yet structured so you can leave feeling like you have contributed and made a difference. Where? In Vancouver (venue to be announced) Why? Because you get a chance to effect change and have your opinions heard. You can also help other youth to become active in their cities. This is a great experience that offers you the chance to develop great skills and make connections with other interesting youth and adults in your community (great for your C.V.) PLUS, you will receive an honorarium ($money$) for your involvement How? Contact ______to let ____ know that you are interested and give her your contact information (email and phone number so that you can be contacted). Stop by room ____ or drop a note in the office or via email ______.
8.2.14 Delegate Communications Responsibilities For each Neighbourhood, develop a table with the following columns and delegate each line to a dedicated resource person. Communication List- Newsletters (Print) Newspapers/ Network Newsletters (Online) Websites serves Free Papers (Online)
8.2.15 Initial Contact with all Stakeholders Initiate and coordinate contact with stakeholders and neighbours using the materials developed in the communications strategy.
8.2.16 Contact Media Start contacting media with press releases, or simple phone calls to announce that YouMap is happening on the given dates in the given locations.
8.2.17 Advertising – Sample Emails
Listserv Email 1
Do you live or spend time in ______?
This is your chance to participate in YouMap Vancouver – a unique project that maps the amenities that make your neighbourhood great!
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YouMap Vancouver began with a pilot project in two Vancouver neighbourhoods: Grandview Woodland and Douglas Park. There is an opportunity to YouMap your neighbourhood online. This unique tool allows you to identify places, areas and routes in your community, while also writing stories and adding photos about each entry.
Log on to this site: http://www.goodmap.sgas.bc.ca/
Follow the instructions to create a login…then you are ready to YouMap!
We will be shutting down the online tool for these two neighbourhoods on ______Don’t miss out on your chance!
Stay tuned for an announcement of the results early in______: www.youmapvancouver.ca
Listserv Email 2
Dear friends, The Vancouver City Planning Commission, has launched a community asset mapping initiative unique to its kind in Canada. YouMap Vancouver is an innovative approach to mapping community assets or "amenities." The intention of the project is to help rethink the traditional definitions of "amenity" beyond assets such as parks and libraries to include the intangible, qualitative characteristics of neighbourhoods, such as special places, viewpoints, and community gardens. The YouMap project began with a pilot project in two neighbourhoods: Grandview Woodland and Douglas Park on October 24th and 25th 2008. Now we are working with you in ______. In addition to the Festivals, we have launched an ONLINE MAPPING TOOL. If you live in ______– log on and YouMap your neighbourhood! The site allows you to identify places, routes and areas, as well as add stories and pictures about those places.
Go to the project website and follow the instructions: www.youmapvancouver.ca
Don’t let this opportunity slip away! Vancouver is changing quickly…yet it doesn’t have to change at the expense of the great things about our neighbourhoods.
If you have any questions about the Online tool or the YouMap Vancouver project, please contact ______
Best regards,
______
For more information about the Vancouver City Planning Commission, please go to: www.planningcommission.ca
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Listserv Email 3
YouMap Vancouver is coming to ______!
Join us today and tomorrow to YOUMAP your neighbourhood!
Location: ______
Time: ______
Date: ______
The VCPC has launched YouMap Vancouver, a community engagement unique to its kind in Canada. We want you to “map” the things that make your neighbourhood great, and tell us what you need but must leave your neighbourhood to get. The YouMap project empowers local residents of all ages and backgrounds to challenge the traditional definition of “amenity” beyond parks and libraries. We want you to include the special places, the shops, the viewpoints and public spaces that make your streets special to you.
The Vancouver City Planning Commission is a volunteer body appointed by the Vancouver City Council to advise on issues related to long term planning in the City. The Commission strives to deliver outstanding long range planning and research advice to City Council in part by listening to Vancouverites. For more information about the YouMap Vancouver project visit the website: www.youmapvancouver.ca
8.2.18 Meetings with Key Stakeholder Groups Offer to attend and present at any stakeholder meeting, targeting and emphasizing existing neighbourhood groups.
8.2.19 Determine Relevant Workstations The project goals and objectives will determine what types of information are to be collected. Since the premise of YouMap is to engage the community in the proactive assessment of their neighbourhoods, the tools used should be modified to address the specific needs of the neighbourhood.
8.2.20 Customize Workstations WORKSTATION #1 – Map YOUR Neighbourhood Find the worksheet and map for Station #1 – Map YOUR Neighbourhood
Find and mark your home with an symbol
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Find and mark your place of work with a symbol Think about what you consider to be ‘YOUR’ neighbourhood. With a pen, outline the boundaries of your neighbourhood with a solid line. If your neighbourhood extends beyond the boundaries of the map, draw a line with an arrow leading off the page, and write the name of the street at the boundary of your neighbourhood.
WORKSTATION #2 – Home Sweet Home Once you have finished Map YOUR Neighbourhood exercise – find the Large Map on the wall – Home Sweet Home Using the Blue sticker, mark your home on the large map. Using the Yellow, sticker mark your workplace. If your home or workplace is not on the map, stick your dots on the ‘somewhere else’ page next to the map. Don’t forget to get your passport stamped before you move on to Station #3. SOMEWHERE ELSE Place your blue sticker HERE if your home is not on the map Place your yellow sticker HERE if your place of work is not on the map
WORKSTATION #3 – Amenity Arena Take your time at this station! Be sure to fill out the worksheet and share your thoughts with those around you. Purpose The purpose of this exercise is to identify the places, areas and routes in and around your neighbourhood that make it the great place it is today. Amenities can include traditional “hard” amenities such as parks and schools, but also the other places that really make the community what it is. Examples of non-traditional amenities include bulletin boards, walking routes, a favourite tree, community gathering places, monuments, spiritual places etc. Together, these significant places and areas help to create a ‘sense of place’ that makes the neighbourhood unique and makes it feel like home. Think of the places that you feel are significant. They could be a single place, an area, or a route that you use to move through the neighbourhood. They could be natural features or built features. Use the Worksheet for Station #3 On your small (8.5x11) map, choose up to 15 places, routes and areas (5 of each) that you consider significant. Indicate those places by the following symbols: Places: Use a star to indicate a specific place or point
Areas: Outline the boundaries of the area
Routes: Use a dotted line with arrows to indicate routes Explanation: On the worksheet pages, name your choices, describe each of their locations, and describe why it is important and how it contributes to the neighbourhood character.
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Once you’ve finished the worksheet, transfer places, routes and areas to the large wall maps, and share your choices with other participants. The Facilitator will guide you through a discussion about your choices. Don’t forget to get your passport stamped before you move on to Station #4.
WORKSTATION #4 – Forces of Change There are many forces of change that are and will be affecting neighbourhoods in Vancouver. This station is intended to present information about sustainability, land use and other forces of change that are affecting neighbourhoods in Vancouver. Find information and knowledgeable professionals to lead discussion and answer your questions.
WORKSTATION #5 – What’s Missing? This station is all about solutions. How can you improve your neighbourhood? How could existing resources be utilized to solve your neighbourhood’s challenges? Identify a problem in your neighbourhood Talk with the facilitators to come up with a SOLUTION to the challenge your neighbourhood faces. Write both the problem and SOLUTION on one of the ‘light bulb cards and post it on the wall Don’t forget to get your passport stamped and enter the draw before you leave
8.2.21 Final Edit of all Materials Complete the edit for all of the events’ materials and prepare them for a ‘dry run’.
8.2.22 Develop Volunteer Strategy Assessing the staffing requirements of the event according to the workstations being used, the expected volume of participants, and pool of volunteers from which to draw, develop the expected needs for volunteers. Determine where best to use the volunteers based on staff capacity to conduct each workstation, act as greeters, and facilitate at workstations as needed if participant numbers swell at a particular workstation.
8.2.23 Solicit Volunteers
Call for Volunteers
Volunteer positions available with the YouMap Project.
Earn hours towards community service and access an amazing network of enthusiastic individuals. These positions provide an exciting opportunity to develop and apply public relations and event execution skills. Volunteers will engage in logistical operations and in creating a sense of hospitality and a warm community welcome at the events. Duties include event set-up and strike down, receiving guests, assisting with Q & A periods, staging assistance and serving food and beverage. If you have a background in community dialogue and facilitation, planning, architecture, design, engineering or other, your skills would be most useful as a workshop leader/facilitator at the YouMap Festivals.
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______
YouMap Vancouver and Have Your Voice Heard!
Participate in YouMap Vancouver, a community engagement unique to its kind in Canada.
We want you to “map” the things that make your neighbourhood great, and tell us what you need but must leave your neighbourhood to get.
The YouMap project empowers local residents of all ages and backgrounds to challenge the traditional definition of “amenity” beyond parks and libraries.
We want you to include the special places, the shops, the viewpoints and public spaces that make your streets special to you.
The Vancouver City Planning Commission is a volunteer body appointed by the Vancouver City Council to advise on issues related to long term planning in the City. The Commission strives to deliver outstanding long-range planning and research advice to City Council in part by listening to Vancouverites.
Local residents, citizens of all ages, young people and families, business people and community groups are all welcomed to attend their neighbourhood festival, and take part in the mapping activities which are designed to be fun, creative, and thought-provoking.
For those who cannot attend during the scheduled festival dates, a website at www.youmapvancouver.ca is set up for you to enter in your favourite neighbourhood places online.
We hope that you will become a part of this exciting and unique neighbourhood engagement!
For more information and to participate online, please go to: www.youmapvancouver.ca
For more information about the Vancouver City Planning Commission, please go to: www.planningcommission.ca
Call for Volunteers [Sample text from pilot project) Volunteer positions available with Smart Growth BC Earn hours towards community service and access an amazing network of enthusiastic individuals. These positions provide an exciting opportunity to develop and apply public relations and event execution skills. Volunteers will engage in logistical operations and in creating a sense of hospitality and a warm community welcome at the events. Duties include event set-up and strike down, receiving guests, assisting with Q & A periods, staging assistance and serving food and beverage. If you have a background in community dialogue and facilitation, planning, architecture, design, engineering or other, your skills would be most useful as a workshop leader/facilitator at the YouMap Festivals. The two events are being held on October 3rd and 4th and October 24th & 25th, in the two festival neighbourhoods of Grandview-Woodland and Douglas Park respectively. Commitment: various times / various positions
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Smart Growth BC, in partnership with the Vancouver City Planning Commission, is launching a community asset mapping initiative unique to its kind in Canada. YouMap Vancouver is an innovative approach to mapping community assets or “amenities.” It will expand the definition of “amenity” beyond ‘traditional’ assets such as parks and libraries to include the intangible, qualitative characteristics of neighbourhoods, such as special places, viewpoints, community gardens, trees, historic locations, cafes and shops, trails and more. The YouMap project empowers local residents of all ages and backgrounds to build an inventory of what makes their neighbourhoods great, by establishing an inventory of the strengths, weaknesses, gifts of their “community,” and gaps that when filled make a complete community. The YouMap project includes citizens of all ages, including young people and families, business people and community groups – are invited to attend their neighbourhood festival and take part in the mapping and dialogue activities designed to be fun, creative, and thought-provoking. Those who can’t attend their festival are invited to visit a website to contribute to their neighbourhood mapping effort using an online tool, where they will be able to upload images and record notes. Through the festivals and the on-line participation, citizens will be able to share information about their communities’ most valuable qualities, help Vancouverites broaden our collective perspective, and refine our understanding and definition of complex concepts such as “neighbourhood,” “community amenity,” and “community” itself. For more information and to participate online, please go to: www.youmapvancouver.ca For more information about the Vancouver City Planning Commission, please go to: www.planningcommission.com
8.2.24 Establish Event Staff Distribute event materials to the event staff and ensure they have clarity on their roles and responsibilities. The following chart can assist with distributing roles.
Volunteers Stations Staff Walk n'Roll Tour and Saturday, food service, whatever is still required‐ Name passport hand out, welcoming
Walk N' Roll Tours Name Assistant
Name 1 Large Map Amenity Arena Name 3 Facilitator (1) Amenity Arena Name Facilitator (2) Forces of Change Name 4 Assistant Forces of Change Facilitator to be partnered with staff person Name What’s Missing in your N‐hood? Facilitator to be partnered with staff person Name 5
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What’s Missing in your N‐hood? Assistant to be partnered with staff person Name OTHER
Name Child care and/or whatever else that needs to be done / FOOD
Name Door, welcome, hand out passports
8.2.25 Develop All Print Materials for Festival Send all print materials to the printer in plenty of time to catch mistakes, omissions, titles, etc.
8.2.26 Print Maps Have the maps printed in plenty of time to catch mistakes, omissions, titles, etc.
8.2.27 Launch Online Mapping Tool Online mapping tool goes live. Previous to this is two weeks of internal testing to ensure operability.
8.2.28 Set-Up the Venue (night before) Ensure all materials, chairs, tables, signage, etc. is in place the night before, providing enough of a buffer to correct mistakes, procure missing equipment, etc.
8.2.29 Volunteer Briefing (30 minutes before) YouMap Vancouver Festival Plan
Goals of Festivals (for more details see project objectives) Determine: What makes the neighbourhoods great/special in the eyes of the people who live there? Inclusively - reach as many people in each neighbourhood as possible Broaden the definition of 'amenity' - qualitative elements - Human, spiritual, emotional Understand our assets Understand key concerns regarding amenities Help people understand and celebrate what they have Understand the tradeoffs involved as change occurs Prizes/Incentives Door prizes Passport Prize (for handing in a completed passport). Passport Draw prizes – bigger/better than the door prizes
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Re-usable shopping bag as a prize/giveaway As participants enter the Festival: Each participant gets a ‘passport’ when they come in the door – describes all of the exercises with clear instructions for moving around. A map of the neighbourhood is included in the passport Section for people to fill out name and contact info for Passport draw prize, and also check age range box Passport includes stickers for use in the individual and large mapping stations Each participant also gets a package of worksheets (related to the stations). In order to get sections of your ‘passport’ stamped, must hand in the appropriate worksheets. staff are present to greet participants and quickly bring them into the process – i.e. describe the intent of the project and guide them to start the activities. Tour guide greeter Goals of the festival/YouMap project are posted in visible place as people arrive/enter the room Sign in sheet and nametags. Ask participants to sign in to the sheet and offer them a nametag Walk’n’roll Tour times – movable clock shows the next tour time The Walk’n Roll Tour times will be heavily advertised on posters etc prior to the event There is a food/drink station (hopefully with neighbourhood businesses sponsoring food/drink) Festival stations (exercises) Bottom line is that each exercise should be visual and spatial; elicit meaningful responses and discussion. At each station there is visual/written information that illustrates and describes the purpose and background and instructions Events are designed such that individuals can commit to ‘drop in’ for 1-2 hours or commit to spending longer at the workshops. This is akin to Blackjack tables where you can come and go as you please. However, there will be a set order of stations that is laid out in the passports that the participants are encouraged to follow. This will be to ensure participants move through the stations in a way that makes sense and adds an educational element to the Festival (i.e. there are exercises that make more sense once they have participated in others).
8.2.30 Ensure Advertising is in Place An advertising checklist should be used over the course of each week for each of the relevant ad materials for that week. Including: • posters around the event location • posters on the venue • YouMap banner is in place • Local magazines/newspapers are running ads.
8.2.31 Handout Workshop Materials to Participants At the event, ensure that each participant walking through the doors is greeted appropriately and he/she is given a complete workshop package.
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8.2.32 Collect Workshop Passports at end As participants leave the event, encourage them to fill out their passport and put it in the ballot box with his/her contact information. Thank the participant for their time and ensure they understand how to pursue follow-up or take part in the online mapping tool.
8.2.33 Gather Workshop Maps As participants leave the event, ensure that their workshop materials are collected. Use this opportunity to thank the participant for their time and ensure they understand how to pursue follow-up or take part in the online mapping tool.
8.2.34 Analyze Online Mapping Results Post workshop, export the online mapping results into excel and GIS files. Layer the digital maps and analyze the points, lines, and polygons according to their various categories of data.
8.2.35 Reporting to Participants & Stakeholders Prepare a report to be made available online to participants and the neighbourhood, and identify opportunities where the outcomes of the process could be presented at stakeholder meetings.
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9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA 9.1 Grandview Woodlands 9.1.1 Station 3 - Amenity Arena Places YouMap Vancouver participants were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify significant places in their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the place was importantly and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. Overall themes from the results included the importance of places that enabled and encouraged social interaction, convenience and the ability to walk for daily needs, residents perceiving places to be safe, and the maintenance of a corporate and commercial identity on the Drive. Restaurants Few restaurants were identified more than once by YouMap participants, perhaps indicative of the wide range of restaurants in the neighbourhood. Residents clearly favoured locally sourced products delivered by family or locally run businesses. The community feel and atmosphere of the restaurant was important, as was how the business fit within the larger community identity. • 2 - Little Nest –great atmosphere; great place for writing • Teresa’s – great breakfast spot; very accepting environment • 4 Brothers Pizza – family run business • Asiano – Locally run business; owners make an effort to get to know customers; kid friendly • Dolce Amore – best ice cream in the City • Fratelli’s – best bakery in Vancouver; great services • Havana - gives a community feel; grabs lots of foot traffic • Garden Pizza • Ginger Sushi • Stellas • Stix Coffee Shops/Cafes Grandview Woodland residents value the plethora of coffee shops and cafes in the neighbourhood, identifying the variety, friendly and safe atmosphere and local ownership as key characteristics of these places. • 2 – Bump and Grind Café – best coffee in town; owner run; interesting furniture and art • 2 – Café de Soleil – amazing smoothies • Continental Coffee – best coffee in Vancouver • Roma – friendly place buy coffee • Starbucks – meeting place • Turks Coffee • JJ Bean Other Commercial Businesses Several grocery stores and other commercial businesses were highlighted as important places in the Grandview Woodland neighbourhood. Residents placed high importance on fair trade and locally sourced products in
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businesses that added to the identity of the Commercial Drive neighbourhood. Like restaurants and coffee shops, YouMap participants in Grandview Woodland valued the ability to walk to affordable commercial services where they can interact with friendly staff. • 8 - Santa Barbara Market – deli foods; great cheese selection; great produce; feels safe; close by; within walking distance; • 4 - East End Food Coop – friendly staff; healthy food; affordable; supports local growers; educates people about local food production; community notice board; • 2 - Grotta de Fromagio – gives a community feel; grabs lots of foot traffic • 10000 Villages – fair trade documents • A Small World Shop and Gallery – Fair trade, local artists • CD store – friendly staff, very central • Donald’s Market – local market • Dream Cycles – reasonable prices, friendly staff Figure 28:Participant Photo; Grandview Woodlands. • Flower Box – great value for money • Home Hardware – contributes to the ‘get everything on the Drive’ feel of the neighbourhood • Kale – owner cares about her customers; personal touch • My Sister’s Closet – Supports Battered Women’s Supports Services; lovely staff, somewhere safe for women to spend time • Ravioli store – community feel • Supervalue – affordable prices; within walking distance • Safeway • Spelt Bakery • Sweet Cheribrum • Dollar Grocer • Drive Organics • Womyns Ware • Wonderbucks • Purre Vero
Services • Northeast Mental Health Team @ Victoria and 10th • Vancity Bank – very welcoming; community feel; central location; friendly • Open Door Yoga – within walking distance
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Schools • Vancouver Community College – at Broadway and Clark Community Parks/Centres The Britannia Community Services Centre is by far the heart of the community’s services and parks in the Grandview Woodland neighbourhood. Residents value the friendly staff and variety of affordable classes that the centre provides, offering spot to meet and socialize with friends. Indeed, socializing was a common theme amongst all the identified characteristics of parks. Often, residents identified how community spaces improve their quality of life, by offering green space, safe areas for games or child play spaces, and affordable activities. • 14 - Britannia Community Centre – Friendly people, variety of classes; cozy library; affordable, volunteer opportunities; make up the heart of the community; library is a huge asset; is used regularly; socializing spot with friends; Library has Wi-fi • 2- Kettle – low income community kitchen; provides affordable food; improves the quality of life for people living with mental illness • Park at Kitchener and Commercial – great place to meet friends • Grandview Park – playground at the eastside – safe for kids to play independently. Polo court – about 20 people come out to play on Saturday. Rest of the park users watch. Site for bike polo – the only one in the city – people come from across the city to play • Bocce Ball Park – new uses but miss seeing the Italians in the Figure 29: Participant Photo; park Grandview Woodlands • Trout Lake Park and Community Centre – farmers market; beautiful place for a walk • Vancouver East Cultural Centre – not mainstream; affordable; accessible; community theatre Ambiance/Relaxation • Heritage Houses – adds charm to the neighbourhood • Lookout point at William and Lakewood – great view
Routes YouMap Vancouver participants were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify significant routes they use to travel within and outside of their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the route was important, and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. YouMap Festival participants in Grandview Woodland identified a range of important walking, cycling transit and automobile routes through the neighbourhood. Routes to the downtown core were identified as important with both bus (the #20 route) and cycling (the Adanac route) routes identified as key connectors to the rest of the City. Several walking routes were identified for their beauty and views of heritage homes and activities within the parks. Transit • Broadway – can access all areas of the city from here • #20 bus route – easy to get to downtown
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Bike Routes • 10th Avenue – Great for getting to Main street • 1st Ave to Terminal – great route along the train tracks • Adanac Bike Route – excellent commuter route to downtown; very picturesque; don’t need a car to get downtown Service Streets and Thoroughfares • The Drive – main street for vehicles and pedestrians. Restaurants; cafes; retail and groceries Neighbourhood Streets Frances Street – old brick; very beautiful route; Figure 30: Participant Photo; Off street Routes Grandview Woodlands • Diagonal Path through Victoria Park – exposes you too different parts of the park – bocce games; other people etc • Grandview Oval – grand view of the oval
Areas of Significance YouMap Vancouver participants were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify general areas in their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the place was important and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. The areas overlapped with the places that participants identified. The most common areas identified were streets and parks – in Grandview Woodlands notable areas included Commercial Drive, Trout Lake, Victoria and Templeton Parks. Participants identified the importance of greenspace in which residents are able to feel a part of the community while people watching, meeting friends, playing outside and exercising. • Commercial Drive – many options for vegetarian dining; choice of different restaurants and bars; variety of retail options; unique acceptance; social mix; convenience; better sense of community than felt elsewhere in Vancouver; • 6 - Trout Lake Park – swimming; place to walk dogs; lantern festival; community centre. Unique to have a lake in centre of Vancouver. Clean; great meeting space
• 6 - Victoria Park – feels like a community; Figure 31: Participant Photo; Grandview greenspace very important; not overdeveloped Woodlands • 3 - McSpaden Park – fresh air theatre; bootcamp; great place to make coffee; small community garden • 3 - Garden Park – used by the local community; great place to people watch; public washrooms are an important asset; nice playground • Templeton Park – good mix of users – kids, bikers, adults • Grandview Park – social gatherings; honours war verterans • Maclean Park – dog walking
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• Mosaic Park – exercise Other areas • Broadway – Venables/Commercial to Clark – Dog friendly neighbourhood • Corner of Commercial Drive and Charles – corner is wider than the rest – catches the afternoon sun…many amenities around it • Outside of Joe’s Café – hang out spot – drum circles; adds eclectic flavour to the neighbourhood • Heritage houses • Lily and Rose streets – very nice streets
9.1.2 Station 5 - What’s Missing?
Problem Solution
Linkages from Victoria Drive area to Move transit linkages and community shuttles to run down Venables Street Strathcona, Chinatown and Downtown, to Chinatown and over Georgia viaduct to downtown. especially during the evening.
Aggressive male and gang presence in the Post no tolerance signs for any drug dealing, drinking or sexual harassment neighbourhood engaging in activities at key problem areas. Increase community police, Vancouver Police, and including drug dealing, drinking and sexual private security presence in neighbourhoods. Make sure residents know harassment. when, what and why reporting is important.
Not enough useful public art and bike racks The existing murals are great and there should be support for new ones to be created on all building walls and corners. Commercial Drive should have a competition for unique and useful bike racks for the neighbourhood. Portland has amazing bike racks that look like its bridges, complete with little cars and trucks on them.
Gentrification and housing costs Regulate market, eliminate private property, live communally and cooperatively
Enhance cultural values Restore the York Theatre
Few inside gathering places We need a street front drop-in on the Drive - like the DTES Neighbourhood House. Has a mother and pie feel. Need to avoid NIMBY fear
I need to dance! More places like the Latin Quarter
Lack of off leash area for dogs More space for, and better access to, off leash areas for dogs
No fishmonger! - We live on the west coast, Perhaps property owners could remember this when business spaces where is our local/wild fish store? become available. Weekly fish market by local fishermen - like a farmers market
Commercial Drive is difficult to know (and A community art project to map and record the history and stores of the taste) for non-english speaking visitors and neighbourhood. Engage youth for new immigrants. residents. Would like to know the history and culture and restaurants on the drive
Homelessness Build and provide more accessible housing/apartment units. Raise taxes specifically to fund housing. Address underlying causes including drugs,
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Problem Solution poverty and literacy etc. Put a human face to homelessness through stories and public education. Support networks, access to information, public potlucks (outside), bring food to homeless - the point is for the community to interact and know these people.
The compatibility of different public spaces Really inclusive collaborative public consultation about the design of public to peoples of various economic backgrounds. spaces with all stakeholders. Use a consensus building approach. Afraid re-design of Grandview Park will result in too manicured a public place to 'design- out' unwanted behavior, and therefore whole user groups.
Infiltration of big chains into the business More community involvement in business planning i.e. Advisory committee environment (Tim Hortons, Starbucks) for Commercial Drive.
Overcrowded Community Centre - more Funding for Britannia Community Centre master plan to expand and space for artists renovate the centre.
Affordability More co-ops and low income housing.
Laws support redevelopment of sites (by Stronger tree laws; stronger legal bylaw protection for heritage; community developers), despite community opposition. space that is recognized as having broad public value; biodiversity protection; create incentives for developers to find alternative, less contentious sites; legal, negotiation support for community when dealing with developers
Lack of safe lesbian/gay space in the Share a venue; Host music and other events for East Vancouver neighbourhood
Some people can't afford internet access Make commercial drive a WiFi Hotspot; have free computers at all City buildings, as they are in libraries
Lack of infrastructure for electric bikes and Install public electrical outlets for charging electric vehicles cars
Aggressive dogs on the Drive Bylaw that requires owners to muzzle aggressive dogs
Lack of city planning for complementary Clear understanding of businesses that will negatively affect the health and businesses that fit within current business lifestyle of the neighbourhood mix on the Drive i.e. "no more money marts"
Too expensive to start a business Need help with loans from the Chamber of Commerce
No fast food restaurants Allow street vendors in Grandview Park
Port of Vancouver as landlord is not City needs to regulate and advocate for responsible behaviour of the Port complying with noise and air pollution and its tenants. Need to produce a monitoring report card that highlights regulations. West coast refinery has big bad key successes. smells and an increasingly annoying Port siren that goes off several times per day and can be easily heard in GW
Problem: high cost of food and high cost of More space for allotment of gardens in urban areas; this encourages healthy shipping food food; waste composting; community spirit; and is a healthy hobby
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Problem Solution
Mostly pub style establishments on the Drive Encourage more family oriented restaurants; specifically for dinner - Little Nest only does breakfast and lunch
Still way too many people smoking! Need larger non smoking zones - eg 10m from any building or shelter. Need to enforce the rules
Once someone has finished high school they Open a new satellite campus attached to one or more post-secondary have to leave the neighourhood on a daily school, like SFU, Emily Carr, Langara etc. Perhaps at Broadway and basis if they pursue future studies Commercial so it would be near a Skytrain
Smoking bylaw is forcing people onto the Designate smoking spaces sidewalk
No 24 hour restaurant - Supervalu is 24 hours Open a 24 hour restaurant at Commercial and Broadway or on Hastings but it lacks a social atmosphere
Not many places for local artists to exhibit More galleries, studios and performance spaces and host more art classes their work
Noisy motorcycles, especially Harleys Enforce noise pollution bylaws
Must leave the neighbourhood to work More manufacturing and trades jobs in the neighbourhood. Create a searchable database by neighbourhood - i.e. Commercial Drive jobs website
Too much tolerance of drug use and dealing Provide treatment options in public spaces
Decrepit playground at Grandview Park that Upgrade the playground and design such that these user groups (drug is surrounded by drug dealing and drug users users and children) are separated.
1st Avenue has too much car traffic. More transit options. Run commuter buses along the same routes that people drive.
Open market drug dealing and drinking in If the space looks loved by the community then the masses from outside the Grandview Park neighbourhood will respect it more - grow the grass, plant flowers and fix the play equipment. Use Vancouver Police and Community Policing officers if the space still presents problems. Parks should be usable for everyone.
Limited job opportunities for Native Organizations/businesses that receive government funding should have Canadians affirmative action programs for Native people
Lack of greenspace in a heavily urbanized Pocket parks along the drive to create calmer areas with the urban vitality environment
Commercial lease rates are prohibitive for Tax or city incentives for SME's under $70,000 revenue/year lower margin stores i.e. Sally Ann
Drinking fountains and washrooms Paid model as in England (beautiful, clean and attended)
Homelessness Programs and services that encourage people to heal, learn new skills, get training and/or education, and get involved in the community
There are lots of fair trade type stores but Services that provide people with skills that help them with being most of these places are boutique shops that resourceful - how to sew, knit, make grow food. Support for these services is
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Problem Solution favour a higher income demographic. Need necessary more affordable yet ethical shops.
Design guidelines for aesthetic standards (sign bylaw)
Crazy traffic in the neighbourhood Make the drive car free and have a trolley bus that runs along Commercial
1st avenue is very busy Pedestrian crossing at every block and longer signal times for pedestrian crossings
More community outreach and awareness Display and disseminate information regarding amenities and programs that exist locally
Drug dealing in the neighbourhood (and the Open a drug treatment center in the neighbourhood. Have the options for whole city!) immediate entry into care
Need on street recycling that is more Start a community recycling initiative that includes composting etc. Get extensive than just the slots on garbage cans businesses involved. Perhaps could be run as part of a university course or project.
Affordable housing options - need greater Need new GW community plan to guide zoning and development permits. density of houses Zone corner lots at a higher density, park adjacent lots for row houses, apartments; townhomes. Develop an artist hire and work building in area. Investigate Provincial funding to do this.
Problem – no solutions provided
The route on Charles from Clark to Commercial is used by lots of cars as a short cut. It needs calming.
#20 Bus Routes – This is a key transportation route from the Drive to Downtown – improve frequency of buses.
Need a Fish market and butcher
Need an office supply/computer store for people who work from home in the neighbourhood
Need highly visible and accessible public washrooms and public garbage cans
Need more bike racks as many bikes are locked to poles
Would be nice to have a free bus route for the community
Need public washrooms
Need a shoe store
Need a marijuana lounge
Commercial Drive looks very dirty – (homeless people and garbage)
Need a good photography/camera store
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Need somewhere to buy fresh fish
Need more artist spaces
Need more spaces for community gardens
Host more car free days
Develop a new swimming facility or renovate the existing facility at Britannia Centre.
More community involvement is needed in planning the future of the Britannia Centre.
Need an independent wine store; somewhere to buy cupcakes; a specialty butcher; a fish market; and a book store
The Liqueur store is too close to parks and therefore there are many people that drink in the parks. This contravenes City Bylaws. There is also a theft problem on the Drive.
Need a 'dry goods' store for stationary , sewing and art basics, pantyhose, socks and underwear
Allow laneway housing, and increased square footage. Increase density in existing, not new, houses.
Need a Food bank
Need a public washroom near 4th/5th, near the CPC
Need an amphitheatre for live music
New landscaping of Grandview Highway (between Clark and Commercial). This part of the highway should be traffic-calmed like the area east of Commercial to Renfrew.
Need more book and music stores
Need a commercial wood working shop – eg co-op model
Need a fish market
The neighbourhood is more than just 15 amenities and that is what makes it great.
No secure storage space on the drive for electric bikes or wheelchairs
Need more buses and bikes on 1st Ave
Affordable places to live that are big enough for a family (city wide problem)
Need a book/magazine shop
Need a spa and a sauna
Less police
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg70 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
9.2 Douglas Park 9.2.1 Station 3 – Amenity Arena YouMap Vancouver participants at the Douglas Park Festival were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify on the large wall map significant places, routes and areas of significance in their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the place was importantly and how it contributes to the neighbourhood.
Places YouMap Vancouver participants at the Douglas Park Festival were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify significant places in their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the place was important and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. Participants identified a range of places, from restaurants and cafes to commercial services, cultural and entertainment hubs and community spaces and parks. The results indicate that residents in Douglas Park recognize the importance of having meeting places with a friendly atmosphere in their neighbourhood. Also residents prefer to walk to services within their neighbourhood, and highly value those places where there is interaction with business owners or other neighbours. Restaurants • Residents at the YouMap Festival recognized the variety and choice of restaurants in Douglas Park. • 3- Trixis Crepes – friendly place, patio chairs for outdoors dining, great place to watch the sun setting • 2- Kino Café – soul of the cambia strip, brings life to the neighbourhood, friendly owner • 2- Thai Away Home – quality ethnic food • Alexis – best Greek food • Don Don’s Noodle House – good value , independent owner • Salal Thai – has a community neighbourly feel • Wooden Shoe – unique, friendly service Coffee Shops/Cafes The responses from residents indicate that many of the coffee shops and cafes in the neighbourhood are highly valued for gathering places and hang outs, a relaxing atmosphere and friendly, local staff. • 5- Blenz Coffee – friendly, like the owners, people gather here to read the paper, options to sit outside, owner remembers customer’s names • 3- JJ Bean Coffee – Vancouver based company, great and relaxing vibe, weekend spot • 3- Starbucks – within walking distance of neighbourhood, great place to read the newspaper • 2- Beans – meeting place; social interaction; personal attention – baristas remember customers • Java Hut – free internet • Liberty’s – main street café Services In general, the responses indicate that Douglas Park, particularly the Cambie corridor serves many of the daily needs of residents in the neighbourhood. Residents indicated they valued the local businesses who contribute and give back to the neighbourhood and which are within walking distance. The diversity of commercial and other services is valued, as is the selection of local, organic and affordable products. • Cambie at Broadway – a variety of commercial services
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg71 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
• 10 - Capers – organic high quality food, active in the community and contribute lots, completes neigbhourhood, food expensive but quality • 11- Choices – quality food, community based store and alternative to larger chains, cheaper products that are still high quality/fresh, local and organic • 16th – 25th – Shopping district – local projects and businesses, easily within walking distance • Canadian Tire and Best Buy – services are within walking distance where before had to drive • Diversity of stores – i.e. Honey. Local ownership, not chains • Main Street – great shopping, easily accessible on foot, locally owned businesses • Medical Clinics – many in the neighbourhood that are convenient • VGH – close by, large centre of employment • 2- City Square – convenient shops – good for household items • Kreation Bakery – lovely display window, specialty bakery • BC Liquor Store – convenient, good hours • Pet store – good selection and prices • Safeway • TD Bank – longevity – has been a part of the community for years, ease of access • Garland Pharmacy – ‘centre’ of the area. The owner, Connie, knows everyone Entertainment • 12- Park Cinema – within walking distance; plays interesting movies, independent and friendly, Theatre has been part of the community for a very long time, adds to the character and history of the neighbourhood • 3- Black Dog Video – independent store, staff are engaging and interesting, good video selection Cultural services • Cultural activities are located centrally and within walking distance – i.e. 5 synagogues; United Church, Ukrainian Church Schools • Simon Fraser Elementary – one of the few elementary schools in the neighbourhood. Great school. Parents who went to the school now sending their kids • Emily Carr Kids School • Edith Careu – within walking distance – safe neighbourhood for kids to walk to school. Really beautiful playground was built by the community Community Spaces and Parks Residents who attended the YouMap Festival indicated there are many parks that provide greenspace and much needed social interaction – where kids can play and parents can relax or socialize. The community spaces also embody an importance essence of community spirit, identified as a very important quality for any neighbourhood. • 3 - Riley Park – swimming pool, ice skating and farmers market • 4 - Queen Elizabeth Park – place to connect with others, relaxing, beautiful gardens
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg72 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
• 14th an Willow – new park as a result of condo construction. Developers put in a space with water features, lots of kids playing and space to walk dogs. • 5- Mt Pleasant Community Centre – affordable, many amenities, spontaneous, non structured games with the kids and parents at the playground • Mt Pleasant Park – great for walking outside • Dog park at Simon Fraser Elementary – great for meeting others in the neighbourhood • Heritage Hall at 15th and Main – community events and shows • 6 - Heather Park – tennis courts, informal outdoor gym. Great place to meet friends – sunny in the summer • 15 – Douglas Park and Community Centre – Social interaction – meet friends, family and new people. Trees and foliage is beautiful. Great place to meditate. Interaction and viewing other groups – soccer, cricket etc gives a sense of being a part of the community. Many different activities. Huge asset for the community • Community Garden at 16th and Oak – builds team and community spirit by working on a project together with others. Connects people with food – encourages sustainability. Contributes to beautifying neighbourhood Ambiance/Relaxation • Trees – beautiful old trees line neighbourhood streets • Benches on the sidewalks (19th) • Heather and 19th – Tree swings – fun – encourages neigbhours to chat and get to know eachother • 18th and Cambie – the face of Vancouver mural – brought the neighbourhood together and is now a central focus
Routes YouMap Vancouver participants at the Douglas Park Festival were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify significant routes within and out of their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the route was important and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. Residents identified transit, cycling, dog walking and other important routes within or throughout the neighbourhood. Several participants indicated how the options provided by different transit and bike routes was a huge asset in connecting the neighbourhood with the rest of the city. Also, residents seemed to value the quiet streets resulting from bike paths and traffic calmed areas. Figure 32: Participant Photo Douglas Park Transit routes are the main transportation mode for many people. Festival participants identified the importance of being close to many different routes including those which reach the downtown quickly and easily. In addition, residents of Douglas Park felt it was important that bus routes to the downtown core be maintained despite the new Richmond Airport Vancouver (RAV) line. • #16 bus • #25 bus • #33 bus
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg73 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
• #15 Bike routes • 4- 10th Avenue Bike route – safe bike route – desire for more streets like this one. Safe crossing of busy streets • 10 - Heather – traffic calmed – great for walking too. Lots of parks. Feel part of the community to share camaraderie with other bikers – nod and smile as pass others. Critical part of commute. Quiet streets. Sometimes misused by motorists – cutting through traffic • Ontario and 18th – Commuter route. Bike to work and daycare • Yukon – north to Cambie Bridge – important commuter route to downtown – traffic calmed • Along 14th to Fraser – hang out in a coffee shop in the evenings • Down Ash to Seawall • Laurel (from 21st South) • Main Street – shops • Neighbourhood Streets – quieter and safer – great for walking, playing riding. Like the flowers that neighbours plant and tend in the round-a-bouts • Beautiful old trees and well kept character homes. Lots of children, pedestrians and cyclists • Distinguish from neighbourhood streets and main thorough fairs Dog Walking Routes • 13th Avenue – quiet residential street • 16th • 41st • Cambie – Fraser Other Routes • Oak street – quick route to work and services • Around Douglas Park is a perfect 1 km running route • 6 - 16th Avenue – important for walking, route to get to access services. Community Garden. Interesting buildings • 17th (between Oak and Cambie) – Quiet side street – perfect for a walk • 2 - 18th Avenue – Valued for its tree coverage • 19th Avenue (to Wolfe)– Key point accessing downtown, Cambie Village and the Westside • 20th Ave – from commercial to Oak – beautiful route and would make a great east west greenway • Cambie Street (from 21st) – walk to Broadway and downtown – convenient and direct • Alleys – all are great – nice to see how people really live. Very peaceful • Streets around Douglas Park – Open space, trees, great for running • 20th and Healther – Bark mulch track is great for running • 16th Avenue – Construction – loss of beautiful homes
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Areas of Significance YouMap Vancouver participants at the Douglas Park Festival were asked at the Amenity Arena to identify significant areas in their neighbourhood, and notably, asked to describe why the area was importantly and how it contributes to the neighbourhood. The results show considerable overlap with the places that the YouMap participants highlighted as significant places, serving to further highlight their importance to the neighbourhood. Residents identified several areas valued for their ambiance, as areas that showcase heritage and history or contribute to a friendly atmosphere in the neighbourhood. Douglas Park is by far the main community centre, valued for is relaxing vibe, organized activities and the immediate area. Several other parks were identified as important, including Queen Elizabeth, Heather and Granville Island. Interestingly, several of these areas were identified despite being located well outside of the immediate neighbourhood. Ambiance • 10 Avenue - Heritage Homes – Give a great sense of Vancouver history • 16th and Heather Area – small neigbhourhood feel – has friendly vibe • 18th and Cambie – Faces of Vancouver mural. Lots of locals depicted. Many services close by • Hawk nesting sites – East of Cambie between 12th and 20th • Community Garden – much less ugly than an empty lot Parks • 9 - Douglas Park and area – great for walking; community hub; great views; relaxing; great to meet neigbhours and locals; well used for organized sports; activities for all ages; after school care for kids is really important to the community; • 6 - Queen Elizabeth Park – great for walking, meeting neighbours • 4- Heather Park – children’s play ground and tennis courts. Great place to enjoy the sunshine • 4 - Granville Island – although it is outside the immediate area it is well used False Creek – great parks and walkway Shopping Districts • 11 - Cambie Village (20th – 16th) – vibrant area, many families around; independent shops; all shopping resources that are needed – so can stay in local area for shopping; many community events in this area; diversified cultural experience; Figure 33: Participant Photo Douglas Park • 3 – Main Street – good selection of stores, some independent some chains. Funky atmosphere • City Square • Oak Street at 16th – small businesses servicing daily needs – grocery, dry cleaning, café • Broadway (Heather – Main) – convenient shops yet removed from residential areas Other areas • Mt Pleasant Community Centre – outdoor pool acts as a community magnet – very well used
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg75 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
• Ukrainian Cultural Area (at Ash and 15th) – have housing, church and cultural centre all in one. Nice area to walk or bike around
9.2.2 Station 5 - What’s missing? Participants participated with enthusiasm and creativity in the What’s Missing section, generating many ideas, for example: Missing: No library in the neighbourhood Solution: Create a small storefront library where people can pick up book requested online; provide a few computers for online access; small meeting place
Problem Solution
Need more community garden space Allow rooftop gardens? Have garden space as part of commercial buildings or residential land and rooftops. Have wall gardens, like egg cartons on walls that hold vines, moss, red runner beans and flowers.
Not enough people walk to and from services – especially at Maybe people would walk more if the retail strip united to Cambie Village. have 4 or 5 blocks of awnings. Shade in the summer and more importantly snow and rain protection in the winter. There should be more music (live venues) and art and places to hang out and sit that are on the strip but out of the way of the pedestrian flow.
Need more density of housing in the area Increase density with laneway homes, additions on existing apartment buildings (i.e Laurel and 17th). Can you keep the small street that’s blocked off at 13th and Laurel closed?
Need more and better utilized public spaces. More community gardens, skateboard parks and benches that face the mountains. Support public spaces.
Not enough community gardens Create community gardens in Douglas or Heather park
Low population density in the neighbourhood Need a more diverse range of housing options to increase population density. Maybe have a housing coop in the area.
Difficult to cross to Douglas park @ Cambie and 22nd Avenue Put in a pedestrian controlled traffic signal safely
High-rises are undesirable Keep the low buildings (Olive should be the highest building - 2-3 stories)
No library in the neighbourhood. There is a lack of a “third Build a small storefront library that people could pick up place” in the community. books they have requested online. Provide a few computers for internet, an area for a public meetings, discussions, performance, and a presentation area.
Lack of pay phones Bring back the pay phone at 18th and Cambie
Bikes are marginalized along Cambie Street Have a Bike lane on Cambie Street
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg76 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
Need to keep the area a tight knit, inclusive community with Do not allow chains such as McDonalds and A&W etc. locally owned, mom and pop shops.
Lack of services and support for single parents. Support facilitated networking for single parents.
Lack of areas to socialize and relax Block off a street to vehicles and incorporate walking areas, community gardens and green spaces.
Lack of recycling services and garden space in the Create community composting and gardens. neighbourhood.
No walk-in medical clinic Have a clinic with reasonable hours for working parents.
Need more locally owned businesses. Keep out chains like Tim Horton's.
Few places to buy liquor apart from the BC Liquor store. Allow liquor sales at all stores like Costco just the way the USA and Quebec do.
Too many cars on bike routes (i.e. Heather Street). Prevent motorists from being able to cross the bike route along Heather St. This would reduce the number of motorists driving through the neighbourhood
Need more traffic calming along neighborhood streets. Speed bumps around Beamer Park, because cars race around, especially when looking for parking.
No library in Douglas Park Start a temporary library branch in several empty storefronts on Cambie Street.
Need to increase the density of the neighbourhood Laneway housing to achieve densification of community
Construction workers lack consideration to the people who Construction workers need to pay attention to the live here concerns of the people in the neighbourhood
Problem - no solution provided
Need a book store, black shop movies
Need to enforce residential parking laws, especially for infractions by Canada Line workers
Lack of affordable and yoga studios within close walking distances
Need spaces for artists to rehearse, hold shows, display work
No walk-in medical clinic in the neighbourhood
Lack of indoor play facilities for children
No walk-in medical clinic
No library in this area (x4)
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg77 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
No pet store or shopping mall
Lack of affordable commercial spaces for small/new businesses
Nothing is missing in the area!
Not a complete commercial representation in the area. It does not compare to other areas, like Kerrisdale
Lack of places to go for a drink with friends
Need social programs and places for seniors/people with disabilities to jam and hang out (x3)
There is a need for quality daycare
Need a pub and a lounge
Need a bike route along 20th Avenue.
We need more parks
We need 2nd hand bookstore.
Oak St. does not provide a good pedestrian experience
Need more bike racks in the city
Cambie neighbourhood should have old fashioned street lights
Need walk-in clinics
Need a satellite community library (x2)
More community events
Douglas Park Community centre looks run down and should be renovated or improved
Too much traffic on Oak St. as a result of the RAV line construction.
Need a bike route closer to 20-25th Streets
Keep Mt. Pleasant Pool
More trees
Need more lights in the back alleys in the Cambie neighbourhood
Need to retain the local character of the businesses.
Don’t allow the Women’s and Children’s hospitals to build higher than four stories
Alternative energy requirements for all new community developments
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg78 9.0 APPENDIX A – FESTIVAL STATION DATA
Free parking for residents
Recycling receptacles along the streets
Basketball facilities
Get street lights working on Cambie – its too dark at night
More daycare for children under 3 years of age
Keep community centres in our community (i.e. Mt. Pleasant)
Need a candy Store
Need a drug Store
Keep our pool at Mt. Pleasant, use existing facility more efficiently
More community gardens for local food production as it is an opportunity for residents to meet and work together
Need a hip Lounge like the 5-point pub on Main St
Protect “the face of Vancouver” mural at Cambie on 18th Street.
Protect bike routes
Maintain local ownership – no Tim Hortons
Need a Tim Hortons
More traffic calming in conjunction with increasing density
Need better traffic control on side streets
Need more live-work accommodations
Need an indoor swimming pool
Need a Public library
Need count down pedestrian lights
More Asian grocery stores to provide competition for Choices and Capers,
No liquor stores, it attracts vagrants and pan handlers
YouMap Vancouver Neighbourhood Amenity Mapping Project Grandview Woodlands and Douglas Park pg79