The theme of the survey is “Essential Spaces” to reflect the important role parks, trails, natural areas and public art have on the physical, mental and economic health of the community
VANCOUVER – The newly expanded Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department is updating its comprehensive plan and invites the community to take a survey about how they currently use Vancouver’s parks, trails and open spaces and what improvements residents would like to see in the future.
The theme of the survey is “Essential Spaces” to reflect the important role parks, trails, natural areas and public art have on the physical, mental and economic health of the community.
Vancouver residents can take the survey and participate in additional online feedback activities at www.BeHeardVancouver.org/essential-spaces and on social media through August. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian and Vietnamese.
Since the comprehensive plan was last updated in 2014, the population in Vancouver has grown by 13.32 percent. The city’s growth rate from 2014 to 2020 is greater than both Clark County as a whole (12.7 percent) and the state of Washington (9.9 percent). As the population grows, so do the needs of the community.
“A lot has happened since 2014,” said Julie Hannon, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services director. “We’ve updated and re-imagined parks where playgrounds and aging amenities needed replacing. We think these changes are exciting and we hope the community thinks so too. We also learned how essential these spaces were to residents over the past year during the pandemic.”
Hannon added, “This is a great opportunity for community members to offer input and help steer the direction of future park investments.” Once complete, the plan will go to Vancouver City Council for approval in 2022.
Vancouver Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services staff will use the feedback provided by the community to help inform updates made to the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Comprehensive Plan.
The updated comprehensive plan will set goals and identify specific projects for the city’s parks, recreational lands, and cultural services for the next 6-10 years. The plan will also provide eligibility for state and federal grants and is a requirement of the state’s Growth Management Act.
Information provided by city of Vancouver.
