VANCOUVER PARK BOARD PARKS AND RECREATION PARKING STRATEGY
Client: Bunt & Associates | Vancouver Park Board | 2025
With over 250 parks under its care, including community centers, destination gardens, and parking facilities, the Vancouver Park Board is dedicated to enhancing access to these spaces, which are crucial for the health and well-being of Vancouver’s residents. To sustain and improve the city’s parks and recreation system, the Board engaged Bunt & Associates to develop a parking strategy focused on optimizing parking at key venues—a critical component for both revenue generation and operational efficiency.
Uplift Engagement Communications (Uplift) was brought in to conduct the project’s engagement activities, aiming to understand the experiences and needs of various key interest groups. The project involved: analyzing 311 log feedback, engaging internal stakeholders, conducting and analyzing intercept surveys, and designing the final report.
Uplift began by reviewing 1,700 parking-related feedback submissions from the City’s 311 system, uncovering recurring issues like bylaw enforcement, maintenance, and accessibility. This analysis provided a clear picture of the current challenges faced by park users.
Additionally, Uplift conducted surveys with internal stakeholders, including staff from golf courses, libraries, community center supervisors, and association presidents. These insights ensured that the perspectives of those managing these facilities were understood.
Uplift designed and executed intercept surveys at six key community centers and parks, engaging 600 park users. The face-to-face survey captured real-time feedback on parking usage and satisfaction, providing critical insights into visitor needs and preferences. The analysis of this data allowed Uplift to identify patterns and challenges, which informed refined recommendations for optimizing parking resources.
Once the policy framework was developed, Uplift designed and facilitated a workshop with community center supervisors and association presidents to present the project team’s findings, answer questions, and collaboratively develop strategies to mitigate unintended impacts of pay parking on community centre users, staff, and contractors.
Finally, Uplift worked with the project team to design and publish the Policy Framework report.