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The 2023 Canadian City Parks Report

Surfacing Solutions

How addressing conflict and reframing challenges as opportunities can create more equitable and sustainable parks.

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Key Insights

Our takeaways on trends, challenges and strategic directions in city parks this year, based on conversations with over 40 city staff and data from our municipal and public surveys.

1. Plan for higher park use

1. Preparing for the new normal of a higher baseline of park use

2. Refocus on park quality

2. Ensuring the parks we have are performing at their best

3. Explore new park typologies and funding arrangements

3. Identifying new types of parks for growing, urbanizing cities

4. Prioritize public education along with naturalization

4. Growing support for naturalization efforts through public education

5. Systematize climate resilience park improvements

5. Embedding climate resilience within park designs to safeguard the future

6. Deepen the focus on park equity

6. Moving beyond amenity distribution to look at the social side of park equity

7. Adopt rights-based encampment strategies

7. Working with unhoused communities to find solutions with dignity

8. Experiment with flexible designs and policies to manage conflicting use

8. Addressing use conflicts so parks can work better for more people

9. Increase funding and supports for community involvement

9. Supporting community involvement beyond one-time capital projects

10. Find the internal collaboration sweet spots

10. Leveraging departmental collaborations to achieve multiple overlapping goals

All Data

Dive into the latest park data from our surveys of 35 municipalities and over 2000 residents of Canadian cities.

2023 Survey Results

Biennial City Profiles

Plans & Programs

Featured Case Studies

Learn from inspiring projects, people, and policies across Canada that offer tangible solutions to the most pressing challenges facing city parks.

Embedding Equity in Park Planning

How Vancouver uses innovative mapping to guide equity-led parkland investment

Planning Through the Lens of Nature

How Brampton is fusing nature and recreation through its Eco Park Strategy

Unleashing a New Dog Park Strategy in Saanich

A collaborative approach to tackling conflict over off-leash dog parks

Stewarding Parks, Stewarding Community

How the City of North Vancouver is addressing the inclusion gap in park stewardship programs

About

Get to know who we are, how we collected data, and how we hope you’ll use the report.

Funder Foreword Acknowledgements Methodology Definitions Next Steps About Park People

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The only report tracking the key trends and challenges facing city parks across Canada.