Vancouver seeks input on parks and recreation

Vancouver is asking residents to share how they currently use the city’s parks, trails and open spaces and looking for suggestions on how to improve in the future.

Locals are invited to take a community survey at www.BeHeardVancouver.org/essential-spaces. The survey, available through August, is part of the newly expanded Parks and Recreation Department — it’s now called the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department.

Feedback will go toward an update of the comprehensive plan. Vancouver’s comprehensive parks plan hasn’t been updated since 2014.

“A lot has happened since 2014,” Julie Hannon, director of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services, said in a media release.

“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.”

The plan will set department goals over the next decade. The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian and Vietnamese.