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Strategic Plan

The Vancouver Strategic Plan lays out the City’s direction for the next six years and beyond. Our city is at an inflection point. We face many challenges, some local and others societal. We also have boundless opportunities to reshape our community in ways that make it more equitable, safe and climate friendly. Vancouver is a city on the rise, within the region and the state. This plan will ensure that we preserve the unique traits that led us all to this place, while we continue to grow and evolve as a community.

Strategic Plan Dashboard
2023-2029 Strategic Plan

Why do we need a Strategic Plan?

Vancouver’s Strategic Plan helps the City understand what to prioritize and invest in. The Plan provides a roadmap to help the City Council and staff to understand what is important to the community and reflects their values, hopes, and dreams for the future. A Strategic Plan also ensures alignment between future policies, programs, and investments and the core values and focus areas of the Strategic Plan.

How we got here

In June 2023, the City Council approved Vancouver’s 2023-2029 Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan is built on core values and focus areas affirmed by the City Council and work previously completed through A Stronger Vancouver, the 2016-2021 Strategic Plan, and community engagement that included the development of a community vision. From 2020 to 2023, the project team attended Council workshops and retreats, conducted interviews with community-based organizations and partners, convened a 16-person advisory committee, and engaged the public through the visioning process to learn about priorities for the future. The project team also worked closely with City staff to ensure that the proposed strategic outcomes and metrics are realistic and align with other planning efforts.

Check our progress

The Strategic Plan uses “long-term community indicators” and “six-year performance measures” to measure progress. A long-term community indicator is a major aspect of community condition that is tracked over time but may not be directly connected to specific city services. A performance measure is a department or program level measurement aligned with a Focus Area. It measures the City’s part of achieving the strategic outcome.

A dashboard is under development, it will be available on the City’s Open Data Hub in 2024.

Core values

In 2021, Council identified five core values for Vancouver: livability, equity and inclusion, innovation, sustainability and resiliency, and community trust and relationships. The core values guide a vision for engaging with the public and help re-imagine City structures, practices, and policies.

Livability

The supply and access to necessities, quality of life, requirements, and experiences that everyone in Vancouver expects.

Equity and inclusion

Where everyone feels a sense of belonging and can feel safe to express their beliefs and values.

Innovation

Invites and encourages creative thinking and being a forward-looking city.

Sustainability and resilience

A sustainable and resilient Vancouver values long term solutions, and includes crisis management for economic, environmental, and social issues.

Trust and relationships

Reflected by transparent decision-making processes, open communication between the government and the community and between community groups, and a broadly shared belief that decisions are intended to enhance livability, equity, and the resilience of the entire community.

Focus areas

Transportation and Mobility

Vancouver has a safe, future-ready, and convenient transportation system that offers affordable and climate-friendly options for people to get where they need to be.

Community Indicators

Economic Opportunity

Vancouver is a place where a wide variety of businesses of all sizes, from young startups to established enterprises, grow and thrive.

Community Indicators

Housing and Human Needs

Vancouver meets basic needs and partners with organizations to support its communities.

Community Indicators

Vibrant and Distinct Neighborhoods

Vancouver offers a variety of accessible places and spaces to interact and enjoy nature, art, culture, food, shopping, and community.

Community Indicators

Culture and Heritage

Vancouver celebrates culture and heritage.

Community Indicators

Safe and Prepared Community

Vancouver feels like a safe place to live, work, learn, and play.

Community Indicators

Climate and Natural Systems

Environmental stewardship and efforts to address climate change ensure that everyone has a sustainable future.

Community Indicators

High Performing Government

Vancouver’s government is reliable, fiscally responsible, equitable, and open to compromise.

Community Indicators