New Westminster parks and recreation plan

Happy Cities leading community engagement for the City of New Westminster’s parks and recreation plan, working together with Urban Systems.

A game of ping-pong between new friends at the Fun and Games Fest, a pop-up event to hear community input on parks and recreation in New West. (Emma Avery / Happy Cities)

People, parks, and play

The City of New Westminster is updating its Parks and Recreation Plan, which will guide priorities and investment in parks and recreation for the next 10 years and aspirational plans to 2050. The City is naming the plan People, Parks and Play: Connections for All—highlighting the essential role that parks and recreation play in building connected, healthy, resilient communities.

Happy Cities is working with Urban Systems and the City to lead community engagement for the plan, including a series of community pop-up events, focus groups, and an online survey. To ensure that we reach a diverse range of people, Happy Cities created a comprehensive engagement strategy, outlining project goals, challenges, and strategies to inform New West residents of the plan and provide everyone with meaningful opportunities to give input.

The highlight of the first round of engagement was the family-friendly Fun and Games Fest, hosted on a sunny Saturday at New Westminster’s Moody Park. People of all ages came out to enjoy free games, snacks, and a photo booth, while sharing their needs and wishes for parks and recreation in New Westminster. Some of our most avid participants stayed at the event for over five hours!