Vancouver Sports Field Strategy
The Vancouver Park Board retained Binnie in partnership with RC Strategies to develop a comprehensive city-wide strategy to guide the planning and development of sport fields over the next 10 years. Many local sport organizations, sport field users will be engaged to include input from as many sources as possible to meet the needs of diverse communities throughout the city.
Binnie is providing assessment of existing inventory and recommendations for future design, development and management of City of Vancouver’s natural grass and synthetic turf sports fields including “rectangular”: soccer, football, rugby etc., baseball diamonds, and cricket pitches.
The Sport Field Strategy will reflect the Park Board’s Mission to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation to benefit all people, communities and the environment.
The Sport Field Strategy will:
- Undertake comprehensive community and stakeholder engagement, including forming a city-wide advisory group
- Explore and recommend innovative directions to meet city-wide sport field needs
- Review the condition and performance of existing Vancouver Park Board sport fields
- Identify optimum city-wide service levels and project future needs
- Propose priorities and phasing for replacing and renewing existing facilities
- Identify new facilities needed over the life of the strategy
- Assess surfacing options for sport fields, including environmental and human health impacts
- Develop a field use allocation policy
We will focus on assessing the carbon footprint, lifecycle cost, maintenance practices, and other human and environmental health impacts. For example, that irrigation is designed using water saving strategies such as rain surge cycling, soil moisture monitors, and irrigation zone programs that result in optimal grass growing conditions. Binnie has also recommended implementing Integrated Pest Management protocols that include strategies to address herbicide and pesticide use and purchasing non-gas-powered maintenance equipment.
