FAQs
Parks and public open spaces: Some examples include the seawall, sports courts and fields, playgrounds, dog parks, golf courses, fieldhouses and park washrooms.
Arts, culture and heritage: Cultural centres, entertainment and exhibition facilities, theatres, performance spaces, and public art.
Community facilities: Libraries, and recreation and social facilities including community centres, recreation centres, pools, rinks, neighbourhood houses and more.
Transportation and street use: Infrastructure that supports movement and gathering around the city. Examples include roads, sidewalks, bikeways, streetlights and plazas.
Water, sewers and drainage: Infrastructure that supports how we manage drinking water supply, wastewater and rainwater. Examples include water and sewer pipes, pump stations, catch basins and green rainwater infrastructure.
Waste collection, diversion and disposal: Facilities, vehicles and equipment that support how we manage garbage, organics, zero-waste facilities and landfill. Examples include residential waste collection trucks, recycling centres, and the transfer station.
Renewable energy: Infrastructure that supports the supply and use of renewable energy. This includes the False Creek Neighbourhood Energy Utility, which uses waste thermal energy from sewage to provide space heating and hot water to buildings.
Technology: Information technology assets that support the delivery of public services. This includes computers, software applications and fibre optic cable.
Public safety: Buildings, vehicles, and equipment that support the delivery of fire and rescue, police, and animal shelter services.
Civic facilities and equipment: Administrative facilities (e.g. City Hall) and service yards, including the storage of vehicles, trucks and equipment, that support the delivery of many public services.
- Housing: Housing delivered through partnerships and/or with other levels of government. This includes shelters, single room occupancy hotels (SROs), supportive housing, non-market rental housing (social and supportive) and purpose-built market rental housing.
- Childcare: Childcare facilities and spaces for infants, toddlers, preschool and school age children delivered through partnerships and/or with other levels of government.
The operating budget, which covers the day-to-day expenses required to deliver programs and services to residents e.g. garbage pickup, running libraries and community centres.
The capital budget, which sets out how capital plan projects will be funded in that year.
City contributions, such as property taxes and fees, directed toward renewing aging infrastructure (e.g., recreational facilities, water and sewer, bridges).
Development contributions, paid by development projects to help fund community benefits such as infrastructure, parks, and transportation networks. They can be provided in cash, or delivered in-kind, meaning amenities are built as part of the project. Development contributions are one of the tools the City uses to delivery new infrastructure and amenities.
The City is currently updating these tools as part of the 2026 Financing Growth Update. For more information, please visit the City’s project webpage.
Partner contributions,(e.g., federal government, provincial government, BC Housing, Metro Vancouver, TransLink) that help share the cost of some projects, such as streets, and community centres.
What is the purpose of the capital plan?
A Capital Plan is a four-year investment plan that helps maintain, renew and improve the infrastructure and amenities people rely on every day. This includes parks, roads and sidewalks, water and sewer systems, community centres, libraries, public safety facilities and other civic infrastructure.
These investments help Vancouver run smoothly and support quality of life across the city — including how people move around, access services, connect with community, enjoy public spaces and receive essential services.
What's included in the capital plan?
The Capital Plan includes infrastructure and amenities within the following categories. Direction from Council on priorities will be used to guide and align the services included in the 2027-2030 Capital Plan.
Community-serving assets – Assets that provide spaces, services, and amenities that directly support daily
life, social connection, mobility, and cultural expression within communities. This includes investment in:
Essential City Infrastructure – Core systems, facilities, and services that enable the safe, reliable operation of the city, including utilities, energy, public safety, and civic functions.
Partnership-based initiatives – Services and initiatives that are primarily outside the City’s direct responsibility, typically delivered through partnership, policy support, or other levels of government.
This includes investment in:
Review the 2023-2026 Capital Plan (PDF – Full Version, 71 pages) to learn more.
What are the priorities in the capital plan?
The 2027–2030 Capital Plan will focus on renewing aging infrastructure, maintaining essential services, modernizing community-serving assets, and advancing planning and design work for future projects anticipated for delivery in future capital plans.
Vancouver City Council provided direction to inform development of the draft 2027–2030 Capital Plan. This includes significant increased investments of $104 million in roads and sidewalks and $400 million for community recreation facilities across the city.
How is the capital plan different from the budget?
The City conducts public engagement on the capital plan every four years. The capital plan identifies program priorities and specific projects to be completed in a four-year period.
Public engagement on the City’s annual budget is conducted every year. This engagement focuses specifically on:
How is the capital plan funded?
There are three sources of funding for the capital plan:
How does the City decide which projects go into a capital plan?
As the City evolves and grows, it is important that we maintain and renew core infrastructure and amenities that serve our community, within the framework of a balanced budget.
In developing the Capital Plan, staff consider several factors, such as current economic conditions, Council priorities, public feedback, long-term plans, available funding, and the condition of existing facilities and infrastructure.
Staff will then bring forward a draft capital plan to Council for review and approval. Some capital expenditures require approval by plebiscite.
What will the City do with the public feedback?
The public’s input will help inform City Council’s final approval of the Capital Plan in July 2026. Feedback from the engagement will be compiled into an engagement summary report which will be posted on Shape your City and vancouver.ca prior to Council approval. The final capital plan will inform plebiscite questions around borrowing that will be asked as part of the local election in October 2026.