Heather Lands Rezoning Plan has been honoured with the Award for Planning Excellence 2021 in the Planning for Reconciliation category from The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), and Award for Excellence in Planning Practice 2021, winning Gold in the City & Urban Areas Category from the Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC).

Heather Lands, an urban design and rezoning project of a 21-acre site, centrally located in Vancouver, BC on unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh Nations (MST), is rooted in the processes of reconciliation and is an unprecedented joint venture partnership between Canada Lands Company and the MST Development Corporation.

The project vision is to recognize the traditions, culture and values of the MST and to create a sustainable new neighbourhood that will be a place to welcome and connect all people for generations to come. The MST Nations, who have occupied these territories since time immemorial, will own the lands in perpetuity. When complete, the development will include approximately 2,600 residential units, including a range of affordable housing options, commercial spaces including office and retail, a childcare centre, a school, an MST cultural centre and over 4 acres of public space.

DIALOG’s multidisciplinary team is proud to have provided architecture, planning & urban design, and landscape architecture services to this award winning project.

Congratulations to the entire project team, including: Canada Lands Company, MST Partnership, the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh cultural liaisons and communities, Arbortech Consulting, Bunt & Associates, Co-Design Group, Get the Picture, Kerr Wood Leidal Associates, local, MTD – Matthew Thomson Design, OSM Illustration, Piteau Associates, and Principle Architecture.

The Canadian Institute of Planners

Award for Planning Excellence 2021, Planning for Reconciliation

The annual awards, which recognize innovation, impact on the profession, overall presentation, and implementation potential, are the highest level of recognition the Institute bestows on professional planning projects.

A total of 53 national and international projects were received across eleven categories, and rigorously evaluated over three months by a jury comprised of planning professionals from across the country. This process resulted in a total of 18 awards, including, for the first time in more than a decade, an award of “Excellence” in each category, including Heather Lands in the Planning for Reconciliation category.

“The jury applauds this plan for not only being an example of thoughtful and culturally integrated design and consultation, but also for being an excellent example of co-creation and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments and developers. In particular, the jury was impressed with the development of the Heather Lands Cultural Interpretative Plan that collected the stories and ideas shared by the Nations which were used to guide the development of the Rezoning Plan.

The result of a robust and culturally appropriate planning process that upholds the integrity of Indigenous expression, has created an inspiring, progressive, and sustainable new neighbourhood that will be a beautiful space to benefit the community harmoniously integrated with the neighbourhood that is there today. Jury members congratulate CLC, MST and DIALOG for truly reflecting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s intent that the preservation, revitalization and strengthening of Indigenous cultures are best managed by Indigenous people and communities. The Heather Lands Rezoning Plan and its planning process offer a new relationship model for planning for reconciliation in communities across Canada.”

About the Canadian Institute of Planners
The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) works on behalf of over 7,500 planning professionals nationally and has served as the voice of Canada’s planning community since 1919. Planners safeguard the health and well-being of urban and rural communities, by addressing the use of land, resources, facilities, and services with consideration to physical, economic, and social efficiency. Our members work in both the public service and the private sector, across fields such as land use planning, environmental resource management, land development, heritage conservation, social planning, transportation planning, and economic development.
Learn more about CIP at www.cip-icu.ca.

The Planning Institute of British Columbia

Award for Excellence in Planning Practice 2021, Gold, City & Urban Areas

The Institute annually recognizes the professional work and individual accomplishments of members across British Columbia and Yukon through its awards and recognition program. This year, the Awards for Excellence in Planning honoured the best in professional planning work undertaken by members in four categories.

The Jury selected Heather Lands as the 2021 Gold winner in the City & Urban Areas category, noting “The full cooperation of the narrative, spiritually, and landscape understanding is a great learning tool for any municipality, and for our continuing partnership with the first nations across our country.”

About the Planning Institute of British Columbia
The Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC) is the professional association of planners in British Columbia and Yukon and is affiliated with the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) – the national association.

A non-profit professional organization incorporated in 1958 under the Societies Act, the Institute’s current membership includes over 1,600 professional planners that work in both the public and private sectors in many different fields of planning including land-use and development, municipal and regional planning, policy and law, heritage conservation, transportation, environmental sustainability, social planning, First Nations community planning, and more.

Our forward-thinking mission is to advance, promote, and support the planning profession with professional certification, services, events, and activities that help professional planners shape more livable, sustainable communities. Our Certified Members have the exclusive right and privilege to utilize the professional title ‘Registered Professional Planner’ and the designation ‘RPP’ in British Columbia & Yukon. They also may use the designation ‘MCIP’ to indicate their professional status nationally with the Canadian Institute of Planners.
For more information about PIBC, visit www.pibc.bc.ca