Surprise at IAKS Study Trip to Greater Vancouver

The IAKS Study Trip to Greater Vancouver, Canada was the first IAKS event held outside of Europe for many decades. The study trip was based in New Westminster where delegates attended the opening event at the Anvil Centre, visited Westminster Pier Park as part of the first day tour, and ended the day with an event banquet back at the Anvil Centre.

The IAKS recognized the unique and large assembly of projects in the Greater Vancouver area that offer learning outcomes especially for those delegates attending from outside Canada.

Integrated community facilities are fundamental to the Canadian approach, and some of the components included came as a surprise to many of the delegates. Facilities such as the Edmonds Community Centre, Minoru Centre for Active Living, and Clayton Community Centre, in addition to traditional program spaces, included libraries, theatres, dynamic seniors’ centres, youth centres, carpentry shops, and community kitchens. Integration applied to the planning and design as well and there was a strong relationship between the municipal government funding the project, the users who funded the project, and the facility operators. The approach to inclusive visioning, planning and design was at the core of each of the projects visited.