Community & Culture

The Age-Friendly Cities initiative, started by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006, was designed to optimize the health, participation and security of older adults throughout the course of aging by encouraging communities to adapt structures and services to increase accessibility and inclusion.

Since 2009, the BC Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Union of BC Municipalities, has funded Age-Friendly projects in over 120 communities across the province, including Richmond. The City of Richmond has many Age-Friendly policies and practices in place. The Age-Friendly Assessment and Action Plan, approved by Richmond City Council in 2015, builds on this foundation, bringing a more deliberate age-friendly focus to the many strategies and activities currently being pursued. The Plan identifies priority actions requiring attention over the next five years (2015 – 2019) and presents an implementation plan to realize the Plan’s vision “for Richmond to be the best place to age, at all stages, for all residents”. In recognition of steps taken, as well as ongoing commitment, Richmond received "Age-Friendly BC Recognition" in 2015.

ArtWorks: Richmond Arts Strategy 2019-2024 serves as a guide for decision-making to empower ideas, people and resources around a shared vision to advance the policies, programs and services needed for the arts to thrive in Richmond.

Rooted in local context, the Strategy positions the arts as a means to achieve community goals in economic development, health and well-being, infrastructure and tourism.

The development of the Arts Strategy took into consideration the goals and vision for Richmond as outlined in the Official Community Plan and related City Plans and Strategies. It is based on broad community input and was the result of extensive research and community engagement.

Draft Child Care Strategy 2024-2034

The City of Richmond is developing a new 10-year Child Care Strategy to identify current and future child care needs, and develop a set of strategic directions and actions to be undertaken over the next 10 years. By incorporating valuable insights and feedback gathered from Richmond residents, parents, guardians, caregivers, and child care providers, we are developing the final Child Care Strategy 2024-2034. We are aiming to take the final Child Care Strategy to Council in Fall 2024. 

Child Care Needs Assessments

The City has completed four Child Care Needs Assessments in 1995, 2001, 2009 and 2017, which have helped to guide City actions for its role in supporting child care provision in Richmond. The strategic directions and actions outlined in the latest Strategy demonstrate the City’s commitment to supporting child care spaces in Richmond.

2017-2022 Richmond Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy
Richmond Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy - Key Findings

The 2017-2022 Richmond Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy Updates highlight the significant progress and achievements in addressing the short term and ongoing actions since the Strategy was adopted. Many innovative actions were initiated since July 2017 to provide families with increased access to child care and parenting resources, while also supporting child care providers. Future updates will continue to present the highlights from the implementation of the 2017–2022 Richmond Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy.

2022 Update Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy
2021 Update Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy
2020 Update Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy
2019 Update Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy
2018 Update Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy

The City is developing a new 10 year Strategy for child care. This Strategy will build on the progress made by the previous plans and help identify the child care needs of Richmond over the next decade. The new Strategy will help guide the City’s work and planning for the creation of child care in areas of greatest need and inform future policy development, resources and initiatives pertaining to child care. For more information, visit the Child Care section of our website.

2021-2031 Richmond Child Care Action Plan

The City of Richmond is a municipal leader in its commitment to child care. The child care space targets and actions outlined in the 2021–2031 Richmond Child Care Action Plan demonstrate the City’s recognition of child care being an essential need for Richmond residents and employees.

Building on the 2017-2022 Richmond Child Care Needs Assessment and Strategy, this plan offers valuable insight on municipal initiatives to expand and enhance child care choices in Richmond. Through research and consultation, the 2021-2031 Richmond Child Care Action Plan provides a snapshot of the current state of child care in Richmond and assesses the opportunities and challenges to better meet the child care needs of families. With this information, targets for child care space creation and actions to meet these targets are identified.
2021-2031 Richmond Child Care Action Plan
2021-2031 Richmond Child Care Action Plan - Key Findings

The City of Richmond Community Wellness Strategy 2018–2023 was adopted by City Council in July 2018. The purpose of this five-year strategy is to take a collaborative and holistic approach to improve wellness for Richmond residents and to increase opportunities for individuals, neighbourhoods and communities to be active and healthy.

The Community Wellness Strategy 2018-2023 was developed in partnership between the City of Richmond, Vancouver Coastal Health – Richmond and Richmond School District No. 38. This five-year strategy prioritizes wellness as a contributor to a vibrant, appealing and livable community and identifies innovative approaches to most effectively impact wellness outcomes.

Progress Update 2022-2023 - released in Jun 2024

Richmond Community Wellness Strategy (2018-2023) - Progress Update 2022-2023

Healthy Richmond

To provide a local perspective on health and wellness issues to support the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Richmond Community Wellness Strategy, Vancouver Coast Health developed the Healthy Richmond Survey in 2012.

To view the full report, please visit: www.vch.ca

On November 25, 2019, City Council adopted the 2019-2029 Cultural Harmony Plan, which will guide the City’s approach in enhancing cultural harmony among Richmond’s diverse population. This plan sets out five strategic directions and 27 recommended actions to be completed over a 10-year period.

The Cultural Harmony Plan Progress Report for 2019–2021 provides a high-level summary of the accomplishments and endeavours the City, in partnership with the community, has accomplished to enhance intercultural connections among Richmond’s diverse population from 2019 to 2021.

Cultural Harmony Plan Progress Report for 2022-2023
Cultural Harmony Plan Progress Report for 2019-2021

On September 9, 2019, the Richmond Homelessness Strategy 2019-2029 was adopted by City Council. This strategy was informed through extensive public engagement activities and is guiding City staff and community actions regarding homelessness service provision over the 10-year period.

The Homelessness Strategy 2019-2029 provides the following vision statement:

“By 2029, homelessness in Richmond will be rare, brief and non-recurring. Richmond is an inclusive community that works in collaboration to provide a continuum of housing and support services.”

To achieve this vision, the strategy provides five strategic directions and 32 related actions:

1. Prevent pathways into homelessness.
2. Support residents who are experiencing homelessness.
3. Provide pathways out of homelessness.
4. Foster collaboration and capacity-building among community partners.
5. Communicate, research and monitor homelessness.

The City partners with numerous community stakeholders to undertake the recommended actions outlined in the Homelessness Strategy 2019-2029. Annual update reports to City Council (provided below) highlight ongoing progress in implementing this Strategy.

Homelessness Strategy 2019-2029 - 2023 Update
Homelessness Strategy 2019-2029 - 2022 Update
Homelessness Strategy 2019-2029 - 2021 Update
Homelessness Strategy 2019-2029 - 2020 Update

On December 6, 2021, City Council adopted the 2021-2031 Collaborative Action Plan to Reduce and Prevent Poverty in Richmond, which will help to guide the City’s approach, in collaboration with the community, to reduce and prevent poverty in Richmond over the next 10 years. This plan sets out four strategic directions and 26 recommended actions to be completed over a 10 year period.

2021-2031 Collaborative Action Plan to Reduce and Prevent Poverty in Richmond
2021-2031 Collaborative Action Plan 2022-2023 Highlights

On April 8, 2024, City Council adopted the Richmond Accessibility Plan 2023–2033 (the Plan) to guide the advancement of accessibility in Richmond, in collaboration with the community.

The Plan sets out six strategic pillars and 34 recommended actions to be completed over a 10-year period.

2023–2033 Richmond Accessibility Plan (4.5MB)

Seniors in Richmond are a diverse and growing demographic. The City of Richmond received "Age-Friendly BC Recognition" in 2015, and is committed to planning for the evolving needs of seniors in the community through its plans and strategies, which are outlined below.

Seniors Strategy (2022-2032)

On September 26, 2022, City Council adopted the City of Richmond Seniors Strategy (2022-2032), which will guide the work of the City and community partners to support seniors living in Richmond over the next ten years. The purpose of the Strategy is to address the needs of the growing population of seniors in Richmond. The Strategy does this by building on a solid foundation of community supports and programs that enable and empower seniors to be healthy, active and connected to the community.

Engaging Seniors in Age-Friendly Planning - 2020

Funded by a 2019 Age-Friendly Communities Grant from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), the goal of the Engaging Seniors in Age-Friendly Planning project was to provide the City of Richmond and other organizations with a framework to guide the engagement of seniors in age-friendly planning in neighbourhoods throughout the city. The project built on previous age-friendly planning initiatives in Richmond, including the 2015-2019 Age Friendly Action Plan.

Engaging Seniors in Age-Friendly Planning 2020 Final Report

Dementia-Friendly Community Action Plan - 2019

On September 23, 2019, City Council adopted the Dementia-Friendly Community Action Plan 2019 for Richmond. The 25 actions outlined in the Plan will help to ensure that Richmond residents living with dementia as well as their families and caregivers are included, supported and valued, and that they continue to stay active and engaged with the community.

The above strategies and plans build on previous initiatives that support seniors in Richmond. A timeline of the various seniors-related plans and strategies is shown in the figure below.

On September 9, 2013, City Council adopted the Building our Social Future - Social Development Strategy (2013-2022). The strategy has provided a roadmap to guide the City on social development matters and acted as a resource for key partners over the past 10 years.

The Social Development Strategy Progress Reports highlight the significant progress and achievements undertaken in the past 10 years to address the goals, strategic directions and actions outlined in the strategy.

Building Our Social Future - Progress Report for 2022
Building Our Social Future - Progress Report for 2021
Building Our Social Future - Progress Report for 2020
Building Our Social Future - Progress Report for 2019
Building Our Social Future - Progress Report for 2017-2018

The City is currently updating its Social Development Strategy which will build on the progress made by the 2013-2022 Social Development Strategy and guide the City's approach to addressing the social needs of Richmond's diverse population in the next 10 years. For more information on the strategy development process and upcoming community engagement activities, please contact SocialPlanning@richmond.ca or visit the Building our Social Future section of our website.

The City of Richmond has a long history of responding to the needs and aspirations of youth in Richmond. On Jul 24, 2023, City Council adopted the 2022–2032 Richmond Youth Strategy with the vision that ‘all youth in Richmond are safe, valued, respected and have the supports, opportunities, and resources to live rich and fulfilling lives.’ The Youth Strategy is the result of a multi-phased process that included best practice research, engagement with youth, their families and key partners, and the development of a demographic profile of youth in Richmond.

Building on the progress made on the previous plans for youth in Richmond, including the 2015–2020 Youth Service Plan, the new Strategy will help to guide the City and those who work with youth in the planning and implementation of programs, services and supports.

The Strategy is organized into five strategic priorities:

1. Foundation
Youth have access to services and resources in the community that provide a foundation for wellness.

2. Voice
Youth are heard, valued and engaged as members of the community and their opinions and perspectives inform plans, programs and services that are important to them and impact their lives.

3. Collaboration
Youth are supported by an integrated and collaborative network of youth-serving agencies, non-profit organizations, public partners and local government that work together to promote positive youth development.

4. Opportunity
Youth have equitable access to a wide-range of programs, services and initiatives that address their needs and support them to learn, develop and successfully navigate the various stages and transitions from early adolescence to young adulthood.

5. Awareness
Youth, their families and the broader community have access to information and resources and are aware of the services and supports available to youth in Richmond.

In collaboration and partnership with youth, youth-serving organizations and community partners in Richmond, the City is committed to playing a leadership role in implementing the 36 actions proposed in the Youth Strategy and achieving its vision for youth and the community.

Information on the 2015-2020 Youth Service Plan: Where Youth Thrive can be found in each of the annual updates.

• 2020 Update - Where Youth Thrive
• 2018 Update - Where Youth Thrive
• 2017 Update - Where Youth Thrive
• 2015-2016 Youth Service Plan Update