Agnes Greenway Vision and Themes

The permanent design of Phase 1 of the Agnes Greenway is informed by what we heard from stakeholders and community members and the results of a monitoring program about the performance of the interim greenway.

Based on this input, the following vision for the Greenway was developed:

The Agnes Greenway will be an active and healthy street that is a safe, comfortable, and inviting place for people of all ages and abilities to walk, wheel, and cycle. The greenway will celebrate and provide opportunities to learn about and experience the street’s unique heritage and ecological context.

Seven key themes make up the vision for the Agnes Greenway and have been incorporated into the permanent design for Phase 1. The key themes are as follows:

• Health: The Greenway will encourage active and healthy forms of transportation and recreation, including walking, wheeling, and cycling, and will also improve physical and mental health by reducing traffic volumes and speeds, reducing noise, and reducing emissions. The project will also recognize the historic health connection to the former Saint Mary’s Hospital, which is now the site of Saint Mary’s Park and Ecole Qayqayt Elementary School.
• Heritage: The Greenway will celebrate the history of its context, including indigenous heritage and its location in Downtown New Westminster, British Columbia’s original capital city, including connections to Albert Crescent, the City’s oldest park, founded in 1876. The project will also recognize other historic elements such as Saint Mary’s Hospital and will look at creative ways to adaptively re-use historic materials in the design such as repurposed bricks, granite setts, and planters.
• Ecology: The Greenway is envisioned as a park-like street, that will seek opportunities to increase the downtown tree canopy, provide landscaping and greening opportunities, and re-imagine the historic lost stream that ran across this alignment through Green Infrastructure opportunities.
• Learning: The Greenway will recognize its role as a street for learning with students from both Douglas College and Ecole Qayqayt Elementary School, and will include features that enable learning about the history, ecology, and other aspects of the greenway such as interpretive signage and walking tours.
• Play: The Greenway will recognize its role as an inter-generational street that brings together people of all ages and abilities, ranging from children attending Ecole Qayqayt Elementary School to seniors and older adults living along the corridor. The street will provide opportunities for fun and interactive connections for children to Ecole Qayqayt Elementary School and Saint Mary’s Park.
• Inviting: Agnes Street will become an inviting street with a strong sense of identity and place with a range of public amenities such as benches, plazas, public art, lighting, wayfinding, and view opportunities. The community will be encouraged to take ownership and stewardship of the greenway.
• Safe: Agnes Street will be a safe, secure, and comfortable experience for people of all ages and abilities and for all users, by separating users, improving intersection safety, and improving lighting.

Please take the time to fill out the community survey in order to let us know what you think of the vision and themes for the Agnes Greenway.