[CCCNFBW] ‘Find Vancouver’ initiative aims to help residents, visitors orient themselves downtown

[Merribeth Greenberg]

‘Find Vancouver’ initiative aims to help residents, visitors orient
themselves downtown
One result likely to be improved signage
Photo of Joseph Chiu
By Joseph Chiu, Columbian Staff Writer
Published: July 13, 2026, 2:00pm

A picture of A wayfinding sign on the corner of West 11th Street and
Franklin Street (on a tree) is visible in downtown Vancouver on Dec. 20,
2017. The city has launched an effort to improve wayfinding downtown.
(Alisha Jucevic/The Columbian files)
‘Find Vancouver’ initiative aims to help residents, visitors orient
themselves downtown - The Columbian
<https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jul/13/find-vancouver-initiative-aims-to-help-residents-visitors-orient-themselves-downtown/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=Morning+Briefing>

The city of Vancouver launched a new initiative, “Find Vancouver,” to help
residents and visitors orient themselves downtown.

Officials say the goal is to give people the confidence to park their
vehicles and then get around by biking, walking or rolling.

“We want to decrease some of the traffic and congestion downtown as it gets
more dense,” said Chris Harder, the city of Vancouver’s deputy director of
economic prosperity and housing.

The city started charging for parking on weekends downtown last summer.
Since then, officials have heard complaints about parking and navigating
around downtown.

The city is still gathering feedback on its existing wayfinding signs and
has hired consulting company sparks+sullivan. The company specializes in
assessing wayfinding and is guiding community engagement, creating best
practice research and formulating recommended actions.

While the plan, cost and strategies are still in the works, Harder said he
thinks it’s “probably fair to say one of the early actions will be
improving physical signage downtown.”

Improved signage could include additional directional information that
would display different modes of transportation to use, as well as
educational elements telling the story and history of the downtown
district. Technological upgrades may include digital signs and parking apps
with real-time parking information, Harder said.

The project will also address Americans with Disabilities Act compliance
for wayfinding measures.

“I think wayfinding should help provide more information on what the
options are to move around and hopefully even encourage people to use
different modes to get around than just relying solely on the car,” Harder
said.

This summer, the city is circulating a survey about visiting and navigating
downtown. Harder said the city expects to approve a wayfinding plan by the
end of the year.

Beth's comments: I did fill out the survey for the wayfinding. I have to
say that when I did the survey, I was thinking more about the wayfinding
technology that gives blind people audible clues about where they are. Not
a sign that says downtown and points left, Uptown, and points right.  It
will be interesting to see what they have to add for acessiblity to their
wayfinding signs.
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