The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation has launched a pilot program to improve visitor experiences in several major destination parks by implementing digital accessibility mapping across select sites. This venture is made possible through a collaboration with the AccessNow platform.
The digital accessibility mapping initiative involves conducting specialized audits of Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, John Hendry Park, and New Brighton Park. The collaborators are using both advanced technology and the insights of auditors who possess lived disability experience to generate reliable and detailed information about trail conditions, terrain, and available amenities. The resulting data has been integrated into a global digital mapping interface that will allow users to search for and rate the accessibility of various locations. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is receiving additional support from Destination Vancouver to also include attractions like VanDusen Botanical Garden and Bloedel Conservatory on the platform.
Ultimately, the digital accessibility mapping initiative delivers high-quality, interactive maps that support both pre-trip planning and real-time navigation for visitors.
Image Credit: The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Accessibility Mapping
- Digital maps enriched with terrain, amenity, and barrier data create new value in public-space navigation for visitors with diverse mobility, sensory, and cognitive needs.
- Lived-experience Audits
- Community-informed evaluations combine technical measurement with disability expertise, enabling more trusted data products for inclusive destination planning.
- Real-time Inclusive Navigation
- Interactive wayfinding platforms can transform parks and attractions into responsive environments where accessibility information is updated, rated, and personalized.
Sectors Adopting This
- Parks and Recreation
- Municipal park systems are positioned to modernize visitor services through accessibility intelligence that supports equitable use of trails, facilities, and natural spaces.
- Travel and Tourism
- Destination marketers gain a differentiated planning asset when attraction accessibility data becomes searchable, comparable, and integrated into trip discovery.
- Civic Technology
- Public-sector mapping tools centered on inclusion expand the role of smart-city infrastructure beyond efficiency toward measurable participation and access.
