Making space for children and youth in Surrey City Centre: An assessment of child and youth friendly policy & practice in Surrey, British Columbia

The City of Surrey’s Plan for the Social Wellbeing of Surrey Residents, adopted in 2006, identifies creating a child and youth friendly city as a priority. This research project examines Surrey’s City Centre Plan Update, Phase II, Stage 1 report and Interim Urban Design Guidelines to understand how the City’s priority to be child and youth friendly is reflected in long term plans for Surrey City Centre. The analysis is framed around five physical elements or “building blocks” of a child and youth friendly city: land use and density, public realm, parks and play space, housing, and transportation. Through qualitative content analysis and interviews with City of Surrey staff, the research reveals the extent to which the needs of young people have been incorporated into plans for Surrey City Centre and discusses challenges associated with planning for families in what will be Surrey’s highest density neighbourhood.