Coexistence planning and Indigenous urbanism: Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation

This study investigated the precedent-setting collaboration between the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Board (VBPR) and the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, or 'MST Nations,' an ongoing initiative which aims to formalize Indigenous self-determination and rights to the city, or 'Indigenous urbanism,' through coexistence planning practices. The thesis examined coexistence planning efforts in Vancouver, British Columbia, a city that has designated itself a City of Reconciliation since 2014. The Province of British Columbia and the City of Vancouver have set an example by becoming the first Canadian province and Canadian city to respectively pass legislation pertaining to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The question has been how cities could practically implement the goals of coexistence planning and meaningfully redress colonial urbanism beyond tokenism. There has been a gap in the research literature at the intersections of Urban Studies and Indigenous Rights and Title to answer this question. This research explored the potential of coexistence planning principles to meaningfully address Indigenous Rights to self-determination through a municipal lens. This study looked at how coexistence planning can be a potential catalyst and liminal space for Indigenous resurgence and urbanism as it allows for a reconceptualization of urban planning in support of a collaborative approach to governance, and meaningfully considers Indigenous self-determination at the root of shaping urban spaces. This research project examined an example of these coexistence planning principles in action in Stanley Park, an iconic, internationally recognized park in Vancouver, British Columbia, while considering its replicability across other urban parks.