Vancouver Sea2City Design Challenge

Adapting cities to be more climate resilient can bring a multitude of benefits. The City of Vancouver, BC sought to plan for future climate impacts and help flood-vulnerable shoreline communities and businesses become more resilient by commissioning the Sea2City Design Challenge. Herrera, as part of the Mithūn+One team, supported the City in visioning climate adaptation through a decolonization lens. First Nations (Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh) knowledge keepers, cultural advisors, and artists were an integral part of the design team and their stories guided the long-term vision, near-term actions, and language used around adaptation. Herrera led the design for innovative climate adaptation approaches to support shoreline ecological revitalization and to manage upland stormwater runoff and flooding. The resulting climate adaptation plans incorporated areas of ecological revitalization, nature-based solutions, strategic retreat, land back, and sustainable urban development.  The project won the Jury’s Award of Excellence and was recognized as the 2023 Project of the Year by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA). 

For more information about this project, check out these resources:
Learn more about Sea2City
Video about Sea2City
Our team’s final products