This document outlines a student project called #greenthegrey that aims to increase urban green spaces in Vancouver through a social media campaign. The project's goals are to gain public attention and interest in urban greening, and to propose actions to make the city greener. It discusses researching public opinions on green spaces and the city's greening plans in order to effectively engage residents on this issue through social media outreach and discourse.

1. # G R E E N T H E G R E Y
Bethany Chang
Haley Clarke
Alexandra Nikotina
CMNS 425 // Fall 2014

2. A B O U T T H E I M A G E :
M A I N I D E A :
A social media campaign revolving around the hashtag #greenthegrey.
G OA L S :
- Gain people’s attention
- Spike their interest about the hashtag
- Propose the course of action to make the city green

3. TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S : 1. CONCEPT
2. PROJECT RATIONALE
3. OBJECTIVES
4. TARGET AUDIENCE
5. POLICIES
6. OUTCOMES
7. THE PROJECT
8. RESEARCH
9. RESULTS & FUTURE PLAN
10. MEASURING SUCCESS
11. CONCLUSION

4. O U R I N S P I R AT I O N
D E V E L O P I N G T H E P R O J E C T
1. 2020 Greenest City Action Plan
2. Desire to increase the green
spaces in Vancouver
3. Help the City attain their goals
in the most successful way
4. Involve the people in the City’s
activities and initiatives

5. WHAT
I S A N
U R BA N
G R E E N
S PA C E ?

6. WHAT
I S A N
U R BA N
G R E E N
S PA C E ?
M a n y p e o p l e t h i n k a n
u r b a n g r e e n s p a c e i s . . .
“Many people think an urban
green space is a public space for
hanging out, with fresh produce
and community-building (gardens,
etc) that helps the environment
thrive and continue to grow.”
“A relaxing, beautiful environment
that balances the city.”
(Responses from survey)

7. WHAT
I S A N
U R BA N
G R E E N
S PA C E ?
A c a d e m i c s b e l i e v e a n u r b a n
g r e e n s p a c e i s …
1. Public green spaces with
unlimited access: parks, gardens,
squares, planted strips;
2. Public green spaces with
specialized use, such as botanical
and zoological gardens, those
related with public facilities, and
bases or sports parks for
practicing performance sports
3. Green spaces for recreation
4. Green spaces to protect lakes
and rivers ways
5. Protection passages for the
technical infrastructure
6. Recreational forests.
(Cicea & Pîrlogea, 2011, pg. 83-92)

8. WHAT
I S A N
U R BA N
G R E E N
S PA C E ?
We t h i n k a n u r b a n g r e e n
s p a c e i s . . .
A space with grass, trees, or
plants where people can sit
down and relax as well as
engage with others.
As well, the additional space
to walk a dog, bicycle, or have
access to recycling.

9. P R O J E C T R AT I O N A L E
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T:
Urban greenspaces create a sustainable
environment that betters community
health and social engagement

10. P R O J E C T R AT I O N A L E
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T:
Urban greenspaces create a sustainable
environment that betters community
health and social engagement
O U R M A N DAT E :
Market urban green spaces in the City of
Vancouver to a demographic public of all
ages by:
1. Using various mediums of media to
advocate and raise awareness of this issue
2. Reaching out to the public that values
green spaces and form a discourse around
why taking action is important to the city

11. P R O J E C T R AT I O N A L E
M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T:
Urban greenspaces create a sustainable
environment that betters community
health and social engagement
O U R M A N DAT E :
Market urban green spaces in the City of
Vancouver to a demographic public of all
ages by:
1. Using various mediums of media to
advocate and raise awareness of this issue
2. Reaching out to the public that values
green spaces and form a discourse around
why taking action is important to the city
S TA K E H O L D E R S :
City of Vancouver
People who live in the city,
Neighbourhood groups,
Students
Non-profits that can help our cause
People and/or groups that advocate the
increase of outdoor community spaces

12. W H Y I S I T
I M P O RTA N T ?

13. WHAT T H E C I T Y S AY S
We want to live in a city that is
vibrant, affordable, and sustainable.
We value the beauty of our
natural setting, and rely on the
prosperity that has been created
from our abundant natural
resources.
We want an environment that is
healthy, and jobs that are
rewarding and secure.
But, while we live in what is widely
recognized as the most liveable
city in the world, our
environmental footprint is
currently three times larger than
the earth can sustain.
(City of Vancouver, 2014)

14. WHAT T H E C I T Y S AY S O N
A C C E S S T O N AT U R E
The city cares about an access to
nature
- Green spaces benefit physical
and emotional health, by helping
reduce blood pressure,
cholesterol, and stress.
- They also contribute to our
sense of community, by creating
places for recreation activities, for
children to play, and for
neighbours to meet and socialize.
(City of Vancouver, 2014)

15. W H Y W E C H O S E T H I S I S S U E
Vancouver is a lonely grey city.
We want to increase public
engagement and have spaces
where people can socialize and
spend time in.
This is a topic that is an
important issue but we always
find is overlooked.

16. O U R G O A L S F O R T H E P R O J E C T
Edelman (2010) mentions that we must identify needs AND THEN we
consider tools (and technologies)
Rather than make the media content first we should start by identifying
what our needs are as a society and then find out what tools we need to
promote those agendas.
Understand what the community wants from urban green spaces so we
can best represent the vast majority of the City of Vancouver
Be able to research, survey, interview, and gain a thorough understanding of
what the key importance is of green spaces in order to best promote
them to the public.

17. O U R G O A L S , I N S P I R E D B Y
KOT L E R & Z A LT M A N
Marketing is an exchange which involves
analysis and planning to bring about
change through exchanging things.
In order to successfully
influence people, you need:
1. Design
2. Implementation
3. Control of programs

18. O U R G O A L S , I N S P I R E D B Y
N I S B E T
- Creating and enforcing policies is not
enough you also need public engagement.
- Reframing the issue is key. It is important to
communicate its relevance
- Frames: “words and nonverbal
interactions [that are] helping individuals
negotiate meaning through the lens of existing
cultural beliefs and worldviews” (Goffman,
1974, as cited in Nisbet, 2009, p.16)
- “Frames are interpretative story lines
that set a specific train of thought in motion,
communicating why an issue might be a
problem” (Nisbet, 2009, p.15)
- Know what the audience’s needs and
interests are.

19. O U R G O A L S , I N S P I R E D B Y
E D E L M A N
1)Identifying needs AND THEN we consider
tools (and technologies).
2)Public engagement
Asks the question: Who builds a brand? The
brand is built from the ground up (the
audiences) and the ground down (the
leadership) at the same time
3)The tradition model focuses on reach and
frequency
- Reach is about being able to identify who your
audience is in different places, times and spaces.
- Frequency is how many times we have to
translate our message to keep our reach active
4) Enlightened approach: stresses that activity is
the medium

20. O U R G O A L S , I N S P I R E D B Y
WA L L A C K
Traditional focus: To get the information
to the public. In which case, it is better
to focus on policy change.
Steps to take in order to achieve focus
on policy:
1) Establish a policy
2) Identify targets
3) Frame the issues
4) Create an advocacy plan to deliver
the message
5) Evaluation

21. F O R T H E C L A S S
O B J
E C T
I V E S
O B J
E C T
I V E S
Learn to create a platform
for engagement
Personal Goals:
- Interview and survey
skills
- Research skills
- Improving the
knowledge of the
greenest city goals
- Creative thinking

22. F O R T H E WO R L D
- Increase urban green spaces
through engaging people
into the project
- Increase awareness of
the issue in a meaningful way
- Find out what the concerns are in
relation to the lack of green spaces
- Are there any concerns with the
increase of green spaces in the city?
O B J
E C T
I V E S
O B J
E C T
I V E S

23. TA R G E T
A U D I E N C E
Pe o p l e l i v i n g d o w n t o w n :
Students
Seniors
Families
Workers

24. WORKING POLICIES
We are interested in the city’s policies
and activities.
Two of the Greenest City Action Plan
initiatives we have examined are:
1. All Vancouver residents live within a
five-minute walk of a park, greenway, or
other green space by 2020
2. Plant 150,000 new trees by 2020

25. O U T C O M E S

26. D I S C O U R S E
Discourse is a set of sentences or
utterances (written, spoken, or in
combination with other modes of
communication). Language about a topic in
a situation in which an addresser and an
addressee are acting (Renkema, 2009, p. 9).
Thus discourse is a conversation and
communication between two people.
This will be done through:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Workshops

27. M I N I
C A M PA I G N

28. M I N I C A M PA I G N

29. M I N I C A M PA I G N

30. M I N I C A M PA I G N

31. M I N I C A M PA I G N

32. S T R U G G L E S
P E R S O N A L S T R U G G L E S
- Difficulty organizing our thoughts
into a presentation
- Meeting times and scheduling
- Delayed interviews due to weather
F U T U R E C O N C E R N S
- Lack of elaborate responses
to the survey
D E V E L O P M E N T I S S U E S
- Maintenance towards the
green spaces:
- Who will be responsible for
taking care of them?

33. R E S E A R C H

34. T H E C I T Y ’ S P R E S E N T A C T I V I T I E S
E N G A G I N G T H E N E I G H B O U R H O O D : C I T Y P R O J E C T S
To start the process for a neighbourhood greenway in your
community:
- Explore other neighbourhood greenways to get inspired
and help develop your idea
- Build interest and support for the project within your local
community
- Develop preliminary design ideas. This may include a sketch,
or a list of ideas and activities and is submitted to the City
for review
E N G A G I N G T H E S T U D E N T S : S T U D E N T P R O J E C T S
1. Parks in Streets:
The Parks in Street group explored the possibilities of
creating temporary park spaces to help community members
envision possibilities and catalyse interest and enthusiasm for
transforming city spaces.
2. Reimagine Your Park
Asking the people how they would like to re-define
community spaces
3. Responsibilitree:
Tree building
CityStudio Vancouver is an
innovation hub inside City
Hall where staff, university
students and community
members design and execute
projects on the ground
(City of Vancouver , 2013)
(City Studio Vancouver, 2013)

35. M E D I A R E S E A R C H

36. WHAT D O T H E
P E O P L E WA N T ?
R E S U LT S
I M P O RTA N T FA C T O R S O F
H AV I N G M O R E G R E E N S PA C E S
F O U N D I T
I M P O RTA N T T O B E
C L O S E T O N AT U R E 81%
R E S P O N D E D T H E R E
WA S N O T E N O U G H
G R E E N S PA C E
52%
PARKS
W E R E T H E M O S T P O P U L A R
C H O I C E O F G R E E N S PA C E
F I N D T H E I N C R E A S E
O F G R E E N S PA C E S
A F F E C T S T H E M 80%
S AY T H E Y A R E W I L L I N G
T O S U P P O RT A P R O G R A M
T O I N C R E A S E G R E E N S PA C E S 72%
P U B L I C H E A LT H 3 4 %
3 2 %
E N V I R O N M E N TA L
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
W E L L - B E I N G
O F T H E C I T Y
2 0 %
A I R Q U A L I T Y
9 %
A L L O F
T H E A B OV E
5 %
A G E D 2 0 - 2 9
F R O M B U R N A B Y
O R VA N C O U V E R
M O S T LY
S T U D E N T S
B U T A R E N O T A C T I V E LY W I L L I N G
T O PA RT I C I PAT E I N T H I S P R O G R A M ( )

37. D O Y O U WA N T M O R E G R E E N S PA C E S I N T H E C I T Y ?
3 1
Y E S
7 Y E S
N O
1
&NO
6
N / A
A m a j o r i t y w a n t e d t h e m , s o m e o f t h e i r r e s p o n s e s w e r e :
Parks, flowers, trees, greenery, are what make Vancouver so beautiful and unique. we need
more of them to keep our air healthy and the people who use these green spaces in the
city. I feel like many people are moving outside of the city to be closer to green spaces and
I’m in search for more of them in general, which is said. It should be available here
Even though they think vancouver has
enough green spaces they still want to see
more because it doesn’t hurt to have more
Vancouver is on its way, but we need current
spaces revitalized for optimal use (maintained
fields to play in, volleyball courts, playgrounds
etc.) and we need more of them!
(Those who said no say either “we already have enough” or “that it doesn’t concern them specifically”)

38. WHAT A R E T H E B E N E F I T S O F H AV I N G M O R E G R E E N S PA C E S ?
Have a place to escape to, within the city.
Beautification of urban spaces, cleaner air, less water run-off, helps
to preserve biodiversity of plants and animals, encourages
outdoor recreation activities/healthier lifestyles, and reminds
people of the vital link between humans and nature
Social areas, leisure, sports, balance
between urban and nature
A relaxing, beautiful environment that balances the city. Having
enough green, and making it a commitment in urban spaces sends a
message that citizens care about the environment, and that
environmental initiatives are not only valuable, but achievable.
OT H E R B E N E F I T S P E O P L E M E N T I O N E D :
F R E S H A I R
M E N TA L & P H Y S I C A L
W E L L - B E I N G
C O M M U N I T Y
B U I L D I N G
C O N N E C T I O N
T O N AT U R E
A E S T H E T I C
B E N E F I T S
R E C R E AT I O N A L
A C T I V I T I E S

39. O U R P L A N
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
O C T 2 3 - 2 9
Interview people downtown
O C T 3 0 - N O V 2
Process survey data & data results
N OV 3 - 8
Workshops
N OV 8 - 1 1
Determine policies. What are people’s concerns?
N OV 1 1 - 1 5
Idea for campaign (Video / Poster ideas?)
N OV 1 6 - 2 5
Make video OR design campaign
N OV 2 6
Final Presentation
N OV 2 6 - D E C 3
Create final write-up

40. M E A S U R I N G
S U C C E S S
A f e w w a y s w e c o n s i d e r e d
t o m e a s u r e o u r s u c c e s s :
- Social media attention
- Were able to attain 50
responses to our surveys
- 25 people attending our
workshop
- Positive responses from the
class to our presentations

41. # G R E E N T H E G R E Y

42. R E F E R E N C E S WEB
City of Vancouver . (2014). Access to nature. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from City of Vancouver:
http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/access-to-nature.aspx
City of Vancouver . (2014). Greenest City 2020: A Bright Green Future. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from City of Vancouver :
http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/a-bright-green-future.aspx
City of Vancouver . (2013, April 9). Greenways: Making Vancouver a more walkable, bikeable city. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from City of
Vancouver:http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/greenways-for-walking-and-cycling.aspx
City Studio Vancouver . (2013). Reimagine Your Park. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from City Studio:
http://citystudiovancouver.com/projects/reimagine-your-park/
City Studio Vancouver. (2013). Parks In Streets. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from City Studio:
http://citystudiovancouver.com/projects/parks-in-streets/
City Studio Vancouver. (2013). Responsibilitrees. Retrieved October 21, 2014, from City Studio:
http://citystudiovancouver.com/projects/150000-trees/
I M A G E S
slide4: http://cdn.35milliondirectors.com/sites/default/files/vancouver%20from%20seaplane-MOV_ProRes%20(HQ).jpg
R E A D I N G S
Edelman, Richard (2010) The Digital Reset: Communication in an Era of Engagement. Report: New Media Academic Summit, New York.
http://www.newmediaacademicsummit.com/documents/NMAS_whitepaper_2010.pdf
Kotler, Philip and Gerald Zaltman (1971) Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change” Journal of Marketing, Vol 35, pp. 3-12.
Nisbet, Matthew C. (2009) “Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement,” Environment, Vol. 51, Number 2, 14-23.
Wallack, Lawrence et al. (1993) “The Advocacy Connection,” “The Media Connection,” in Media Advocacy and Public Health: Power for Prevention.
Newbury Park, CA.
Cicea, C. & Pîrlogea, C. (2011). Green spaces and public health in urban areas. Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, 6(1),
83-92.
Renkema, J. (2009). Texture of Discourse : Towards An Outline of Connectivity Theory. Amsterdam, NLD: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
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