Equity, decolonization, and the urban forest: Exploring Indigenous-led urban forest planning practices in the Capital Regional District
| dc.contributor.author | Stoltz, Sydney | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Wiebe, Sarah Marie | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-01-05T22:33:06Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-01-05T22:33:06Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.degree.department | School of Public Administration | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Public Administration MPA | |
| dc.description.abstract | Equitable access to urban green spaces is vital for citizen health, climate change mitigation, and reconciliation. However, the urban forest planning processes in British Columbia’s Capital Regional District (CRD) currently do not adequately support Indigenous inclusion, knowledge, and self-determination. This deficiency in planning impedes efforts to achieve urban forest equity, decolonization, and reconciliation. Addressing this issue is essential to ensuring that urban forest management is inclusive, equitable, and respectful of Indigenous perspectives. This Master’s thesis examines potential barriers, best practices, and approaches to collaborative urban forest policy within the CRD in order to advance greenspace equity, decolonization, and reconciliation for all residents. Promoting collaborative urban forest planning policy is supported under B.C.'s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan, which outlines a framework for the province and municipalities to fulfill the goals of the United Nations Declaration. While the CRD facilitates regional decision-making and positive relationships with local Indigenous communities, it currently lacks specific policies for Indigenous participation in greenspace policy and planning. Using interpretive policy analysis, thematic analysis, and a critical policy lens, this thesis reviews findings from jurisdictional scans, a literature review, and eight interpretative interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members to determine potential pathways towards collaborative urban forest planning. The collective findings suggest that there are several approaches that the CRD (or the municipalities within the region) could adopt in order to increase Indigenous inclusion in local urban forest planning. Participants emphasized the need for shared priorities, engaging early and often, relationship-building, and clear communication. Key barriers included considerations around working within ongoing colonial systems, such as honoring Indigenous cultures and traditions in ways that are non-extractive or appropriative, ensuring continuity in work and relationship-building, and working within potential funding constraints. Preferred approaches emphasized proper engagement (such as through establishing protocols in the early stages), ensuring that all voices and concerns are heard equally, and an emphasis in bringing knowledge together in a relational way rather than an extractive one. Through analysing these findings, this thesis presents several short, medium, and long-term recommendations to increase education and capacity-building within government, continue to build relationships with local First Nations, and create ongoing spaces for co-governance in urban forest planning at the regional level in order to foster improved collaboration and equity. This thesis advances local regional efforts towards reconciliation, sustainability, and environmental equity by identifying existing barriers and proposing potential ways forward through collaboration built on trust and partnership. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/23046 | |
| dc.language | English | eng |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.subject | Urban forest | |
| dc.subject | Local government | |
| dc.subject | Urban forest planning | |
| dc.subject | Indigenous-led governance | |
| dc.subject | Co-governance | |
| dc.subject | Collaborative governance | |
| dc.subject | Indigenous self-determination | |
| dc.subject | Greenspace planning | |
| dc.subject | Decolonization | |
| dc.subject | Equity | |
| dc.title | Equity, decolonization, and the urban forest: Exploring Indigenous-led urban forest planning practices in the Capital Regional District | |
| dc.type | Thesis |