Neighbourhood Planning Guide

A new kind of partnership is developing between communities and government, built on co-operation and recognition of the creative ideas and skills that neighbourhoods themselves have to offer. This guide is meant to help neighbourhoods assess their strengths, identify their vision of a vibrant community, and come up with an action plan to achieve their neighbourhood goals.

The City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba, and the Government of Canada are encouraging neighbourhoods and communities to develop a planned approach to improvements.

• The City of Winnipeg Housing Policy requires that targeted neighbourhoods develop a neighbourhood housing plan for endorsement by their Community Committee.
• Manitoba’s Neighbourhoods Alive! Initiative encourages the development of a comprehensive neighbourhood plan that includes physical, economic and social goals.
• Funding decisions under the Government of Canada’s Supporting Community Partnerships Initiative are guided by A Community Plan for the Homeless in Winnipeg.

This guide has been developed to assist neighbourhoods and communities to organize, plan effectively and get some of the resources they may need to improve their neighbourhoods.

There is no “right” way to develop a neighbourhood or community plan. Each neighbourhood will need to adopt its own planning process to suit its unique situation.

Every good planning process, however, has certain “basics” in common. These include:

• Representation of key neighbourhood stakeholders
• Consensus Building towards decision making
• Open Communication with the neighbourhood

This guide includes suggestions on how to get started with your plan, steps to consider as you proceed, and where to find additional resources. The “Resources in Print” section (Appendix 7) is a bibliography of resources grouped under topics you may wish to explore further. Internet sites and a listing of contacts that might help you along the way are also provided in the appendices. This guide provides some examples and ideas that may help you, but keep in mind that your local library, university libraries and the Internet can also be great sources of reference material.

1.1 What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

A neighbourhood plan is a written document that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of a defined area. It also provides practical actions that will result in an improved neighbourhood. A neighbourhood plan does three essential things. It provides a VISION of what you would like your neighbourhood to look like, sets out clear GOALS to achieve that vision, and gives you an ACTION PLAN to reach those goals.

1.2 Who Do You Involve?

Developing a neighbourhood plan helps concerned residents, businesses, property owners and community organizations (the neighbourhood stakeholders) work together to identify important short and long-term goals. Representation from a broad range of local stakeholders will help strengthen your base of neighbourhood support and make implementation of your action plan easier.

1.3 Who Benefits from a Neighbourhood Plan?

• Everyone who lives, works and plays in the neighbourhood benefits from a neighbourhood plan.
• A well-developed plan also benefits the larger community and the city as a whole.
• A plan will help government departments and other organizations better understand the priorities of your neighbourhood so that they can serve you better.

What are the benefits of a neighbourhood planning process?

• It brings residents, businesses, and community organizations together to share ideas and work together on issues that are important to everyone;
• It improves communication and focuses ideas;
• It helps a neighbourhood identify its strengths and evaluate its own resources;
• It helps to build consensus about what needs to be accomplished;
• It encourages creativity and builds partnerships both within and outside the neighbourhood; and,
• It enables others to become more informed and responsive, and can direct the policy and financial decisions of local government.

Figure 1 highlights typical steps that a neighbourhood could follow in developing a neighbourhood plan. As shown, once a neighbourhood planning team is established, it takes stock of what is in the community and the strengths and weaknesses of the area. Through open communication with local residents and business owners, the team develops an idea (or vision) of what the community would like the neighbourhood to be within a given time frame (perhaps two or five years). To achieve that vision, the plan will include actions to reach those goals and objectives. To monitor progress, these actions and accomplishments need to be reviewed from time to time (e.g. annually), to measure and celebrate the successes of the plan. If necessary, changes can be made to better suit the current situation.

The pdf version of this document will expand on each of these steps.*

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