The city of Winnipeg, the capital and largest in the Canadian province of Manitoba, has adopted a 25-year “master plan” that aims to guide growth, development and change in the city.
The plan was actually required; a Charter Act in 2002 asked the city to adopt a long-term development plan focused on sustainability.
The blueprint, known as “OurWinnepeg,” aims to guide the growth of the physical, social, environmental, and economic development of the city; specifically it addresses four areas:
- Complete Communities—This is a practical “playbook” that guides land use and development for Winnipeg. Its primary focus will be describing the city’s physical characteristics, and outlining a framework for the city’s future growth and development.
- Sustainable Transportation—This aims to provide a vision for transportation for the city, emphasizing moving people, goods, and services in a way that is sustainable.
- Sustainable Water and Waste Infrastructure—This strategy will promote actions required to protect public health and safety, and ensure the “purity and reliability” of the water supply.
- A Sustainable Winnipeg—An integrated community strategy that outlines a plan of action, and proposes a system of sustainability indicators and measures.
The plan will address key questions addressed by stakeholders, such as, “How are we going to accommodate growth and change?” and “How do we capitalize on that growth?”
To execute on the vision, the city will develop “Action Plans” that are more than simple “to-do” lists; they will including communications and outreach, and will draw from measurement and continuous improvement loops.
To start that process, the city has also developed an award-winning interactive tool called “SpeakUpWinnipeg,” which engages more than 40,000 citizens and stakeholders through blogs, off-line discussions, videos, tools, and more.
Extensive details and resources are available below:
- OurWinnipeg At a Glance
- OurWinnipeg Plan (100 pages)
- Complete Communities Plan
- Sustainable Transportation Plan
- Sustainable Water & Waste Plan
- Sustainable Winnipeg Plan
- OurWinnipeg.com
- SpeakUpWinnipeg.com, the city’s interactive Web site supporting OurWinnipeg