Community Planning

Community planning is a process for local government to engage their citizens and others in order to establish a vision, goals and policies for achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability. Community planning can be undertaken using the approaches outlined in the Local Government Act or by using a variety of non-legislative planning methods. They can be directed at the community as a whole, specific neighbourhoods and individual properties. They can also be directed at particular sectors such as economic development, social development, housing, parks, or environmental management.
 

One of the key documents which help to plan a community and to guide decisions of elected officials and local government staff is the Official Community Plan (OCP). The OCP is a planning document which describes the vision for the community for a five-year period or more. The OCP must be developed in consultation with the people, organizations and authorities which will be affected by the plan. It usually identifies areas that can be used for commercial, residential, agricultural and industrial uses as well as schools, roads, sensitive environmental areas, parks, infrastructure such as water and sewer and other services. In addition, the OCP can include social planning policies relating to the social needs, well-being and development of the community.
 

In addition to creating OCP’s, local governments can undertake community planning by adopting land use regulation bylaws in relation to such things as zoning, subdivision, signs, landscaping, parking and drainage. On a broader scale, regional planning can be undertaken to address strategic or regional issues which cross municipal and regional district boundaries. The formal tool which can be used for this purpose is the regional growth strategy although there are other regional planning tools available as well such as inter-jurisdictional agreements.
 

Residents and other interested parties play an important role in deciding how their community will develop by making their views know to the local government. The development of plans and bylaws usually provides opportunities for public consultation through public hearings or other means. In addition, local governments can receive recommendations from residents and others about land use planning issues by creating an Advisory Planning Commission.