Lifestyle
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
SNTF – Unprioritized Recommendations
Vision Statement
Our London is a City of neighbourhoods.
Our London neighbourhoods will be empowered, sustainable, safe and active communities. We will care for and celebrate each other while encouraging diversity and inclusiveness.
Our neighbourhoods will be environmentally and socially responsible and will have available green space, vibrant local economies and accessible amenities of daily life.
|
This document consists of the elements of strong neighbourhoods, a definition for each, strategies for ensuring that neighbourhoods have those necessary elements, and action steps for implementing those strategies.
Note that the recommendations in this document are unprioritized. That’s what our November 2009 meeting was about, and the list of prioritized recommendations will be available before much longer.
| PEOPLE – ENGAGED |
| Neighbourhoods have people that are connected, care about their neighbourhoods, are socially conscious, celebrate and support each other, overall feeling of “neighbourliness”. |
- Support existing, and development of new, community/neighbourhood associations.
- Investigate potential to develop a Neighbourhood Network (social media for neighbourhoods). A web portal (virtual network) where all groups can find and post information and interact with each other (contact lists of people, resources, ongoing events, place to share success stories, FAQs).
- City of London to provide more ongoing support of neighbourhoods. This would involve developing an inventory of available (possibly free) space to hold meetings/events, expertise and assistance with meetings and presence at meetings (Councillors, Community Services, Planning, EESD etc.)
- Create a broad agenda for Community/Neighbourhood Association sustainability
- Establish guidelines/instructions on how to start a community or neighbourhood association.
- Investigate funding mechanisms for Community Associations – start-up funding, support of insurance costs to hold events etc.
- Establish a mentorship/leadership development program to provide support for new and existing associations
- Centralize infrastructure required by all Community Associations
- Subsidy access for neighbourhood association programs
- Creation of an Idea Bank that collects and shares “neighbourhood stories, successes, events” etc that are happening all over the city
- Develop Neighbourhood Action Planning Process and Neighbourhood Action Plans.
- Investigate best practices and develop a standard process for developing neighbourhood action plans that can be applied to all neighbourhoods. Community to develop plan building on strengths and addressing challenges in each neighbourhood.
- Investigate opportunities to implement Community Improvement Plans
- Develop guidelines and a tool kit for developing community-led Neighbourhood Action Plans which defines the roles of the City and community/residents, funding opportunities etc. to build on elements of a strong neighbourhood as defined by the LSNS Resident Task Force
- All neighbourhoods develop a Neighbourhood Action Plan
- Develop a Neighbourhood Resource Centre/Neighbourhood Hub model for London.
- Investigate best practices for Neighbourhood Resource Centres/Neighbourhood Hubs (management, mentoring program, funding, locations/distribution, shared services) linking to the Child and Youth Agenda hub implementation initiative
- Develop and implement a London Neighbourhood Resource Centre/Neighbourhood Hub model and link to the Child and Youth Agenda hub implementation initiative
- Promote Neighbourhood Resource Centres/Neighbourhood Hubs
- Engage residents with local Neighbourhood/Community Associations
- Develop Neighbourhood After 5:00 pm Networking Events (similar to Chamber of Commerce) involving residents, local businesses, community leaders, etc
- Promote fun social events in neighbourhoods (streets/blocks/gathering places) and common themes among all neighbourhoods (city-wide neighbourhood block party)
|
| PEOPLE – CONNECTED |
| Neighbourhoods have people that are engaged community leaders changing neighbourhoods in positive ways, committed, resilient, dynamic, focused on continuous change. |
- Encourage and promote neighbourhood celebrations or events
- Implement small-scale, face-to-face meetings with your neighbours
- Yearly get to know your neighbour day or Neighbourhood Street Party Day (remove barriers to make this easier – permits, insurance costs etc.). All neighbourhoods are unique, thus strategies may be different depending on the neighbourhood.
- Have city staff “shepherd” neighbourhoods who may need assistance coordinating events, etc
- Investigate funding and support mechanism for neighbourhood groups to hold events – street parties etc
- Neighbourhood Showcase Competitions in partnership with City of London and Neighbourhood teams (Community Associations, churches, businesses, schools)
- Develop a Neighbourhood Matching Fund program for community projects
- Investigate best practices, to develop a funding strategy and support mechanism for neighbourhood groups to hold events (street parties etc). This strategy would be developed by a Fund Committee of residents/stakeholders (sweat equity counts, fund raising, include local businesses, BIAs).
- Investigate opportunities for corporate sponsorship
- Implement the Neighbourhood Matching Fund program developed by the Fund Committee
- Yearly reporting and evaluation of Neighbourhood Matching Fund program
- Develop a model to guide management, sustainability, expansion and resourcing of community gardens
- Conduct a detailed review of the existing community garden program identifying strengths and weaknesses and providing recommendations for improvement
- Establish a steering committee of all relevant partners to guide the development of the community garden model for London
- Investigate best practices for managing, sustaining, expanding and resourcing of community gardens
- Define priority areas with need/demand based on best practices investigation
- Identify potential spaces/sites for community gardens including unique spaces (rooftops, brownfield sites, private property, other community property, space in new subdivisions, abandoned lots etc.)
- Build a network of community garden “leaders” representing each garden in order to share information, learnings, tips, etc at the city-wide level
- Promote community gardens and knowledge about the program
- Approach media to do positive stories on the benefits of community gardening and the presence community gardens in London (build on uniqueness of each garden)
- Develop a community garden recipe book
- Encourage gardeners to donate food to food bank from community gardens and/or local meal programs
|
| PEOPLE – ACTIVE |
| Neighbourhoods have people that are active and participate in their community. |
- Increase political engagement and voter turnout
- Determine who doesn’t vote and why, in municipal elections (literature review, survey, voter turnout by neighbourhood)
- Investigate best practices around increasing voter turnout (i.e. alternative vote casting methods – mail-in voting, electronic voting) and opportunities to increase accessibility of polling stations (location, language, access for visually impaired, hours of operation, location of advance polls). For example, increase number of opportunities for residents to cast their vote in shopping malls/shopping centres, large apartment complexes, workplaces, etc
- Campaign around benefits of voting in municipal elections
- Promote voting with employers in London
- Engage youth in political processes
- Introduce a “Youth Day” at City Hall where youth are invited to meet politicians and civic administration
- Engage schools to be more involved in the political process. For example include the municipal political process as part of the curriculum (mock elections) in local elementary and/or high schools (does not need to be part of a Civics class, but can be integrated in a variety of different subjects)
- Invite Councillors to speak to high school classes
- Encourage youth to get out and vote through a variety of different initiatives
- Use existing Youth Councils and leadership groups such as Emerging Leaders to advocate the importance of voting to youth
- Develop a “better” measure of being active in your neighbourhood
- Investigate a better measure for being active in the community (currently only measuring limited participation rates in a limited number of activities). Need to develop a process or system that evaluates and measures individual and family participation rates in a wide range of activities.
|
| PEOPLE – PRIDE |
| Neighbourhoods have people that have pride, respect and care about where they live. |
- Provide opportunities in neighbourhoods for murals, public art, free art, etc
- Develop a competition for public art (ex. carved benches or painted benches) that challenges neighbourhoods to demonstrate their pride through art
- Continue to support investment in community programs for at risk youth – painting of murals etc that support programs and initiatives that engage youth in activities that build pride and respect for where they live
- Celebrate gateways to the City and neighbourhoods
- Develop creative and unique gateways for London’s neighbourhoods that create a more caring and inviting atmosphere in our city (for example: gardens, signage, public art)
- Provide opportunities for neighbourhood specific signage similar to that in heritage districts
- City to develop a process that allows neighbourhoods to celebrate where they live by making signage simpler to access and less costly to implement
- TARGETED: New neighbourhood signage/identity should be implemented when a neighbourhood is created so there is a sense of pride created as soon as someone moves into the neighbourhood
- Improve and expand upon local Clean and Green initiatives in neighbourhoods
- Provide more opportunities to involve high school students requiring volunteer hours to participate in local Clean and Green initiatives
- Continue to build upon the media awareness of Clean and Green initiatives in our community
- Develop a system that allows tracking of who participates at a neighbourhood level (for example, collecting postal codes of individuals involved)
- Extend Clean and Green throughout the year
- TARGETED: Target 9 neighbourhoods yearly that do not currently have Clean and Green initiatives happening
- TARGETED: Engage university students to lead and/or participate in Clean and Green initiatives in their neighbourhoods
- TARGETED: Increase number of garbage cans and recycling receptacles available on streets
- Promote naturalization projects to inspire pride in local neighbourhoods
- Ensure city by-laws don’t hinder people from naturalizing their neighbourhoods and lawns
- The City of London will support and promote naturalization projects in local neighbourhoods
- Create and develop more “adopt-a” programs
- Develop and implement creative “adopt-a” programs in neighbourhoods and throughout the city such as Tree quest, adopt-a-boulevard, adopt-a-corner, adopt-a-power box, adopt-a-fire hydrant
- Encourage residents to care for boulevards and trees during dry spells
- Promotion of “little gems” in London’s neighbourhoods
- (Need to discuss possible action s)
|
| PEOPLE – EMPOWERED |
| Neighbourhoods have people that are empowered, engaged; know how to effect change, supported by City government. |
- Better connection between voters and elected officials
- Investigate how Councillors can better connect on a regular basis with the community including traditional and social media opportunities such as web sites, Facebook, neighbourhood newspapers, etc. Also include opportunities for face-to-face contact at public events, meetings, town halls etc. Councillors can address current issues, how they feel about specific issues and be more responsive to community issues etc.
- Provide tools and specialized resources (dependent on target populations) to educate public who are not currently connected with their elected officials
- Investigate the possibility of Councillors holding bi-annual community gatherings (such as town hall/community meetings) in an effort to develop a more personal relationship between city officials and residents resulting in better communication – City Hall being more responsive to community issues before they become issues.
- Increase the opportunities for Councillors to attend neighbourhood events. The community needs to take the lead and ensure Councillors are invited in a timely manner. Community leaders from each Ward help promote meetings to fellow constituents and city staff help facilitate if needed.
- Have Councillors’ votes publically available and make it easy to find on the city’s web site (need way to categorize votes by topic, issue etc.)
- Develop a “people assets inventory” database that highlights community leaders from neighbourhoods and communities of interest (cultural groups, faith based, youth, etc)
- Identify and develop a web database of community leaders and champions in neighbourhoods and communities of interest that could assist Councillors and City government in engaging all residents and strengthening neighbourhoods
|
| PLACES – SAFE |
| Neighbourhoods are places where it is safe to live work and play, neighbourhoods are clean and cared for. |
- Increase participation in, and activity of, Neighbourhood Watch and Block Parent programs
- Identify and address the following: barriers to participation, increase involvement of multi-family dwellings (townhouses and apartment buildings) and commitment of Neighbourhood Watch block captains
- Communities look for ways to promote Neighbourhood Watch and Block Parent (ex. Displays at neighbourhood events)
- Investigate linkages for common program goals and outcomes between Neighbourhood Watch and Block Parent
- TARGETED: Increase recruitment and membership in targeted neighbourhoods with lower participation rates
- Reporting of crime statistics by neighbourhood
- Explore the potential of developing a neighbourhood safety index
- Develop a Pedestrian/Cyclist Safety Strategy
- Establish a resident led group to provide leadership to develop a Pedestrian/Cyclist Safety Strategy in an effort to improve safety of cyclists and pedestrians on London streets
- Identify issues through Neighbourhood Traffic Studies including qualitative and quantitative profiles of traffic (locations of incidents, topography, speed, connections)
- Investigate best practices to slow traffic through neighbourhoods (widening arterials, enforcement, school zones enforced, narrowing of streets in neighbourhoods, police cars parked around city instead of all centrally located)
- Research awards related to transportation plans to provide an incentive to better coordinate plans
- Examine best practices for crosswalk use for persons with disabilities (visually impaired, reduced mobility)
- Ensure construction standards are implemented and adhered to in order to maintain safety and pedestrian use in and around construction zones
- Evaluate and ensure City of London operated snow removal doesn’t impede pedestrian crossings
- Continue to take advantages of opportunities to educate motorists and cyclists about rules of the road
- Develop recommendations to refer to Transportation Master Plan process
- TARGETED: Target neighbourhoods identified in the Neighbourhood Traffic Studies for improvement
- Improve safety and walkability around schools
- Develop partnership with local school boards, transportation companies and police to investigate creative initiatives to increase safety around schools
- Determine the need and target necessary schools to increase number of crossing guards and/or school student patrols
- Work with the City of London and the police to create school zones where speed is reduced and enforce it
- Develop a strategy to engage schools and communities to encourage more children to walk to school (walking school bus)
- TARGETED: Identify neighbourhood schools to pilot initiatives developed above
- TARGETED: Examine and extend no parking zones in school areas and/or opportunities for “kiss and ride” and or “pull-offs”
- Improve safety in the downtown
- TARGETED: Increase consistency of police presence on the streets after the bars close
- TARGETED: Decentralization of social services in the core (creation of satellite offices)
- TARGETED: Through the Downtown Master Plan process, investigate option of providing vacancy rebates on property taxes in order to discourage landlords from continually keeping storefronts vacant
- TARGETED: Continue to promote the City’s incentive programs for Downtown Revitalization
- Identify and improve lighting in neighbourhoods
- Develop an awareness campaign to encourage people to leave porch lights on (use solar or compact fluorescent lighting) at night to discourage vandalism
- Work with the City of London to determine strategy/resources required to decrease wait times to replace burned out streetlights
- As part of the site-planning process for all new developments, require improved lighting standards
- TARGETED: Identify specific locations in neighbourhoods that are frequented by pedestrians that would benefit from improved lighting
- TARGETED: Investigate the installation of motion sensors to automate lighting in areas frequented by pedestrians
- Increase enforcement of City’s By-Laws
- Work with the City of London to develop a process to ensure that by-laws are transparent, easily accessible and in a format that can be understood by the general public to allow residents to make informed decisions when reporting to by-law enforcement
|
| PLACES – SUSTAINABLE |
| Neighbourhoods are places where there is a sustainable, balanced community with a vibrant local economy, sustainable environment, sustainable planning and design is practiced, heritage buildings are protected, the historic fabric/identity of the neighbourhood is maintained. |
- Increase support of local businesses at the neighbourhood level
- TARGETED: Develop a Walk to Shop Awareness initiative in targeted neighbourhoods in an effort to encourage people to shop locally
- Increase number of Londoners who car pool on a regular basis
- Continue to encourage more carpooling and share-a-ride systems in the city
- Create more park and ride programs in all areas of the city (north, south, east and west) as well as along Hwy 401
- Create specific prime parking spots for car poolers
- Increase the number of sustainable technologies and programs used throughout the city
- City of London to investigate use of sustainable technologies and programs in city facilities and projects
- Build on best practices such as green roof technology, solar panels and geothermal technology for use in London projects (including planning and environmental implications)
- Increase opportunities and encourage biking as a means of transportation
- Increase the number of buses that accommodate bikes on the front
- Continue to include bicycle lanes as part of road reconstruction. More dedicated and separate bike lanes throughout the city
- Investigate best practices and implement a bicycle lending program in key strategic areas in the city
- Develop an awareness campaign about bike paths: Did you know that you can get from here to there?
- Develop a workplace campaign that highlights the need for secure storage of bikes
- Increase opportunities and encourage walking as a means of transportation
- Promote walking school buses in neighbourhoods
- Promote walk-to-work initiatives
- Continue to promote London’s trails and pathways
- Increase awareness of and promote creative initiatives that move neighbourhoods and the city towards a greener environment
- Provide incentives to residents, community/neighbourhood groups and organizations and businesses for doing the “right” thing environmentally. For example: subsidized home composting units, incentives for businesses to increase the number of, and awareness of, preferred parking spots for fuel efficient cars (Smart Cars, hybrids etc.).
- Encourage more “re” development in the City through incentives (instead of building on greenfields look at vacant lots and buildings and brownfield and greyfield opportunities)
- Promote corporate responsibility for things like the environment, active healthy lifestyles, etc
- Promote use of public transit
- Explore idea of trading in an expired bus pass for a pass to a recreation centre
- Subsidized bus passes/tickets for individuals going to specific destinations (ex. food bank)
- Explore opportunities to offer discounted bus passes to large employers such as hospitals, UWO and Fanshawe
- Investigate opportunities to offer reduced fares during non peak hours
- Work with the London Transit Commission to explore the above options and to promote their current initiatives
- Investigate opportunities for businesses to promote or provide bus passes to employees as an alternative method of transportation
|
| PLACES – SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES |
| Neighbourhoods are places where services and activities are available and accessible, able to move across the community (walkable). |
- Develop more informal programs at community centres and other gathering places in neighbourhoods
- Increase availability of free programming in neighbourhood community centres, parks, etc
- Dedicate a percentage of time at community centres for low fee/no fee programs or drop-ins
- Dedicate a percentage of time at community centres for low fee/no fee programs or drop-ins
- Investigate opportunities for volunteers to deliver programs – look at neighbourhood skill inventory
- Work with partners in neighbourhoods to offer programs in non-traditional places such as plazas, malls, places of worship, open spaces etc
- Increase opportunities for drop-in activities (versus registered activities) at community centres, parks, etc
- Increase opportunities for the community to create and/or run new programs so that participants share costs of rental and responsibilities for materials etc
- Build on models such as the Cherryhill Mall seniors programming in other London neighbourhoods
- Increase use of vacant parking lots for activities like basketball, markets, etc.
- Increase awareness of programs and services available in each neighbourhood
- Develop a “Do you know your city?” awareness campaign to promote city-wide and neighbourhood-based services and activities
- Build on the Hamilton Road Community Association model to create neighbourhood specific welcome kits including materials specific to the community (businesses contribute, local service groups, community associations, school contacts, area parks, city information like maps, garbage calendar, who to call, historic information etc.)
- Increase promotion of events, projects, programs and services through all forms of media:
- Create web pages for each neighbourhood on City of London web site
- Create community bulletin boards in local schools, libraries, community centres and mail boxes (any gathering place) where information can be posted
- Local television programming to focus on different neighbourhoods routing through the City for updates, local projects, promote membership of community associations etc.
- Neighbourhood resource publication or pamphlet (or use Waste Diversion calendar) with all the useful phone numbers in individual neighbourhoods
- Use of community newspapers or newsletters to inform and promote services and activities
- Community could develop partnerships with businesses to host community bulletin boards
- Use Living in the City to promote community programs and services
- Increase usability of City of London Spectrum Program Guide
- Work with the City of London to re-vamp the current Spectrum Program Guide, exploring possibility of separating adult and older adult programming with larger print, translating into other languages, categorizing programs by neighbourhood, etc
- Review distribution of Spectrum Program Guide to include availability in community gathering places
- Increase services and activities for youth in neighbourhoods
- Develop a tool kit for youth engagement and leadership development in neighbourhoods
- Work with schools and seniors homes to adopt each other and do activities together which could turn into larger community projects such as a shared Community Garden project
|
| PLACES – CONNECTIVITY |
| Neighbourhoods are places where there is connection within neighbourhoods, to adjacent neighbourhoods and the rest of the city. |
- Develop a Walkability Master Plan
- Ensure new subdivision designs address walkability including access and connectivity within and between neighbourhoods
- Develop a campaign for residents to submit ideas for making neighbourhoods more walkable
- Improve sidewalk access at entrances to amenities (make connectivity for pedestrians as important as connectivity of roadways in site plans)
- Review building codes and ensure residents can build gates in fences to increase walkability
- Enforce rights and responsibilities of pedestrians (education, reduced countdown on crosswalks)
- Improve connectivity between neighbourhoods and to other parts of city
- Improve resident involvement in Transportation Master Plan. Inform task force, and other members of public, about how to get involved, who to contact at City Hall.
- Refer ring-road concept to the Transportation Master Plan process
- Ensure connectivity of all neighbourhoods by trails/pathways
- Ensure more popular trails have separate pedestrian and cycling trails as long as the Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs) are not jeopardized
- Increase connectivity of bus routes
- Partner with the London Transit Commission (LTC) to investigate connectivity of bus routes between neighbourhoods in order to identify and address gaps in service
- Encourage LTC to conduct survey of residents (and/or transit users) about where they see gaps in transit (for example better utilization of public transit for shift workers, possibility of increasing transfer times between stops, exploring a stop program, need for all buses to go downtown)
- Refer rapid rail system with routes around outskirts and inner part of London (connectivity inside the city and outside the city to other municipalities) to the Transportation Master Plan process
- TARGETED: Address gaps identified in survey in Strategy #3 (city-wide action steps)
- TARGETED: Investigate possibility of small community buses to pick up and drop off within neighbourhoods
- TARGETED: Investigate potential of partnerships with local businesses to bring patrons to their establishments
|
| PLACES – PARKS |
| Neighbourhoods are places where parks and open space are available and accessible; available garden space. |
- Increase amount of park space
- Designate temporary parks which could include, for example, parts of parking lots for use as ball hockey areas on Sundays
- Investigate opportunities for “pocket parks” (smaller neighbourhood parks – potentially on empty lots) in new and existing neighbourhoods. In areas where there is a large population of young children some of these could be fenced-in and include benches, play equipment designed for preschoolers and shade.
- TARGETED: In areas lacking park space investigate innovative opportunities to create or share park or play space through partnerships (shared space with school or other landowner) and/or purchase of vacant lots/derelict buildings for new park space
- Improve accessibility, walkability, playability and connectivity of park spaces
- Inventory available park space, identify gaps and assess accessibility of park spaces across the city. Include a public consultation process.
- Information about accessibility of parks should be posted on City of London website
- Increase use of parks not just for children but for teens as well (programming and/or “play equipment that attract youth/teens)
- Create spaces in parks for artists to display and/or sell their work
- Promote parks and Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs)
- Define what ESAs are and the benefits they provide to our community and residents
- Promote parks and ESAs through awareness at local events (Doors Open London) and develop an educational campaign targeting individuals and families to promote parks and ESAs
- Engage schools and environmental groups to use local parks and ESAs as part of the educational experience
- Develop signage listing amenities available in each park (as part of the “entrance” signage)
- Investigate corporate matching initiatives for park amenities (ex. Saturn Playgrounds)
|
| PLACES – AMENITIES |
| Neighbourhoods are places where gathering places such as places of worship, community centres, health care centres, grocery stores, libraries, schools, etc. are available and accessible; identifiable neighbourhood meeting places. |
- Create more informal gathering places within neighbourhoods
- Investigate where the current informal gathering places are within neighbourhoods including mail boxes, coffee shops, informal green space, etc (use in conjunction with the parks inventory in Strategy #2 under Parks)
- Assess the above inventory, identify gaps and develop strategies to increase number of informal gathering places in neighbourhoods (see Parks for strategies to increase park space)
- Increase use of parks and trails and improve opportunities for gathering
- Ensure all parks should have shade (trees and/or pergolas) and benches as a first priority to create informal gathering places for residents
- Areas should be identified in each park and set aside for community garden space, especially those in areas near multi-unit dwellings
- Promote dog parks as gathering places
- Designate specific times in parks when dogs are allowed off-leash
- Pilot informal activities such as chess boards in parks (pocket parks) or community centres
- Develop opportunities for activities like cafés and markets in parks (likely district parks)
- Create more partnership opportunities to build amenities in parks and along trails
- Invite more partnership opportunities to build amenities in parks and along trails. May include criteria developed in a wider partnership framework and a communication plan to let service organizations and other corporate sponsors know that opportunities for partnerships exist in their community.
- Develop criteria and create opportunities for neighbourhoods/communities to come together and fundraise to build amenities in parks and along trails
- Ensure schools are open to the community. Overcome institutional barriers to share facilities
- Work with local school boards to improve access to school spaces and ensure schools are open to the public
- Increase opportunities for more evening programs, events, etc. offered by both the community and the City of London in neighbourhood schools (see Current London Initiatives, page 30: Tecumseh Community School)
- TARGETED: Work with local school boards to identify underutilized schools which could accommodate other services and programming as needed by the community. Create community hubs in underutilized schools
- Develop more informal programs at community centres and other gathering places in the city
- (See Services and Activities: Strategy #1)
- Create, gain access and promote community spaces within neighbourhoods
- Conduct an age-based investigation on use of community centres to identify how to make community centres places for everyone (change the perception that community centres are only for children)
- Develop an inventory of free rental meeting spaces available in neighbourhoods and make it available online (easily accessible)
- Dedicate free space in community centres, libraries etc. for community/neighbourhood groups to hold meetings and programs
- Advocate other levels of government for tax incentives for places of worship, apartment complexes, etc. in exchange for offering free community space (Note: land owned by places of worship or religious organizations are exempt from taxation)
- Examine City of London requirements for insurance, rental fees, permits, etc. to determine if barriers to access can be addressed for community events at centres, in parks, on streets etc
- Work with key stakeholders to develop a strategy to create more informal gathering places within community centres and libraries – more than just place to go to do programming
- Build more small-scale community centres as opposed to large, drive-to centres that don’t serve smaller neighbourhoods
- (See Amenities: Strategy #4)
- Increase use of libraries
- Support London Public Library in their ongoing campaign to increase use of facilities, programs, etc (increase use of libraries by providing a book amnesty day/week, supporting community events and programs in libraries, etc)
- Promote Book mobile by coordinating its service schedule with the garbage pick up calendar
- Encourage partnerships between libraries and surrounding businesses to bring more people into the library
|
| PLACES – RESPONSIVE CITY |
| Neighbourhoods are places where City government is responsive to community needs. |
- Improve public access to City of London services
- Investigate the opportunity for single point of contact for all City of London services including requests, complaints, and follow up
- Explore models and best practices of government staff assuming roles as neighbourhood resource person(s) providing support, co-ordination and connection within and between the neighbourhoods and city services
- Identify central city staff contacts and key point of contact (i.e. web address) for residents who have questions, concerns and/or suggestions regarding city services
- Increase usability of City of London website
- Work with City of London staff to explore opportunities to simplify web navigation and create new web based tools. For example one button – “get connected”, sign up for updates on specific topics (land use planning, older adult programming, community events, youth activities, volunteer opportunities, employment etc.), two-way webcast conferencing, webcasts of Council and Committee meetings.
- Develop Community Portal to post neighbourhood events, programs, etc and/or link to community/neighbourhood website taking into account accessibility issues (age, language, ability, etc). Use the website/portal as a way to continue/initiate conversation/initiatives
- Enhance promotion of the city, identifying neighbourhoods as “selling” tool
- Work with key stakeholders currently involved in promoting the city (i.e. Tourism London) and include in promotional material, the uniqueness and strength of London’s neighbourhoods as a method to “sell” the city
- Generate awareness and support of LSNS Strategy and Implementation Plan
- Develop communications strategy to inform and connect with community stakeholders in order to elicit support, action and commitment of the identified strategies
- Use the City of London website and other community based websites as a tool to connect community stakeholders with current LSNS strategies and initiatives – provide opportunities for engagement and participation
- Create a yearly report card highlighting successes of LSNS strategies
- Better urban design of new subdivisions
- Work with the City of London and key stakeholders to develop strategies early in the planning process in an effort to connect new neighbourhoods to rest of city (i.e., bus routes, major connection roadways, etc.) in order to attain a better balance between needs of developers, City and residents
- Review current planning practices against new attitudes about sustainability and provide input through the next Official Plan review process. For example look at opportunities to increase walkability by returning to the grid system, reducing cul-de-sacs that do not allow for walkability or connectivity in the neighbourhood.
- Provide input into the Official Plan review process that identifies such topics as: mix of businesses and homes instead of large groups of housing and large commercial blocks, multiple land uses in new developments, redefining or creating new planning zones to include commercial and residential within new developments (live-work opportunities)
- TARGETED: Ensure lighting and sidewalks are in place in new developments as soon as residents move in
- Strengthen the current Planning Process
- Investigate the opportunity to hold a Neighbourhood Planning Summit to identify strengths and challenges with the planning process in the City, consider alternative models and create an action plan for change to ensure residents are engaged in and understand the decision making processes. Examples of areas to take into account:
- Consideration of residential base of the neighbourhood when reviewing planning applications in historic neighbourhoods. Look beyond the single property to see the larger need (consideration of neighbourhood character).
- Consider broadening notification procedures
- Plan amenities at known gateways to neighbourhoods
- City staff develop a series of Planning Education workshops to help residents become more aware of and more involved in the planning process. The workshops would be aimed at building and maintaining strong working relationships and understanding between residents, communities and the City of London.
- Generate more opportunities, through planning and zoning, to enable small businesses to enter neighbourhoods (see Sustainable: Strategy #1)
- City to provide resources and teach skills to allow residents to better participate in the planning process
- (See Responsive City: Strategy #7)
- Improve resident engagement
- City of London to build on current Community Engagement processes:
- Talking and listening by both residents and City representatives when change is to occur
- Residents actively participating in public meetings
- Canvassing people who are going to be living with the change
- Notification of plans and projects related to parks, trails and pathways
|
© Fowler Media
I just wondered to what extent London City Council was involved in this, and how we (as citizens) can implement these strategies and actions?
The City created the task force and the task force has been assisted in it’s work by City staff, under the direction of Lynne Livingstone (Director; Community Services / Neighbourhood & Children Services). The recommendations will go to Council via a report/presentation to the Community Safety & Crime Prevention Advisory Committee.
After that, who knows? Too often these things mostly just sit on shelves and get verbally referenced by members of Council on the odd occasion when it helps them to score a point. Witness the way that the Transportation Master Plan has only had lip service paid to it after all of the citizen participation that went into it.
In addition to this task force, I’ve also participated in the Parks and Rec Strategic Master Plan process, and the Downtown Master Plan process, and the ongoing ‘Smart Moves’ Transportation Master Plan review process. In each case, I’ve tried to emphasize the wisdomw of collating all of the recommendations that are coming out of all of these and prioritizing them accordingly. But whether or not City staff will ever present them to Council that way or not, remains to be seen.
The best way for citizens to respond to these recommendations (IMO) is to pick out the ones that you agree with, make your own priority list, and then lobby the *&^&** out of your ward Councillor, the Controllers, and the Mayor to implement them.
And of course, I’m always available to citizens who feel that they need assistance in doing that.
Appended:
Also, don’t forget that there’s a discussion forum on the City website that’s been created as part of the TMP review process. Which has been very under-used to date. Have your say!
Appended:
Also, talk about these things to the people that you know, and point them towards online sources of info and further discussion. Like this guy, who I’m lucky enough to be able to count amoung the people that I know.