Transforming Planning: Workshops for a new planning system

 

Calgary’s planning system isn’t just what happens on the inside of the Municipal Building and City Hall: it includes everything from your neighbour’s deck project to building entire new communities. The planning system deeply impacts our city’s prosperity, sustainability and liveability – and we want your input. Come participate in a great discussion about your city’s future with a diverse mix of citizens, City staff, as well as representatives from Calgary’s development industry and community associations.

 

 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.  

Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Association, 1320 5 Ave. N.W. 

 

Monday, March 25, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Development & Building Approvals - Eastlake Depot, 11195 42 Street S.E.

 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

City of Calgary Municipal Building, 800 Macleod Trail S.E. 

 

Workshops are free but registration-based – first come, first served – and more workshops will be added to accommodate any additional demand. April workshops will be listed on our website as available. You can register for workshops at: transformingplanning.eventbrite.ca

 

Can't attend a workshop? Your feedback and ideas on tomorrow's planning system are important. Participate in our online survey to let us know what you think about the future of planning in Calgary.

 

For more information about Transforming Planning, visit calgary.ca/transformingplanning, sign up for updates transformingplanning@calgary.ca or follow us on Twitter @nextCITYyyc.

 

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Transforming Planning is a partnership between stakeholders and City staff to design and deliver a high-performing planning system for Calgary. Transforming Planning was launched in June 2012 by The City of Calgary’s Planning, Development & Assessment (PDA) department in response to a Council directive to undertake a broad-scale review of the planning process.As part of PDA’s “nextCITY” concept for delivering Calgary’s planning vision, Transforming Planning will engage City staff and stakeholders – industry, communities and citizens – to design and deliver a new planning system that will help build a vibrant, prosperous and sustainable city for everyone. Very few cities in North America have attempted to re-envision and transform their planning system on this scale.

 

ABOUT Workshops for a New Planning System
As the next stage in its process, Transforming Planning is pleased to announce a public workshop series to co-design a new planning system for Calgary. Throughout March and April 2013, we’ll be holding workshops in locations across the city to gather diverse perspectives and work together to find out what is important for everyone in tomorrow’s planning system.

 

In particular, we’re excited to share our new version 0.3 Outline of a New Planning System, see left. Developed by the Transforming Planning Working Group,​ and based in research and engagement work since June 2012, this outline is intended for discussion and reflects current best thinking on major functions and dynamics for tomorrow’s planning system. 

 

Within the workshops themselves, our approach is to engage mixed groups of stakeholders in a series of questions and conversations. We will facilitate this discussion, collect everyone’s ideas and perspectives, and focus on identifying common ground in response to each question.

Going forward, stakeholder input will be incorporated by our Working Group and reflected in future upgrades of our system outline, as well as all other aspects of our initiative, including our Piloting Applications project. Much like the feedback loops proposed in our current system outline, Transforming Planning itself is an initiative that is based in continuous learning and intends to discover tomorrow’s planning system within the shared ideas and lived experience of Calgary’s builders, citizens, architects, planners, City staff and other players in the current system. In this way, stakeholder input will directly shape future recommendations to City Council as to our next steps towards a transformed planning system.

 

In the same way that our Working Group has articulated a shared understanding of current challenges and a future vision for planning system, we intend to run our workshops to achieve an inclusive process that captures current best thinking, while at the same time encourage everyone to think about their own stake – and shared responsibility – in Calgary’s future. We've heard from stakeholders that better working relationships, mutual respect and professionalism are essential to ensure success in our next planning system. Therefore, we've designed these workshops to provide participants with the opportunity to shape and model this new culture. 

ABOUT the Working Group
The Transforming Planning Working Group stands at the centre of a constellation of citizens, City staff, industry, community and other stakeholders. Comprised equally of City staff and citizen stakeholders, the Working Group provides leadership and program development for the Transforming Planning initiative, and it works within the mandate and scope set by City Council and the Transforming Planning Advisory Committee. 

The Transforming Planning Working Group aims to leverage the power of groups by working together. This is a unique approach – joint leadership and responsibility for Calgary’s future planning system – and we seek to break down old patterns and promote new working relationships founded on best practices, trust and partnership. A core value for Working Group members is shared responsibility: together, we have recognized the system’s many challenges; we agree that our future hinges on how we build this city; and together, we are working towards long-term solutions.

 

 

Stay in Touch!
Check out calgary.ca/transformingplanning, ask questions or sign up for updates by email transformingplanning@calgary.ca and follow us on Twitter @nextCITYyyc.