Planning for the Future
The City of Vaughan is a municipal leader in many ways and once again, it is being recognized for it. The City is currently in the midst of an Official Plan Review which will set out where and how Vaughan will grow. This is a lengthy process that has required a great deal of community involvement. From day one, we have encouraged our residents and businesses to participate and help us define the future of our City.
For these efforts, the City has now received an award. The City of Vaughan, along with the consulting firm Urban Strategies Inc., received an Excellence in Planning Award for Communications and Public Education from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.
The award was given for the Vaughan Tomorrow – a Vision for Transformation public engagement package. Working with City staff, Urban Strategies developed an extensive public engagement strategy that included a range of media formats and venues to reach as many people as possible. A speaker’s series and community workshops were held, providing residents and businesses the opportunity to contribute ideas.
In addition, a number of Citizens’ Bulletins were produced to encourage informed discussion about major planning issues. Hundreds of comments were received and they were incorporated into the Vaughan Tomorrow Vision.
November 10, 2009 Update |
A major component of city building is addressing the needs of the people who live in the community. As part of the Official Plan Review, a Social Services Study was undertaken to address how social services are going to change and to develop ideas about how to improve social service delivery in the future. The study found that while most Vaughan residents enjoy a good quality of life, there are segments of the population that require social services. These include families, youth, seniors and new immigrants. Because Vaughan is not a social service provider, the City must think of other ways to impact services. The study found four areas in particular where the City can have a greater impact: housing, urban design and land use, transportation, and advocacy.
One of the most important areas for planning is the City’s future downtown – the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. As part of the Official Plan Review, a study is underway and in October, members of the Official Plan Review Committee took a bus tour of city centres in other communities.
These included the Markham Town Centre, the Don Mills Shopping Centre, the St. Lawrence Starch Development in Port Credit, and the Mississauga City Centre.
In November, there was a public open house featuring a proposed draft Urban Structure for the City, to guide growth to 2031. It included exhibits from related studies including; the Sustainability Plan (Green Directions Vaughan), Transportation and Public Transit (Transportation Master Plan), Social Services, Employment Diversification (Employment Sectors Strategy), and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.
The public engagement process will continue into the new year with public meetings and events scheduled to keep residents and businesses informed and involved.