1. Kitchener’s Neighbourhood Strategy
Council Strategy Session
March 21, 2016

2. Neighbourhood Strategy: What is it?
No strategy, yet!
Not about lifting up struggling neighbourhoods
Capitalizing on existing and potential strengths
Making all neighbourhoods even better

3. Neighbourhood Strategy: What is it?
Imagine…
more vibrant community gathering spaces
more relationships between neighbours
more people hanging out on their front porches, on their street or in the park
more people engaged in a positive and proactive approach to neighbourhood development
more support for vital community partners in the work they’re already doing

4. Neighbourhood Strategy: What is it?
But what’s the problem?
Not a problem-based approach
Intentionally build on assets in our neighbourhoods
Find ways to help everyone do even more great things in our neighbourhoods

5. Neighbourhood Strategy: What is it?
Vision:
The Neighbourhood Strategy will help neighbours connect and work together to do great things in their neighbourhoods.

6. Neighbourhood Strategy: What is it?
7 characteristics of great neighbourhoods (outcomes)
Accessible
Connected
Diverse
Engaged
Inclusive
Resilient
Safe

7. Neighbourhood Strategy: What is it?
The Neighbourhood Strategy will not…
Create more red tape
Ignore what is already working
Take a top down approach
Only engage the people who are already engaged
Be inflexible
Focus on problems
Presume to be able to tell neighbours what they need
Apply an inflexible, one-size fits all approach
Sit on a shelf and not be implemented

8. Neighbourhood Strategy: How are we developing it?
Communications & Engagement Sub-Committee
Principles, pre-engagement and community engagement
Best Practices Sub-Committee
Neighbourhood strategies, neighbourhood action plans, placemaking, tools, process and templates
Stakeholder Sub-Committee
968 organizations identified
Data Sub-Committee
Baseline information for neighbourhoods

9. Internal Change Management
Community v. staff perceptions of customer service that supports neighbourhoods
Rule enforcers
Neighbourhood supporters
Red tape
Customer focus review

10. Lemonade Stand (July to September 2015)

11. Stories & Colouring Books (December 2015 to March 2016)

12. Community Engagement Plan (April to August 2016)
3 streams of engagement:
Creative
Conversational
Online

13. Creative Engagement
Placemaking challenge

14. Conversational Engagement
Street Teams
Neighbourhood events
Random drop-ins

15. Conversational Engagement
Focus groups
For organizations
For residents

16. Online Engagement Survey Ideas forum Dotmocracy
Annotation tool (draft strategy)
$100 Activity (draft strategy, maybe)

17. Strategic Session with Council
Discussion Question 1 (10 minutes)
What suggestions do you have for reaching and engaging members of the community who do not normally provide input to the municipality as part of a consultation process?

18. Strategic Session with Council
Discussion Question 2 (10 minutes)
Recognizing the diversity of our community, how would you suggest we ensure we are engaging a diverse range of community members and groups?

19. Strategic Session with Council
Discussion Question 3 (10 minutes)
After reviewing the draft questions that have been developed for use by our “street teams” (see Appendix D of CSD ), are there any changes you would like to see or additional questions you think should be asked?