THE City of North Vancouver is putting its future in the hands of its residents.
The city is updating its official community plan and is preparing to include the opinion of residents by means of a new initiative called CityShaping. Through online discussions, an interactive survey and events, the city is hoping to create a dialogue with at least 2,500 residents in the next 18 months.
"We're trying to turn it around from 'Come to us to our traditional open house' to spin it to 'Why don't we come to events you're at and do something a little interactive, a little bit different?'" said acting city planner Suzanne Smith.
Right now, the city is hoping to engage as wide a group of citizens as possible, including youth, renters, homeowners and local business owners from varied cultural backgrounds, and engage them in the process. At the beginning, the level of feedback will be fairly broad, but Smith said the goal is to create more detailed and deeper discussions on the different parts of the OCP as time goes on.
That could involve people forming their own groups and providing feedback on various ideas, or debating online through the website's forum or through social media, said Smith.
The goal, said Mayor Darrell Mussatto, is to make sure everyone is heard.
"It's important if we're going to do the OCP, we're not just getting the people with the loudest voices," he said. "How the is the OCP going to deal with these complex issues facing us (like) affordable housing. How's it going to deal with childcare? How's it going to deal with transportation? Because we've got some complex issues facing the city."
CityShaping's online forum poses questions on climate change, what residents like about North Vancouver, what residents want changed and what residents think about the future of the city.
There will be an informational session on social inclusion and cultural diversity at John Braithwaite Community Centre July 26, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The city plans to implement its official community plan by December 2012.
To have your voice heard visit www.cnv. org/CityShaping.
