City of Winnipeg Development as a Collaborative Process

Winnipeg Real Estate Forum

April 29th, 2014

David Palubeski, FCIP

Lombard North Group Ltd

Overview

• 2013 Winnipeg introduces a collaborative planning process

• Waterford Green Precinct Plan

• Experience to Date & Lessons Learned

• Q&A and Discussion

Complete Communities

• Why expect different results from same process?

• Why not ‘dance’ with the willing partner’?

• Advocate projects that meet a shared vision

• Enable & facilitate innovative community design

• Encourage new concepts and approaches

• Brings higher levels of certainty, lower levels of risk

Shared Perspectives on Collaborative Planning?

Limited Opportunities for

Collaboration

Traditional Advocacy Process

Project Development

Submittal Review & Revision

Decision Making Process

Project Development

Review & Revision Process

Decision Making Process

Dialogue & Collaboration Throughout

The Collaborative Process

Core Project Team

Decision Makers

Technical

Advisory

Committee

Planning Technical

Advisory

Committee

Developer Team

What’s the difference?

Developer

Planner

Departments

Decision Makers

Traditional

Advocacy

Process:

Collaborative

Process:

TAC & PEAC Technical Advisory Committee • Planning, Property, and Development

– Transportation Planner – Universal Accessible Design Coordinator – Parks Planner – Economic Development – BIZ Officer

• Transit • Public Works

– Transportation – Active Transportation – City Forrester – City Naturalist

• Water & Waste • Fire & Paramedic Service

– Fire & Building Code – Service & Station Planning

• Police Services • Externals

– Manitoba Hydro – Distribution Services – School Division – Public School Finance Board

Planning Executive Advisory Committee

• Chief Operating Officer

• Directors

– Planning, Property, and Development

– Public Works

– Water & Waste

– Transit

– Community Services

• Chief Planner

Advocacy vs Collaboration

Traditional Review Process

Reactive

Inherent conflict

Planner as Regulator

Rigidity – options closed

Project largely determined

Process may be fragmented

Limited Opportunities for tools & programs

Uncertain alignment

Unknown Risk & Certainty

Collaborative Planning Process

Proactive

Collaborative

Planner as Enabler

Fluid – options open

Flexibility thru teamwork

Holistic integrated process

Identification & capitalization of tools & programs

Advancing plan & policies

Lower Risk & Higher Certainty

Waterford Green Neighbourhood Lessons Learned

Conclusion

• Collaboration is welcome

• Developer - Collaborative planning worked by: – Engaging administration and public early and on-going – Helped communicate issues, options and solutions – Reduced risk and increased certainty for all – Refined plan to be more integrated & anticipatory – Helped resolve complex or critical issues – Opened new opportunities, tools, and funding sources

• Winnipeg – Collaboration sends Message City is: – Open for business & innovation – Work with you to make it happen – City Administration enablers versus regulators – Demonstrates the ‘value added’ by planning together

Waterford Green Experience

• “Walk the talk” by moving from Policy to Implementation

• Change focus to Enabling versus Regulatory

• Change approach from Passive / Reactive to Proactive

• Bring the right players to the table

• Build capacity to resolve constraints

• Public Engagement early

• Share responsibility for finding solutions

Why Winnipeg Needs to do this!

Thank You! David Palubeski, FCIP

President Lombard North Group Ltd 287 Tache Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2H 2A1

E-mail: dave@lombardnorth.com