Principles of Sustainable, Livable, Connected Cities

A city becomes a community when people are connected. Connection best happens in a sustainable and livable city.

Connection also stimulates sustainability and livability. When neighbours know each other, a community thrives. Connected neighbours provide each other with help- whether it is building a deck, contributing to mental health, or keeping an eye out for property crime. Connected neighbourhoods work together to advocate for good government policy. And connected communities create a climate where the non-profits which deliver vital services can thrive.

SustainaBLE

A sustainable city is one that:

• Creates thoughtful fiscal policies and follows them with discipline
• Maintains a realistic budget that returns excellent value to taxpayers
• Partners with neighbouring municipalities to plan for the future, grow the regional economy, deliver services, and cost share
• Thinks beyond the next election
• Fosters diverse types of development which generate revenue for the city
• Supports local businesses
• Takes a sensible and modern approach to regulation
• Limits red tape for business and development
• Talks to its citizens about their needs and opportunities

Livable

A livable city is one that:

• Has adequate and well maintained infrastructure
• Ensures housing is available for people of all family situations and income levels
• Gives citizens plenty of opportunity for work, education, and recreation
• Has attractive, energetic and walkable residential, business, and entertainment districts
• Creates parks, plazas, and other spaces for people to gather
• Helps vulnerable people get and stay on their feet
• Creates safe streets and neighbourhoods

ConnecTED

A connected city is harder to define, but it is something most people want. In a connected city:

• We know our neighbours
• We have opportunities to make friends throughout the city
• We know what is going on in our community
• We say “I’m going home” when we come to GP—no matter where we grew up
• We have freedom, resources, and partners to pursue the causes we are passionate about
• We know what our government is up to
• We know that our input influences government decisions

I have written more about sustainability, livability, and connection on the GP Round Table blog. Click a word to read a blog post that unpacks it.

Let me know what you think a sustainable, livable, and connected city looks like. Join a GP Round Table discussion online or in person. Details are here.

To learn about the policies that these principles have led me to support, click here.

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