Cambridge Connected Strategic Plan

We are pleased to share that on May 25, 2021, Cambridge City Council approved the thirteen new strategic actions of the updated strategic plan, Cambridge Connected. This completes the strategic plan update and lays out the strategic priorities for the coming years.

Based on extensive community engagement beginning in early 2020, the plan reimagines the interconnected goals of People, Place, Prosperity and includes an enhanced focus on Public Value. These goals and objectives were approved in January 2021.

As we move forward, the City will lead and build on the following strategic actions:

• Create and activate spaces that offer things for people to do
• Provide age-friendly services that are accessible to all
• Establish our core areas as attractive destinations
• Enhance equity and inclusion efforts
• Lay the foundation for future community-building
• Enhance opportunities to enjoy built and natural heritage

We will continue to collaborate with our partners on the following strategic actions:

• Enable small business to succeed
• Increase housing options
• Encourage safe and healthy neighbourhoods
• Improve access to social supports
• Take action to combat climate change
• Prepare for emergency prevention and recovery
• Promote and develop more transportation options

A PDF of the completed plan is available for download in the ‘Document Library’ on this page.

Thank you to everyone who participated and provided responses during the update of Cambridge Connected. The final Phase 3 report will be considered by Cambridge City Council at their upcoming meeting on Tuesday, May 25th.

The City of Cambridge live streams all City Council meetings. You can access more information about this meeting, including links to the agenda and the live stream, here: http://calendar.cambridge.ca/Council/Detail/2021-05-25-1000-Special-Council-Statutory-Public-Meeting The strategic plan report starts on page 325 of the agenda package.

The goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan were updated in January 2021 and the focus is now on refining the measurable strategic actions that the City will take to achieve these goals, and identifying the specific initiatives that will be used to complete them.

GOALS are a ‘big picture’, long-term description of what we want to achieve

OBJECTIVES are specific priority areas that work towards our goals

ACTIONS are the measurable steps we will take to achieve these objectives

After receiving more than 1,900 contributions over the past year, we have arrived at thirteen proposed actions to support the updated goals and objectives.

Following the consultation period, specific and measurable targets will be set for each of the actions.

After reviewing the proposed actions below, please provide your feedback by taking our survey.

As mentioned in the previous post, Cambridge City Council recently approved the Cambridge Connected goals and objectives. (A link to staff report 21-008(CRE) approved on January 12, 2021 can be found under "Important Links" on this page.)

In addition to the goals and objectives, Council also approved a new Public Value statement. This statement speaks to how the City will conduct its work across all the goals of the strategic plan:

"We will emphasize the importance of sustainability, leadership, collaboration, transparency and engagement as we deliver service excellence and promote pride of place.”

During the consultation period, we heard how important these values were to all the stakeholder groups. Each value is further defined in the report (and in the Cambridge Connected Goals & Objectives document available as a PDF download from the "Document Library") as follows:

Sustainability means that we will:

• focus on the responsible management of financial resources, ensuring transparency and accountability
• ensure that environmental sustainability principles are embedded in city decision-making processes and encourage innovative approaches to address environmental challenges
• set a corporate example by aligning messaging, spending and decision-making with this strategy

Leadership means that we will:

• deliver a consistent, positive and unified narrative about Cambridge as a single, world class city that contains many unique areas
• act as an accelerant and enabler of corporate and community stakeholder efforts to achieve this vision of pride of place
• lead with conviction and authenticity around a bold, integrated vision for public good
• recognize that we have an active role to play when other partners take the lead

Collaboration means that we will:

• actively work together with our partners and the community to achieve common goals and ensure representation of community interests
• encourage a culture of innovation and engagement that allows all staff to contribute to the ongoing renewal of city services, programs and resources

Transparency means that we will:

• communicate often and openly and make sure messages are clear, timely and delivered consistently in a variety of ways
• demonstrate how feedback is considered in the decision-making process
• hold ourselves accountable by sharing the ongoing progress and results of this strategy

Engagement means that we will:

• provide the public with a wide range of ways that they can be involved in decision making
• invest in ongoing community engagement and be responsive to emerging local concerns
• participate in constructive two-way dialogue with our stakeholders
• work to ensure inclusive participation

More discussion around creating and evaluating a public value framework will be done in Phase 3, and there will also be more opportunities to contribute to the development of the strategic actions and implementation plan in the coming weeks.

On January 12, 2021, Cambridge City Council received staff report 21-008(CRE) and approved the Cambridge Connected goals and objectives. The meeting of Council was recorded and can be viewed on the City's YouTube channel (opens in new tab), with the presentation starting at 36:50. A link to the complete report can also be found under "Important Links" on this page.

Thank you to everyone who provided your input so far! We were pleased to receive more than 800 responses to our surveys and feedback opportunities in Phase 2, and look forward to additional opportunities to engage in Phase 3. Over the next three months, we'll be working to identify specific, measurable actions related to each of these objectives. For more information about some ideas and emerging themes for action, see the Cambridge Connected Goals & Objectives document available as a PDF download from the "Document Library"

Within the themes of people, place and prosperity, there are three goals and eleven objectives:

PEOPLE: Foster a community with heart, where everyone belongs and is cared for.

Objectives:

WELLBEING - Connect people to services that support individual and community wellbeing

BELONGING - Be known as a safe and welcoming community where everyone feels like they matter

INCLUSION - Deliver accessible, diverse and inclusive services, programs and infrastructure for all ages and abilities

VIBRANT NEIGHBOURHOODS - Promote, facilitate and participate in the development safe and healthy neighbourhoods with a range of housing options

Place: Embrace and celebrate our city’s unique character while enhancing the spaces where people connect.

Objectives:

PLACEMAKING – Promote and create a wide range of destinations and activities that capitalize on the beauty of the rivers and heritage buildings

GREEN SPACES – Protect, enhance and steward our parks, green spaces and environmental areas

PLANNING FOR GROWTH – Provide for a mix of development, uses and amenities in order to meet the needs of a changing and diverse population

Prosperity: Build a vibrant and resilient city where current and future generations will live well

Objectives:

STRONG CORES - Create an inviting downtown that connects and complements core areas and neighbourhoods where people want to live and visit

GETTING AROUND - Emphasize connectivity and active transportation choices to help people travel in and beyond the city without a car

ECONOMIC INCLUSION & SUPPORT – Establish and extend inclusive programs to support business readiness and workforce development and help local businesses to thrive

RESILIENCY – Use a future-oriented, proactive approach to climate action and emergency preparedness.

Since we began the process of updating the City's strategic plan in early 2020, we have heard from more than 1,350 people. Now, we want to hear your input on the draft goals and objectives for the plan. This draft will be revised based on the feedback we receive before being presented to Council for approval. While the goals and objectives are still high-level, our goal with this feedback is to confirm and refine these statements so that we can proceed with more detailed action planning in early 2021. (You can take the survey and share your thoughts here until November 30th.)

Based on the feedback received during Phases 1 & 2 of this project, the following three goals and 11 objectives are proposed:

PEOPLE
Goal: Foster a community with heart, where everyone belongs and is cared for.
Objectives
- WELLBEING - Connect people to services that support individual and community wellbeing
- BELONGING - Be known as a safe and welcoming community where everyone feels like they matter
- INCLUSION - Deliver accessible, inclusive services, programs and infrastructure for all ages
- VIBRANT NEIGHBOURHOODS - Promote, facilitate and participate in the development safe and healthy neighbourhoods with a range of housing options

PLACE
Goal: Embrace and celebrate our city’s unique character while enhancing the spaces where people connect.
Objectives
- PLACEMAKING – Promote and create a wide range of destinations and activities that capitalize on the beauty of the rivers and heritage buildings
- GREEN SPACES – Actively collaborate to protect and steward our parks, green spaces and environmental areas
- PLANNING FOR GROWTH – Provide for a mix of development, uses and amenities in order to meet the needs of a changing and diverse population

PROSPERITY
Goal: Build a vibrant and sustainable city where current and future generations will live well.
Objectives
- A STRONG DOWNTOWN - Create an inviting downtown that connects and complements core areas and neighbourhoods where people want to live and visit
- GETTING AROUND - Emphasize connectivity and active transportation choices to help people travel in and beyond the city without a car
- ECONOMIC INCLUSION & SUPPORT – Establish and extend inclusive programs to support business readiness and workforce development and help local businesses to thrive
- RESILIENCY – Use a future-oriented, proactive approach to climate action and emergency preparedness

The city is also looking to include a new statement around PUBLIC VALUE that commits to the principles of leadership, collaboration, sustainability, engagement and communication across all the actions of the plan.

The draft public value statement is: "We will deliver public value while providing service excellence and promoting pride of place. Our public value principles are: sustainability, leadership, collaboration, engagement and communication."

The survey to share your feedback on these items is open until November 30th.

Since this project began at the start of the year, we have been working to understand the emerging priorities for Cambridge residents, community stakeholders, staff and Council. We first checked in with the community through our Community Satisfaction Survey (PDF report) and public launch event in February. After pausing public engagement in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched Phase 2 digital engagement in August Using online surveys, virtual focus groups, and a public Council workshop (which can be viewed here) we have further refined the themes that emerged in Phase 1.

Through it all, we have heard that government transparency, community safety and addressing social issues are top priorities for community members. Cambridge is a lower-tier municipality within the Region of Waterloo, and each level of government has different roles and responsibilities. In Cambridge, the areas of public health, community services, police services, social planning and community housing are all led by the Region, but there are still things we can do that can assist in making positive changes in these areas.

Today, we’ve launched a brief survey aimed at understanding what actions the City should take in order to do its part to improve and address these priority issues in our community. Please help us shape the next steps of our strategic planning process and “Tell Us About: Community Priorities”.

As part of updating the Cambridge Connected strategic plan, we are also updating its look and feel. The new Cambridge Connected icon set will be used in all future communications about the plan as well as in the final document and reports.

The main Cambridge Connected graphic forms a double-span bridge inspired by the City of Cambridge logo and the Main Street bridge, while the two colours of blue below connote the two rivers. The shape forms an infinite loop while also retaining the form of two “C”s for Cambridge Connected.

Additional graphics developed for the themes of PEOPLE, Place and Prosperity use the same base treatment as the Cambridge Connected, creating a recognizable and cohesive look and feel.

The PEOPLE graphic re-imagines the bridges and rivers as two figures holding each other:

In the PLACE graphic, the bridges and rivers are reoriented as four arrows converging at a single point:

For PROSPERITY the bridges and rivers are connected with an 8-point star that expands in all directions:

Look for these graphics as we move forward with our Phase 2 engagement planning.

As the City settles into new routines and realities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased to share that the progress of the Cambridge Connected 2020-2023 strategic plan is continuing. On July 14th, Council received staff report 20-067(CRE) (starting on page 21) summarizing all Phase 1 activity, including engaging with more than 1000 people through events, presentations and surveys. This report includes the results of the City's first Community Satisfaction Survey conducted by Forum Research in February. You can also download Forum's final report in the Document Library section of this project page.

In the month of August you will see increased activity on this project page as we initiate our second phase of community engagement. Stay tuned for regular project updates and digital engagement opportunities, including questions and polls that will help to further expand on what we've heard from the community so far!

The City of Cambridge is continuing to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and, in consultation with Region of Waterloo Public Health, taking steps to help prevent the spread of infection in the community. City Hall is currently closed to the public until May 4th, however City staff in corporate divisions are currently working from home where possible and can be contacted by email or phone on city-related business. For full updates on the City of Cambridge's COVID-19 response, please visit www.cambridge.ca/COVID19

As a result of facility closures and social distancing requirements, community engagement activities and events for the strategic plan are currently on hold until further notice; however, we continue to work on the review of existing plans and strategies, as well as plan ahead for future opportunities. This page will remain active, and we encourage you to reach out anytime with ideas or questions.