Session D4 - ARPA 2009 Conference

1. Great Neighbourhoods ARPA
October 30, 2009
• Great Neighbourhoods

2. Presentation Overview
•Introduction
•Evolution of GN
•GN ‐ this is it!
•Wrap Up and Jim Diers
•Question and Answer

3. The Evolution of
Great Neighbourhoods
• Research
• Framework
• Corporate Improvement Team Process
• Governance
• Transition to Operational

4. Researched Other Cities
• Toronto
• Vancouver
• Seattle
• Baltimore
• Philadelphia
• Washington

5. Researched Other Cities
• Best practices
– Strong Commitment to neighbourhoods
– High impact strategic investment
– Coordinated multi departmental approach
– Ensure city building Strategies and Service match with district
neighbourhood service delivery
– Web pages devoted to neighbourhood service delivery
– Neighbourhood Service Centers

6. Creating the Made in Edmonton
Approach

7. Framework

8. Governance Structure

9. Corporate Improvement Team
Process
• Provided feedback on the framework
• New ideas
• Challenged the Framework concepts
• How to make Operational

10. Corporate Improvement Team
Process
• Short focused and intensive
• 16 - three hour session in one month
• Over 60 staff from across the corporation
• 5 Teams broken into corporate improvement
areas
• Final review of recomendatons

11. Great Neighbourhoods
This Is It!

12. Great Neighbourhoods Goes
Operational
• Incremental
• Budget
• Staff
• Infrastructure
• CIT Process
• Committee

13. Office of Great Neighbourhoods
• Director of the Office of Great Neighbourhoods
• Great Neighbourhood District Coordinators
• Senior Planner
• Revitalization Coordinators
• Capital City Clean Up
• Neighbourhood Empowerment Team

14. Great Neighbourhoods
Corporate Steering Committee
• High level
• Identify people and resources
• Approve/Support strategy, direction and scope
• Approve recommendation from OGN and other
GN committees

15. Great Neighbourhood
Advisory Committee Role
• Review recommendations
• Scrutinize plans
• Review issues

16. Great Neighbourhood
Advisory Committee Role
• Discuss solutions
• Assign department staff

17. GNDC
Coordinate – Streamline - Facilitate &
Influence

18. GNDC Connection
City of Edmonton/Admin.
Projects, Programs, Services •Social Worker
•CRC
•Transportation Engineer
• Influence
OGN •Land Use Planner
• Connecting
•Parks Planner
people and
•Bylaw Enforcement
Departments
GNDC •EPS (Community
• Information
Liaison Officer)
• Coordination
•Neighbourhood
Revitalization
Issue Resolution Coordinator
•Project Managers
District, Cross/Multi Departmental

19. Web Portal

21. Neighbourhood Revitalization
Alberta Avenue

22. Project leadership

23. Shared Vision

24. Challenges

25. Attributes

26. Process

27. Community Consultation

28. Physical Components

29. Community Components

30. Streetscape Improvements

31. Safe Streets

32. Beautification and Cleanliness

33. Impacts
IMPACTS

34. Top of the List
“Think about the many good, the many
excellent things happening in this city.
Along 118th Avenue east of 97th Street, a
slow transformation is happening, from
grungy pawn shops and bums to a colourful
close-knit community. The city is doing its bit
with a first-rate streetscape retrofit.”
-- Edmonton Sun Columnist Graham Hicks,
September 10, 2009

36. Façade improvements
16 busineses have had
façade improvements
Before
After

37. Programs and services
• Develop community directory, community
events, and resource centres. Eight annual
events now take place.
• Develop activities to build a sense of community

38. Business development
• 19 new businesses on 118 Ave
• Nina Haggerty Centre for Arts built, reinforcing
area’s arts focus

39. City investment in Alberta
Avenue
• Departments already have resources assigned
to the area.
• Revitalization Strategy focuses those resources
on achieving the priorities and vision of the
community.
• City Council investing over $35 million over 5
years in Alberta Avenue.

40. City investment in Alberta
Avenue
• City Council has committed $150 million over 10
years to support neighbourhood revitalization
projects.
• City Council also created a $150,000 matching
grant to help start and sustain community
improvement projects or activities.

42. Alberta Avenue
Jasper Place
McCauley

43. RESULTS
Handy Bakery, before and after
façade improvement

44. Clean Up
• Five blocks have undergone streetscape
improvements. Five blocks are underway.
• More than 1,200 items picked up from homes,
alleys
• 92% compliance on 300
community standards
bylaw notices issued

45. Crime Statistics
• Good progress, still some
work to do
• Actual crime dropped 24%
• 107 drug houses were
reported

46. Sense of community

47. • Community Art Coffee House
• Gallery, live performances, meeting place

48. Learnings
• City staff need opportunities to work on solutions
together, and to work collaboratively with the
community.
• Housing section was not involved. Community
did not identify housing specifically as an issue.
Those staff would have provided a different
perspective.

49. Learnings
• Design charrette workshop important.
• International experts brought instant credibility.
Dan Burden and Jim Diers led various
workshops.
• Focus was on what was possible (not whether it
was possible)

50. Learnings
• Timing is everything.
• Council’s leadership, designated City staff,
resources, investment, and a community willing
to participate – all key components.
• Duration of activities is important

51. Physical improvements,
community events, business
development, community
involvement, reduced crime:
factors in changing Alberta
Avenue.

52. Neighbourhood Engagement
• Aim: To inspire staff and community volunteers
to make their neighbourhoods the places they
want them to be by engaging assets in the
community and increasing connections to build a
sense of community ownership.
• Key Message: People are the answer to many
of the challenges Edmonton’s neighbourhoods
are facing.

53. Neighbourhood Engagement
• In mid-November 2009, the City will conduct
three "Community Evenings" with Jim Diers,
renowned community engagement expert. 800+
participants expected.
• In February 2010, Jim Diers will return to
Edmonton for workshops with select grassroots
community volunteers and stakeholders. This
will lead to small grants in late Spring 2010.

54. Jim Diers

55. Thoughts to Leave With
• Build from the strengths of your neighbourhoods
• Partner where ever possible
• Coordinate across municipal departments
• Coordinate with the community
• Invest now or risk the cost be greater later

56. Questions