To help with the community planning process, the City of Vancouver is creating a Citizens’ Assembly in Grandview-Woodland. A Citizens’ Assembly is a group of people brought together to consider an important issue or topic. Assemblies allow for a deeper and on-going level of discussion than traditional consultation processes. The City is holding two workshops later this month for the public to provide ideas on how a Citizens’ Assembly could work in Grandview-Woodland. In the Grandview-Woodland community planning process, members of the Citizens’ Assembly will deliberate on a set of specific planning questions. The Assembly’s work will be one part of the larger community planning process taking place in 2014. We’ll also be having community-wide workshops and other activities taking place throughout the year. Citizens’ Assemblies typically work in three phases:
- Learning – members learn about background material and opinions on a given planning issue or question
- Listening – members engage in one or more community consultations on the issue or question
- Deliberation – members work with one another to develop a recommended response to the issue or question
There are various precedents for the Citizens’ Assembly – including the BC and Ontario Citizens’ Assemblies on Electoral Reform, Citizens’ Juries and Citizens’ Reference Panels. Processes like these have been used in a number of jurisdictions in North America and around the world. The Citizens’ Assembly in Grandview-Woodland will be the first time this model has been used for community planning. We’re currently working on key design questions, and our research and preparation involves looking at a number of items, including member recruitment, roles and responsibilities, and key tasks. Have your say on the design of the Assembly Help us to develop an effective Assembly process. Register for a workshop and share your ideas on how a Citizens’ Assembly might work in Grandview-Woodland. Workshops take place at the following dates/times:
Both events are free, but you need to register to attend. Learn More: Backgrounder Visit our vancouver.ca/gw webpage starting Wednesday, January 22 to access our Assembly backgrounder – a short document that outlines some of the key considerations around planning the Grandview-Woodland Citizens’ Assembly. Online Feedback If you can’t make a workshop, consider providing your input online. Questions from the workshop will be posted to vancouver.ca/gw, starting Saturday, January 25. ABOUT THE GRANDVIEW-WOODLAND COMMUNITY PLAN In April 2012, the City initiated a new Community Planning process for Grandview-Woodland. When completed, the plan will provide long-range guidance on a variety of issues – including housing, transportation, parks and public space, social issues, arts, culture, heritage and more. The new plan will replace an older Local Area Plan developed between 1979-82. For information on our planning work to date, upcoming events and opportunities for public involvement, please stay in touch via the following means: Web & List-serv sign-up: vancouver.ca/grandviewplan Email: grandviewplan@vancouver.ca Twitter: @gwplan Facebook: Grandview-Woodland Community Plan Telephone: 604-673-8171