How a Neighborhoods Focus Is Driving the Implementation of City Planning Initiatives
PLAN HAMILTON
P
lan Hamilton, a comprehensive City planning document approved in 2019, is a living document, a vision for how Hamilton will continue to grow and change over the coming years. This update is to share with you some of the concrete ways that the City of Hamilton and its many collaborators are moving forward with making Hamilton a great place to live, work, and play. An updated publication is part of how the City of Hamilton continues
44 Plan Hamilton
the process of transparency and showcases how in-progress and completed projects align with the plans created with the community. When a City goes into a comprehensive planning process, they seek public input at every turn; the most recent Plan Hamilton involved 18 months of public meetings, surveys, and focus groups to address the question of how the City would look in the coming 15 years. “The Plan is a 30,000-foot-view, big-picture vision statement of our area and where we want to be in 15
years, but I also want us to use real examples that are very powerful,” says Liz Hayden, director of planning. “There is still flexibility as we go.” A major focus to emerge out of the Plan was an emphasis on neighborhoods; Hamilton has 17 distinct neighborhoods that work within themselves and with each other to support each other, promote safety, and stay engaged. In 17 Strong, the neighborhoods movement in Hamilton has been a nexus of support, resources, and information as Plan Hamilton has been
