The City of Iqaluit Sustainable Community Plan
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Multi-sector (Plans)
Project value$463,500
Project Type
Plan
Sub Sector
Sustainable Communities
Grant amount$158,400
Program type
GMF
Municipality
City of Iqaluit, NU
Status
Fully Disbursed
Population
7,429
Project timeline
2011 - 2014
Project number
10389
Description
As one of the fastest-growing communities in the country, the City of Iqaluit will experience increased demand for housing, energy, treatment and supply of potable water, disposal and treatment of wastewater, and disposal of solid waste. The City will address these needs by developing a sustainable community plan (SCP) that places its unique culture as a central integrative theme, and incorporates elements of methodologies that are most appropriate for the Iqaluit context, including the Earth Charter Community Action Tool (EarthCAT), The Natural Step, the PLUS Network Planning Cycle, and the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) Guide to Sustainable Community Planning.
The SCP is expected to chart a course that will bridge the realms of global concerns and local traditional knowledge and lifestyles that reach a crossroads in Iqaluit. It will include a vision for the community; descriptions of current reality in the areas of built environment, economy, natural environment, and social wellbeing; a set of goals, with targets and indicators, to achieve the vision; and implementation responsibilities for the city and the broader community. Integration will be achieved through a municipal advisory group that spans all municipal departments and that remains involved throughout plan development. A sustainability framework will set out sustainability principles and identify how existing plans, policies, and processes can be integrated into the SCP.
A unique "test and learn" approach will provide an early opportunity to see how the sustainability principles are being applied in processes that are occurring in parallel with SCP development (for example, the city’s capital plan and community multiplex feasibility study), making the final plan more grounded and achievable. A citizens’ advisory group will provide necessary perspective from the diverse Iqaluit community and help to create broad ownership of the SCP. Northern communities face a special set of economic, cultural, social, and environmental issues, and the Iqaluit process will be of particular relevance to them. A running account of key lessons learned will capture information that could be valuable to other small and remote communities facing significant capacity issues.
(Project Description from original funding application)
Applicant
City of Iqaluit, NU