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Ahead of the Curve blog series, authored by HB Lanarc and sponsored by BasicGov, explores trends in municipal management, including a move to adopt sustainable practices. Leading communities are taking on all of these trends and leveraging opportunities to improve services to citizens and productivity.

Case Study – Dawson Creek, British Columbia

attributed to ©© Arthur D. Chapman and Audrey Bendus http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman/3867103739/

Dawson Creek is a town of about 11,000 in North central BC, and a Canadian leader in sustainability.  Its new Official Community Plan (OCP) is built on a foundation of sustainability goals, and a conceptual plan aimed at achieving these by leveraging growth into more efficient patterns – while maintaining the community’s identity and character.  Implementation of the OCP includes sustainability checklists for different land uses.

These will make clear the responsibilities of applicants, providing certainty as to expectations, and demonstrating sustainability demands transparently to the community.  As these become integrated into management, the development approvals process will become one key to the community’s success in achieving sustainability, to tracking progress, and to identifying new opportunities to accelerate this change.

If you’d like to learn more about this project, feel free to email me or post a comment,

Peter Whitelaw, HB Lanarc
peter.whitelaw@hblanarc.ca

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Previous Ahead of the Curve blog posts Trend 1 – Drive toward sustainability, Trend 2 – Mounting fiscal challenges, Trend 3 – public demands for accountability, Trend 4 – reduce red tape, Trend 5 – risk management, Trend 6 – preparing for emergencies, Development process – manage land use, Leadership opportunity 1 – making sustainability a daily consideration; Leadership opportunity 2 – cheaper, faster, more resilient processes; Leadership opportunity 3 – making visions real; Alburquerque, New Mexico case study

Click to read Ahead of the Curve white paper

Ahead of the Curve blog series authored by HB Lanarc and sponsored by BasicGov explores trends in municipal management, including a move to adopt sustainable practices. Leading communities are taking on all of these trends and leveraging opportunities to improve services to citizens and productivity

Opportunities for Leadership in Development Review and Approvals

2. Cheaper, faster, more resilient processes

Leading local governments are working hard to streamline business and approvals processes.  One common approach is leveraging software tools to make efficient use of time and resources (for example Waxhaw, NC has halved their response time for permit applications).

This software is increasingly used to track timing and content of applications “at-a-glance,” and ranges from in-house, server-based systems to commercial web-based services.  It can significantly reduce the staff effort required to manage the process, speed up approvals, and reduce exposure to legal risks by ensuring that all information is collected and communicated to the right people and in a timely manner.

In addition, many local governments are turning to web-based “cloud computing” and off-site back-up systems to ensure they can continue to operate during and after emergencies.

Next post we’ll talk about making visions real.

Previous Ahead of the Curve blog posts Trend 1 – Drive toward sustainability, Trend 2 – Mounting fiscal challenges, Trend 3 – public demands for accountability, Trend 4 – reduce red tape, Trend 5 – risk management, Trend 6 – preparing for emergencies, Development process – manage land use, Leadership opportunity 1 – making sustainability a daily consideration.

Click to read Ahead of the Curve white paper