With the first stage of its Successful Cities initiative now complete, the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce is looking to integrate its results into broader city strategies.
In January, the chamber hosted a forum to help define qualities that provided a framework to help make Nanaimo a successful city. From that forum emerged 12 principles, including ideas such as environment, connectivity to move people and goods, and entrepreneurial governance among others. Within those 12 principles are 66 actions that can be considered by the city and its departments to make Nanaimo a more successful city.
David Witty, who spearheaded the Successful Cities project for the chamber, said no city is perfect, but steps can be taken to improve the quality of life for all citizens.
"Cities are a powerful symbol of what we've got right, but also of what we've got wrong and how we have failed in so many ways," said Witty. "When we talk about success, it's not success individually, but collectively."
Chamber representatives approached city council Monday to present their ideas and ask that the initiative be included in the city's strategic plan, a similar initiative embarked on by city hall to establish priorities for Nanaimo.
Coun. Fred Pattje said he appreciates Successful Cities, but isn't sure how both plans will be woven together.
"We have this dual system going on and while I'm sure everybody on council wants to make sure that we work in cooperation with Successful Cities, and that we one way or another fold that into our own strategic plan, I'm not quite sure at this point how that is going to happen," said Pattje.
Witty said the chamber is asking council for recognition of the work done on Successful Cities and to incorporate it into the city's strategic plan, with the chamber and city working together to implement and monitor the actions recommended in the report.
"I don't think it's a difficult thing to do and we'd offer our services to assist in how it might be grafted within the strategic plan," said Witty.
The chamber's Successful Cities initiative pinpoints Nanaimo's strengths, weaknesses, potential opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions.
The idea, said Witty, is to place Nanaimo in a strong position as variables like the economy constantly change.
"The reality is we are in a new reality," said Witty. "The reality is we need to approach our view of the economic world, our social world and our environmental world, and our cultural world from a multi-tiered perspective. That's the way we need to face the future."
Successful Cities is a model approach used by cities around the world determine strengths and weaknesses. To see the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce's Successful Cities report in its entirety, visit www.nanaimochamber.bc.ca.
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