Sparwood Livability Study What We Learned Report Sparwood Livability Study - What We Learned Report Prepared for the District of Sparwood by Intelligent Futures Submitted April 2019 Photos from District of Sparwood unless otherwise noted District of Sparwood 136 Spruce Ave, V0B 2G0 Sparwood, BC Contents 2 Executive Summary 4 Section 1 Introduction....................................................... 6 Contents 1.1 What is the Sparwood Livability Study.................................. 6 1.2 Proccess Overview.................................................................. 7 1.3 Environmental Scan................................................................ 8 1.4 About this Report..................................................................... 10 Section 2 Sparwood Livability Study Approach....... 12 2.1 SLS Overview........................................................................... 12 2.2 Inputs and Indicators.............................................................. 12 2.2.1 Inputs............................................................................... 12 2.2.2 Indicators........................................................................ 13 Section 3 Research............................................................. 14 3.1 Research Approach................................................................. 14 3.2 Research Summary................................................................. 15 3.2.1 Policy............................................................................... 15 3.2.2 Resource Jurisdictions................................................... 17 3.2.3 Livability Research and Measurement Precedents..... 18 Section 4 Sparwood Livability Study Engagement.... 21 4.1 Engagement Overview........................................................... 21 4.2 What We Asked...................................................................... 21 4.3 Engagement Strategy Implementation.................................. 22 4.3.1 Engagement Response Overview................................. 24 4.4 Who Did We Hear From?...................................................... 24 4.5 How is Sparwood Doing?..................................................... 26 Section 5 Focus Areas....................................................... 27 5.1 Focus Area Development........................................................ 27 5.2 Draft Focus Areas.................................................................... 27 A. Social Engagement & Cohesion........................................ 27 B. Environmental Sustainability............................................... 30 C. Healthcare........................................................................... 32 D. Economy............................................................................... 35 E. Education.............................................................................. 37 F. Mobility................................................................................. 38 G. Housing............................................................................... 40 H. Recreation............................................................................ 42 I. Social Space......................................................................... 44 Section 6 Citizen Aspirations........................................... 46 Section 7 Our Next Steps................................................. 47 Section 8 Bibliography...................................................... 48 3 Sparwood Livability Study - What We Learned Report Executive Summary Overview The Sparwood Livability Study The goal for the District of Sparwood’s Livability Study (SLS) is to understand, improve and monitor the quality of life for the residents of Sparwood. A collaborative effort by The District of Sparwood, and the local community, the SLS development will take place from January through June 2019. It’s primary focus is to identify specific, contextual livability focus areas and accompanying goals and indicators, but it will also help inform community planning and development activities in coming years. By laying the foundation for a more strategic approach to the collaborative identification and manifestation of community priorities and values, the SLS will support the achievement of a safe, sustainable and positive future in Sparwood. The intended audience for this study includes the residents of Sparwood, as well as those who work in and visit the community but live elsewhere. A comprehensive community engagement process is a key component of this study. Community members have been given numerous opportunities to share their insights on what they value most about Sparwood, how to best measure the community’s quality of life, and ways to ensure residents have an outstanding quality of life well into the future. This What We Learned report summarizes the research and engagement findings from Phase One, as well as related insights that have surfaced during the project team’s exploration of the context, issues and relevant data that inform community wellbeing in Sparwood. A variety of research and engagement approaches informed this report, including consultant immersion in Sparwood, feedback from an engagement sounding board placed in various locations throughout the community, a questionnaire, pop-up engagement sessions, subject matter expert interviews (Chamber of Commerce President, Community Health Facilitator, etc.), and several interactive stakeholder workshop (see more detail regarding engagement tactics in Section 4.3). To ensure that the SLS is both locally informed and rooted in contemporary, relevant thinking and practice related to the field of livability, the team’s desk research focused on livability definitions, indicators and actions from academia, institutions and other jurisdictions, as well as the local Sparwood context and current state of livability. The report is structured in seven parts: • Section 1 offers relevant background information related to the SLS and this What We Learned report • Section 2 describes the underlying project approach • Section 3 relays the research findings • Section 4 describes the engagement approach taken • Section 5 is a discussion of key insights, themes and highlights that emerged from research and engagement • Section 6 is summarizing highlights related to citizen solutions • Section 7 talks to the next steps in the SLS project Executive Summary 4 Phase Two and Phase Three of the process will be focused on further consultation with Sparwood’s residents, subject matter experts and Council. This will allow the project team to hone in on the specific elements of livability upon which the community should focus. There will also be an opportunity during these phases to plan for the future, by considering current performance, goals and progress measurement plans for each livability focus area. The end result of these phases will be a comprehensive, community-owned livability study that offers: • A baseline assessment of the current state of livability in Sparwood • A ‘Made in Sparwood’ livability definition • Livability focus areas, goals and indicators informed by research and engagement • Recommendations related to progress measurement and solution development The engagement activities that took place in Phase One included input from residents and workers of Sparwood, tourists, District of Sparwood staff, local subject matter experts and the SCEEAC. Connecting with nearly 1200 stakeholders in total. Focus Areas Engagement responses provided a comprehensive, community-focused picture of the common needs, desires and challenges facing Sparwood residents, workers and visitors. All feedback received during the engagement process was reviewed by the consulting team, including questionnaire answers and comments, verbal feedback and ideas generated during in-person conversations, interviews, workshops, meetings, and sounding board comments. These inputs from community members were compiled and coded over a period of two weeks, resulting in over 9000 ideas related to livability, that informed the focus areas. These themes—informed by an extensive coding process and a number of other inputs (see Section 2.2)—were then grouped into focus areas and reviewed to ensure they are relevant to Sparwood and appropriate given academic and best practice research. The focus areas that the project team has identified as being the most critical for maintaining and improving livability in the Sparwood Context are as follows: • Social Engagement and Cohesion • Mobility • Environmental Sustainability • Housing • Healthcare • Recreation • Economy • Social Space • Education 5 Sparwood Livability Study - What We Learned Report Section 1 Introduction 1.1 What is the Sparwood Livability Study? The goal for the District of Sparwood’s Livability Study (SLS) is to understand, improve and monitor the quality of life for the residents of Sparwood. A collaborative effort by The District of Sparwood, and the local community, the SLS development will take place from January through June 2019. It’s primary focus is to identify specific, contextual livability focus areas and accompanying goals and indicators, but it will also help inform community planning and development activities in coming years. By laying the foundation for a more strategic approach to the collaborative identification and manifestation of community priorities and values, the SLS will support the achievement of a safe, sustainable and positive future in Sparwood.