Municipality of Levanger Municipality of Verdal Municipal Masterplan 2015-2030 Vision: Quality of life and growth sustainable societies - a good start and coping throughout the lifespan - generous and robust life environments PURPOSE OF THE PLAN The Municipal Masterplan 2015-2030 is a common plan for Levanger and Verdal. The Municipal masterplan includes long- term goals and strategies for the municipal community as a whole and the municipality as an organisation, which is intended to be harmonised with the ongoing social development - locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. The goals and strategies in the Municipal masterplan provide the guidelines for all sectors in the development of the municipality, including the priorities in the economic plan and budget. The plan has been drawn up on the basis of the long term challenges in the Strategy Plan and the target profile for 2030, a holistic social analysis for the municipalities and through the subsidiary municipal planning processes for the activity of the municipalities. VISION AND DIRECTION The vision of the municipalities is QUALITY OF LIFE AND GROWTH. Growth here means both the growth of the citizen and growth for the community. The vision is intended to provide guiding principles for our endeavour to achieve good quality of life and good health for the inhabitants of Verdal and Levanger. This is the central goal in itself, but it is also the most important resource of the municipality for further growth and the increase in development and a fundamental investment for a sustainable society. The population's health and quality of life are developed in the communities where people play, learn, work, spend leisure time and live their lives. Good local and municipal development improves the residents' living conditions and makes it easier for people to make health-promoting choices. It also enhances the citizens' ability and willingness to care about and take care of each other and the community they are a part of. We shall therefore focus our work on community development that promotes public health and reduces social inequalities in health and conditions of life. The focus on the residents will give everyone the opportunity to participate in the community regardless of age, gender, orientation, social and cultural background and disability. Public health is affected by all social sectors, as shown in Figure 1. That is why public health strategy is woven like a red thread through the entire local government plan, in which quality of life, health and control are key concepts. We have chosen the definition of health1 provided by Peter F. Hjort as the basis for our goals and strategies for the community: "Good health is what a person has when he has the ability and the capacity to cope with and adapt to life's inevitable difficulties and day-to-day requirements." What affects health and quality of life? The factors affecting quality of life and health may be presented in a causal chain that stretches from the general community situation to the characteristics of the individuals. This is illustrated in Figure 12. Although social networks and living habits have a more immediate impact on health and quality of life, they are also greatly affected by underlying factors in which all the social sectors play an important role. We must therefore consider the Figure 1 Public health is affected by all sectors consequences for health, quality of life and a fair distribution of the conditions of life in everything we do. For the community the vision focuses on factors such as growth in population, increased development capacity, innovation and value creation. This requires a focus on measures that promote the attractiveness of the region, for example, through infrastructure, residential areas, industrial development and an employment trend that matches and promotes population growth. The region's reputation will also have an impact on the ability to develop the municipalities in the direction of increased quality of life and growth for all. Ensuring good communities in a robust and sustainable region requires the participation of, and a joint commitment by, all the players in the community. The municipal plan is intended to enhance the ability and capacity of our municipalities to cope with and adapt to the inevitable difficulties of social development and the day-to-day requirements. We will achieve this through targeted efforts and constant development within the four main areas in which a municipality operates: As the arena of local politics, a force for social development, a service provider and an authority. Figure 1 Four main areas of municipal initiative MISSION STATEMENT The municipalities' exercise of these roles must be transparent and build on a trust relationship with the stakeholders we interact with. Our activity and interaction with others must be recognisably based on our values. Values define a basic platform for us, and in the processes within the organisations the focus is on three value concepts: Loyalty, honesty and respect We, and our actions, must be recognised and predictable from our basic values in interaction both externally and internally. GOALS We are working to achieve the following objectives: • Our municipalities are good communities to live in for a whole lifetime, and everyone feel as a valued part of the community • All children must be given the best possible start in life • All the inhabitants feel secure, they have control of their everyday life and they have added several active years of life with good health and well-being • Our municipalities are a force for development in a sustainable and robust part of Central Norway STRATEGIES In order to achieve the objectives, the municipalities must A) ensure sustainable societies, B) give priority to a good start and coping throughout the lifespan and C) create generous and robust living environments. The blue text boxes expand on some of the strategies. A) Ensuring sustainable societies • Prioritising prevention and early intervention • Prioritising measures that benefit large sections of the population • Ensuring that municipal efforts are prioritised according to the citizens' needs • Arranging for an innovative and profitable working and business world and increased food production • Taking still clearer responsibility for environmental and climate challenges • Mobilising local community resources through transparency, the involvement of citizens and collaboration and alliances with knowledge institutions, business, the cultural and the voluntary sector and public players • Ensuring holistic solutions, coordinated work processes and future-oriented and knowledge-based services • Reconciling policy and service provision through binding, coherent and economically sustainable planning • Contribute to a sustainable development in the region with emphasis on infrastructure, business and cooperation with other municipalities Sustainable development is based on three pillars: The natural environment, the economy and social conditions Sustainability involves a development that meets the needs of today's inhabitants without reducing the possibilities of future generations to meet their requirements3. Achieving this requires close interaction between citizens, social players and the municipalities, through dialogue, negotiation and a clearer management of social development. We have to prioritise universal services and settings! It is well documented that measures aimed at large groups of the population, including low-risk groups, can be more efficient overall, compared with measures aimed at small high-risk groups. The explanation is that a small effect on the many produces greater benefits than a large effect on the few. At the same time the universal approach must be arranged in such a way that those with the greatest need receive the most support. 4.5 B) Prioritising a good start and coping throughout the lifespan • Prioritising the child's early conditions of life and opportunities to cope with life • Facilitating inclusion, safety and participation in social communities • Prioritising measures that reduce social inequalities in health and conditions of life • Facilitating and fostering a healthy lifestyle • Emphasising the residents' own resources and experiences in the provision of services • Emphasising the family and network perspective as underpinning perspectives in our work • Achieving a close and equal partnership with the citizens • Improving the learning outcomes in schools • Working to ensure a good and inclusive workplace • Giving all citizens the opportunity for cultural experiences A good childhood lasts a lifetime! The basis for good quality of life, health and coping is created before birth and develops throughout life. A good childhood lasts a lifetime and becomes part of the social heritage. A good and sustainable society that is characterised by quality of life and growth requires that we make it a priority to give all children the best possible start in life. This does not mean that all initiatives must be addressed directly to children, but that everything we do must contribute to a positive development in children, with particular emphasis on the youngest children6.7. Coping with life ensures quality of life and growth Coping is all about people feeling that they are able to take control of their own life and situation, including how people deal with problems, stress and the challenges of everyday life. Coping throughout life depends on people's belief that they can