Cambridge Connected Strategic Plan

It is time to update the strategic plan for the City of Cambridge, and we want to hear from you!

Why do we need a strategic plan?

A strategic plan provides a foundation for decision making, priority setting and ongoing performance management. Creating a strategic plan requires connecting with the community, to ensure the City’s services reflect the priorities of the people who live, work and play here.

The Cambridge Connected Strategic Plan will: connect the community’s vision and goals with the corporate mission, values and actions of the City; guide decision-making; help direct tax dollars to community priorities; and allow the community to measure progress.

Where we’ve been:

In January 2016, Cambridge City Council approved the first four-year community strategic plan, Cambridge Connected: Our Voice. Our Vision. Cambridge Connected brought together stakeholders in an extensive engagement process to develop the vision, mission and values that provide a starting point for the City’s priority setting.

The 2016-2019 plan identified 7 goals and 26 objectives. We reported on the implementation of the plan using our strategic plan dashboard (cambridge.ca/strategicplan) and annual business plans (cambridge.ca/businessplan)

What are the next steps?

We are now updating the strategic plan for the 2020 - 2023 time frame. The resulting plan must meet the needs of all stakeholders – community, Council and staff – in terms of decision making, priority setting and ongoing performance management in the City of Cambridge. We will approach this project in three phases:

• Phase 1: Understanding where we’ve been (January to March) – This will include a community satisfaction survey, orientation for the project team and Council, and a public launch event.
• Phase 2: Where do we want to go as a community? (April to November) - This phase will involve significant public engagement and will be focused on understanding community priorities. A summary report will identify the goals and strategic objectives that will be further explored in Phase 3.
• Phase 3: Moving forward (December to March 2021) – This phase will focus on action and implementation planning, and will look at opportunities for measurement and reporting.