Healthy Rural Communities

Population: 66,102

Initiative 

Rural communities taking initiative in regards downtown revitalization and civic beautification.

Context

• The main innovative initiative is ‘Spruce the Bruce’, which is based on the four pillars of downtown development, mainstreet program from the University of Maryland.

• Being a smaller government Bruce County decided to take this approach rather than hiring a consultant to produce a design document.

Official Plan Policy

5.2.2.4 Local Official Plans

2. The local Official Plans for Primary Urban Communities shall contain, as a minimum, general development and land use policies dealing with the following issues:
i) The Natural and Built Environment;

ii) Community Improvement;

iii) Municipal Services;
iv) Heritage Resources;
v) Transportation;

vi) Economic Development; and
vii) Their share of the total future overall County growth projection.

Innovative Features 

Spruce the Bruce

• This initiative entailed creating a design toolkit that is four pages long.

• This toolkit guides towns and hamlets by asking the community what their unique selling feature is, what makes them different how they want to market themselves.

• Some of the other elements that the program focuses on are economic development, community marketing, and brand reinforcement.

Key Lessons and Tools

• Start small and practical and then grow the initiaitives upon further support.

• Projects that address multiple needs are often more politically supportable.

• Focus on implementation and follow-through.

• Measure results and get the results out to the public

Contact

Chris LaForest, Director of Planning

claforest at brucecounty.on.ca