Title: Implementing integrated community sustainability planning: a comparative case study of three mid-sized municipalities in Ontario, Canada

Authors: Patricia Collins; Morgan Alger; Graham Whitelaw; Brandon Williams

Addresses: School of Urban and Regional Planning, Queen's University Robert Sutherland Hall, 531, 138 Union Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada ' Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ontario Public Service, 8 Estate Lane Rockwood House, Kingston, Ontario, K7M 9A8, Canada ' School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Biosciences Complex 3126, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada ' Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada

Abstract: Around the world, municipal governments are engaging with sustainability in daily practices. One approach gaining momentum in Canada is integrated community sustainability (ICS) planning, which involves integration of all sustainability pillars into policies and plans for more coordinated, inclusive approaches to planning and management. Drawing from established elements of effective ICS planning, we examined the implementation strategies of three mid-sized Ontario municipalities that use contrasting ICS planning approaches. While the cities studied address most elements of our analytical framework, each offers unique strengths and weaknesses. Overall, ICS planning appears flexible and adaptive enabling tailored approaches to unique political and fiscal realities.

Keywords: Sustainability planning; mid-sized municipalities; Ontario Canada; document analysis; interviews; comparative case study.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSD.2017.083486

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2017 Vol.20 No.1/2, pp.124 - 145

Accepted: 16 Feb 2016
Published online: 08 Apr 2017 *

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