A Complete Community Assessment is a desktop-level, geo-spatial exercise that analyzes a community’s “completeness” by mapping its housing, daily needs, transportation, and infrastructure assets to assess how well residents are served across the community—with the goal of having services and amenities within a 15-20 minute walk of where people live.
The results of the assessment may be used to identify additional housing needs; improve connections between residents and services or amenities they frequently access; understand how municipal infrastructure can be used more efficiently; and guide where growth should be directed. The assessment also tests potential actions by comparing and evaluating different scenarios to help bridge existing conditions and achieve the community’s vision for a complete community.
The assessment will analyze Pitt Meadows through the following lenses:
Housing Lens – Why Housing Matters:
Including housing as an assessment lens allows local governments to build on the findings of their housing needs report and understand how those findings could be analyzed spatially. Considering housing options together with information generated through the other lenses can support more integrated planning and decision-making, and help to ensure that new housing supply is in locations that are close to daily needs and transportation options.
Daily Need Lens – Why Daily Needs Matters:
“Daily needs” refers to services and amenities that people typically access daily or weekly. This includes grocery stores, schools, daycares and other community facilities which should be within a reasonable walking or cycling distance of home. Ideally, these destinations are also within a reasonable walking distance of each other, creating convenient clusters of services and amenities. A complete community should strive to meet the needs of people at all stages of life.
Transportation Lens – Why Transportation Matters:
Creating a more complete and connected multi-modal transportation network provides people with a range of options to meet their daily needs. It is important that transportation options are safe, convenient and accessible for people of all ages and abilities. Developing an interconnected, multi-modal transportation system offers a variety of choices for commuting, and reduces reliance on cars, which aids in shifting modes of travel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Infrastructure Lens – Why Infrastructure Matters:
Infrastructure is needed to deliver services such as water, sanitary, stormwater, solid waste and transportation. Understanding the current capacity of infrastructure and the costs to construct and sustain it assists in assessing implications of future development. Creating complete communities involves considering how to efficiently use land and infrastructure, and can help local governments manage risks and deliver more efficient provision of municipal infrastructure services.
