developing the plan

The Cochrane Sustainability Plan was launched in April 2008 with the intent of creating a roadmap for action that the Cochrane community can use to build a sustainable future together. Intelligent Futures has been selected to lead the process from methodology development to action planning and implementation.

Featuring a “hybrid” approach of leading-edge sustainability planning methodologies, the Cochrane Sustainability Plan is positioned to create a model process and plan for communities across Canada and around the world.

The Visioning process connected with over 400 citizens of Cochrane and the Action Planning phase is currently underway, with over 70 individuals and organizations participating in six Action Groups – Built Environment, Cultural, Economic, Governance, Natural Environment and Social.

The Cochrane Sustainability Plan won the 2009 Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) Visionary Communities Award.

A copy of the final Cochrane Sustainability Plan is available for download in PDF format.

“I can’t begin to describe how pleased I am with the final product and the process which Intelligent Futures helped to walk the Cochrane community through during the Cochrane Sustainability Plan.”

- Truper McBride, Mayor, Town of Cochrane

implementing the plan

Building on Intelligent Futures’ work in the development of the award-winning Cochrane Sustainability Plan (CSP), Intelligent Futures is working with Cochrane’s Sustainability Partners Uniting Resources (SPUR) – a local non-profit society – to develop mechanisms for widespread community implementation of the CSP.  Work includes communications strategies, capacity-building workshops, developing grant structures and governance – all with the focus of building commitment and capacity in Cochrane to put sustainability ideas into action.

In January 2011, Pathways to Progress was released.  This is the first annual progress report on Cochrane Sustainability Plan to track how the community is progressing towards the direction of the CSP.  Using local stories of action, key indicators of sustainability and ideas for action, Intelligent Futures helped develop this report to be both approachable and information for the entire community.

A copy of the Pathways to Progress is available for download in PDF format.

“Intelligent Futures has enabled SPUR to design a framework for creating action towards the CSP in a way that builds the capacity of the community, utilizes existing successes and creates relationships that will allow our community to learn from each other.”

- Valerie McCracken, Co-chair, SPUR

Click here to find out more about the implementation framework for the Cochrane Sustainability Plan.