What is a Culture Plan

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport with the Province of Ontario describes cultural planning as “a place-based approach to planning and development. It is a process for identifying and leveraging a community’s cultural resources, strengthening the management of those resources, and integrating those resources across all facets of local planning and decision making.”

We have understood for some time that Guelph would benefit from a robust Culture Plan to guide investment, collaboration, promotion, and growth of the local culture sector. During this time of post-pandemic recovery, there is an opportunity to develop and implement a Culture Plan that aims to stabilize and rebuild the local creative sector, while firmly establishing culture as a driver for a thriving Guelph.

Culture supports four essential pieces of a thriving city:

Economic prosperity
Social equity
Environmental responsibility
Cultural vitality

The Culture Plan will define and leverage the City’s cultural identity; quantify and build capacity; foster collaboration and coordination between the City and the local creative community and ensure cultural considerations in City planning and decision-making processes. It will be representative of the diversity in Guelph, inclusive of multiple perspectives, and equitable in approach.

By integrating cultural perspectives into policy development and urban planning, we can create spaces and opportunities that reflect and support the diverse cultural expressions within our community. Guelph’s culture plan ensures that Guelph’s cultural identities are part of the City’s planning and decision-making processes.

The plan will also help to activate public spaces, organize diverse and engaging events, and support local artists and cultural initiatives to create an atmosphere of vibrancy and creativity throughout Guelph.