Plans and strategies

The 2019-2023 Strategic Plan sets our direction for the future. It identifies City Council's vision, mission, values and strategic areas of focus. It also identifies the specific outcomes, expected results, and strategies that Council and Civic Administration will deliver on together over the next four years.

Vision A leader in commerce, culture, and innovation - our region's connection to the World.

Mission A responsive and modern public service partner that fosters change to build a better London for all.

Values Good Governance Driven by Community Acting with Compassion Moving Forward through Innovation

Strategic Areas of Focus Strengthening our Community Building a Sustainable City Growing our Economy Creating a Safe London for Women and Girls Leading in Public Service

Launch the Strategic Plan Dashboard to learn more about Council's Strategic Plan and gauge our overall progress towards implementing key strategies. The Dashboard provides a snapshot of the overall level of progress towards the Strategic Plan and the level of progress towards each of the five Strategic Areas of Focus.

2019-2023 City of London Strategic Plan

The London Plan is our City’s new Official Plan.  You can consider it our future playbook for city-building over the next twenty years. The Plan was created after an extensive conversation with Londoners about their hopes, dreams and aspirations for London’s future – to the year 2035. This engagement program, called ReThink London, involved thousands of Londoners and over 100 different meetings and open houses in our community.

Two drafts of the London Plan were prepared and released to the Public for review and feedback.  Even more meetings were held after each of these drafts were released, so that Staff could provide information to members of the public and hear their suggestions for changes. Public meetings were also held at Planning Committee, allowing Londoners to give their input and suggestions directly to members of City Council. Taking into account the feedback that was received, many changes were made to the first and second drafts of The London Plan to arrive at a Plan that was adopted by City Council on June 23, 2016.

The London Plan sets out a new approach for planning in London.  It emphasizes growing inward and upward, so that we can reduce the costs of growth, create walkable communities, revitalize our urban neighbourhoods and business areas, protect our farmlands, and reduce greenhouse gases and energy consumption.  The plan sets out to conserve our cultural heritage and protect our environmental areas, hazard lands, and natural resources.  Through the London Plan our community is planning for vibrant, healthy, safe and fulfilling neighbourhoods, attractive and viable mobility alternatives and affordable housing that is accessible to those who need it.  At the root of The London Plan is the goal of building a city that will be attractive as a place to live and invest in a highly competitive world and one that will offer the opportunity of prosperity to everyone – one their own terms and in their own way.  

The London Plan will shape our city over the next 20 years. All of our by-laws and all of our public works must conform to the policies of this Plan. It sets the stage for the next twenty years of city building in London.

The London Plan

Where there is a need to elaborate on the parent policies of The London Plan, or where it is important to coordinate the development of multiple properties, a secondary plan may be prepared by the City of London.

Secondary plans allow for a comprehensive study and coordinated planning approach for the secondary plan area as well as the opportunity to provide more detailed policy guidance . 

On March 2, 2020, London's City Council approved the 2020-2023 Multi-Year Budget which will result in an average annual tax increase of 3.9%, making it the second time the City has approved a four-year budget.

City Council also approved the Water and Wastewater& Treatment budgets with an average annual increase of 2.5% for water rates and an average increase of 3.4% for wastewater and treatment rates.  

Learn more about the multi-year budget process and review supporting materials. 

Safe Cities London is committed to making London a safe city where women, girls, nonbinary and trans individuals, and survivors access public spaces and participate in public life without fear or experience of sexual violence.

A collaborative, city-wide initiative, Safe Cities London engages researchers, community leaders, service organizations, community members, and individuals with lived experience.

If you or someone you know has experienced violence, we encourage you to call Anova’s 24-Hour Crisis & Support Line - 519-642-3000 or 1-800-265-1576.

On July 21, 2020, London City Council endorsed the creation of the London Community Recovery Network (the Network) to begin a community-led process to power London’s recovery from COVID-19. The Network brings together leaders from the private sector, non-profit and institutional organizations to undertake community conversations about London’s recovery. The Network has identified a focused number of short term ideas for action to be considered for implementation by the City of London, other orders of government, and the community at-large. These ideas are detailed in the Network’s first report, Laying the Foundation: Ideas for Action to Power London’s Community Recovery from COVID-19.

The Network is a community driven recovery effort that will:

• In the short-term: identify community recovery ideas that can be implemented immediately to support London’s recovery from COVID-19; and,
• In the longer-term: work collaboratively to develop a community recovery plan for a strong, resilient London.

For more information or to view the Network’s report, please visit our Get Involved website.

 Released every November, the Report to the Community highlights key activities and accomplishments from the past 12 months.

London’s Climate Emergency Action Plan is a fundamental and required response to the City’s climate emergency declaration. As part of this plan, the City has established  near-term and longer-term goals to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The Climate Emergency Action Plan is a community-wide plan to achieve three main goals: 

1. Net-zero community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 

2. Improved resilience to climate change impacts 

3. Bring everyone along (e.g., individuals, households, businesses, neighbourhoods) 

Get Involved

Completed in 2013, the Smart Moves 2030 Transportation Plan provides direction for transportation planning and decision making in the City.

You can download an executive summary of the Transportation Master Plan here.

To receive a complete electronic or paper copy of the Transportation Master Plan, please connect with cityengineer@london.ca.

London ON Bikes is the City of London’s primary cycling resource and action plan. This Master Plan is meant to be used as a guide and a blueprint for future planning, design, development and programming related to Cycling.

You can download an executive summary of the Cycling Master Plan here.

To receive a complete electronic or paper copy of the Cycling Master Plan, please connect with cityengineer@london.ca.

The heart and essence of every city are its neighbourhoods. London Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy is fundamentally a resident driven strategy that encourages resident participation and engagement to help make all of London’s neighbourhoods stronger. In total, over 4,500 Londoners contributed to the development of this Plan.

To receive an electronic or paper copy of the London Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategy, please connect with neighbourgood@london.ca.

The City of London offers high quality parks, recreation programs, sport services and facilities that engage residents of all ages and abilities. The Parks and Recreation Master Plan ensures that our services align with community needs, now and in the future. The Plan provides an overall vision, direction and guidance for planning and making decisions about parks, recreation programs, sport services and facilities. The Plan was last updated in 2019.

• Document

  Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Diversity and inclusion are top priorities for Londoners and City Council. Council’s 2015-2019 Strategic Plan identified the need to develop a Community Diversity and Inclusion Strategy as a way to “build a diverse, inclusive and welcoming community” by “supporting all Londoners to feel engaged and involved in our community.”

The Community Diversity and Inclusion Strategy represents a step in the right direction, while appreciating that there will always be steps ahead to make London a truly inclusive community.

To receive an electronic or paper copy of the a Community Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, please connect with kkoltun@london.ca.

On September 14, 2021 City Council adopted London’s first Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) Plan.

In keeping with the requirements outlined in the province of Ontario’s Bill 175, Safer Ontario Act, London’s CSWB Plan provides a framework to support a collective approach for community agencies working together to achieve sustainable communities where everyone feels safe, has a sense of belonging and can meet their needs for education, health care, food, housing, income, and social and cultural expression.

The 2019 Corporate Asset Management (CAM) Plan outlines how London's City-owned assets, with a replacement value of $20.1 billion will be managed over the next 10 years and beyond to ensure we are capable of providing the levels of service needed to support the citizens of London, focusing on current levels of service, risk, lifecycle asset management planning and long-term financing.

The CAM Plan has been developed in accordance with the Provincial guideline Building Together: Guide for Municipal Asset Management Plans and O.Reg. 588/17. 

The CAM Plan also proposes strategies to address the growing infrastructure gap, which is defined as the difference between available budget versus optimal funding to manage current and future asset risks.

For a copy of the plan contact Corporate Asset Management at 519-661-2489 x 5442 or email CAM@london.ca.

The 2019-2023 corporate energy conservation and demand management plan gives direction to all service areas on energy management. The 2019-2023 plan identifies key initiatives, energy standards, achievable measures and commitments towards improving our energy efficiency within City facilities and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in day-to-day operations.

To receive an electronic or paper copy of the corporate energy conservation and demand management plan or past reports, please connect with Sneha Madur at smadur@london.ca, or call 519-661-2489 x 5695

The health of the core area is vital to London’s prosperity as a whole. There has been extensive investment in the core area, however issues persist that threaten its long-term success. The Core Area Action Plan outlines initiatives to address such things as homelessness and health issues, safety and security, creating a positive business environment and attracting more people to the area. Collaboration among many stakeholders will be crucial to the successful implementation of the plan.

London’s Cultural Prosperity Plan identifies current and future priorities for strengthening London's cultural sector, aiming to broaden understandings and collaborations across London, to deliver culture to all facets of our City, to incubate new ideas, and to enhance the City's reputation as a leading community for cultural workers to live and create in.

Cultural Prosperity Plan

The Housing Stability for All Plan sets a vision and defines a new direction for the collective work of the community to address housing stability, focused on four strategic areas, over the next five years. Each strategic area of focus has a goal, result, strategies, actions and measures that will guide the work of the community now and in the future.

The Housing Stability for All Plan

On April 1, 2014, Council approved the Industrial Land Development Strategy, which aligns with the background industrial lands study and reflects changes to the city’s and global economies, defines targeted industrial sectors, and changes in the nature of the locational and parcel size demands.

Please contact planning@london.ca to request an electronic or paper copy of this strategy.

With the help of the Ontario Invasive Plant Council’s (OIPC) strategic framework for developing a citywide Invasive Plant Management Strategy , London will continue to be a leader in Ontario in addressing invasive species control over the long-term. 

The London Music Strategy aims to promote culture as a key part of economic growth and quality of life as identified in Council's 2015 -2019 Strategic Plan and the Cultural Prosperity Plan for the City of London. In essence, the London Music Strategy aims to maximize the tremendous potential of London’s music sector.

London Music Strategy

Through its discussions of the downtown revitalization incentives, design and heritage issues, Council identified a need for a new broadly based downtown plan. On April 14, 2015, Council adopted Our Move Forward: London’s Downtown Plan.

Please contact plandev@london.ca to request an electronic or paper copy of this plan.

The Urban Forest Strategy is a plan that engages citizens and outlines the necessary steps the City of London must take to protect, enhance, and monitor the urban forest that defines London as the “Forest City”. The Strategy provides the vision and strategic direction for long-term education, planning, planting, protection and maintenance of trees, woodlands, green space and related resources in the City of London. 

To receive an electronic or paper copy of The Urban Forest Strategy, please connect with treeprotection@london.ca.

The primary goal of the Urban Agriculture Strategy is to direct urban agriculture efforts within London by both the community and the City.

Please contact planning@london.ca to request an electronic or paper copy of this strategy. 

Each year, the City of London submits an annual and summary report to the Ministry of the Environment detailing the results of 1,000s of tests that were taken throughout the drinking water system that year. 

The City also prepares a financial plan as a summary of various capital and operational programs already approved by Council for the current budget year (2020) with an outlook of projected expenditures to 2026.

To receive an electronic or paper copy of the annual and summery reports, or a copy of the financial plan, please connect with Scott Koshowski at skoshows@london.ca or call 519-661-2489 x 7503

The 60% Waste Diversion Action Plan is a standalone plan and part of the larger Resource Recovery Strategy. The action plan proposes a set of actions to achieve 60% waste diversion of residential waste by the end of 2022. 

Get Involved

Newcomers to Canada play a vital role in the country’s economic, social and cultural success. Attracting, integrating and retaining Newcomers is key to propelling the country to sustainable economic prosperity. To successfully achieve this, a Newcomer Strategy cannot be the sole domain of the federal and provincial governments, but must also be forged and driven from the local level. Municipalities are at the heart of the newcomer experience and they, along with community partners, have important levers at their disposal to make a positive difference in attracting, integrating and retaining Newcomers. Adopting a strategy is a necessary step for cities to lead the way in making such a positive difference.

The City of London Newcomer Strategy is a five year plan to help forge a stronger economic, societal and cultural future for the city and region.

On June 6, 2021, members of the Afzaal family were murdered in an act of Islamophobic hate. This act was set against a larger landscape of hate and systemic exclusion which continue to marginalize Muslims and other racialized peoples both in London and across Canada. 

There is a need to disrupt Islamophobia in all its forms as a step towards dismantling all acts of hate. The A London for Everyone: An Action Plan to Disrupt Islamophobia was developed and includes an action plan for the City and for community based and public sector organizations to disrupt Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism.