What is Regional Planning?

Regional planning helps municipalities address opportunities, challenges, and risks that extend beyond municipal boundaries. By working together, municipalities can coordinate planning for growth, infrastructure, and servicing while maintaining local priorities and decision-making.

A regional approach can help municipalities identify opportunities to share resources and coordinate investments, support projects that address shared regional priorities, and plan major initiatives that benefit multiple communities. Regional planning also helps ensure local priorities are considered within a broader regional context.

When municipalities work together and present shared priorities, it can strengthen applications for provincial and federal funding by demonstrating regional collaboration, coordinated investment, and benefits that reach across municipal boundaries.

Through regional planning, municipalities can work together to support a strong economy, thriving communities, and a connected Capital Region.

Learn more by watching the video below.

What is a Regional Plan?

A Regional Plan is a tool that helps municipalities work together on planning for growth, infrastructure, and servicing across municipal boundaries. It provides a long-term framework for addressing opportunities and challenges that extend beyond any one municipality and benefit from a coordinated regional approach.

Required under The Planning Act, the Regional Plan builds on local planning and provincial priorities to support collaboration, coordination, and informed decision-making on matters that extend beyond municipal boundaries.

How is a Regional Plan Developed?

A Regional Plan is developed through a comprehensive planning process that combines research and analysis, policy review, and engagement.

Research & Regional Insights

A Regional Plan draws on research, data, technical information, and local knowledge to help identify regional opportunities, challenges, and priorities. These insights help inform the development of the plan and support informed decision-making.

Regulatory & Policy Analysis

A Regional Plan must align with the requirements of The Planning Act, including the Provincial Planning Regulation, and consider relevant provincial legislation, policies, plans, and strategies. This analysis helps ensure the plan supports provincial priorities while building on local planning and municipal objectives.

Engagement & Collaboration

Input helps inform the Regional Plan and ensures a range of perspectives are considered throughout the planning process. Engagement supports the development of a plan that reflects regional opportunities, challenges, and shared priorities.

Bringing It Together

The findings from research and analysis, policy review, and engagement are used to develop the Regional Plan and inform its recommendations.

To learn more about the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region's Regional Plan, including project updates, resources, and engagement opportunities, visit the Regional Plan project page.