Community Well-being

Community Well-Being: Proposed new chapter or theme throughout the plan

The community wellbeing section is a proposed addition to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, to be included in the updated Bellingham Plan. Feedback from the public in Fall 2023 has identified several themes related to the well-being of the community.

1. Public Safety
2. Public Health
3. Community Services
4. Community Cohesion

While these themes exist in the 2016 plan, their importance has only increased in 2023 outreach responses. These themes together promote a safe, healthy, and supported community. This is a key priority for our community. Safety can include crime prevention as well as a general sense of belonging, especially for marginalized groups. Community members have also continually emphasized the importance of human or community services, general wellness, public health, food systems, and feeling welcomed in a diverse community.

What changes will happen in the Bellingham Plan?

You may see a new chapter or repeated theme in the Bellingham Plan about community well-being. We expect this chapter or theme to include the following:

1) A consolidation of existing goals and policies from the 2016 Comprehensive Plan that relate to community well-being and are still relevant. For example, we have a number of existing policies about healthy food access, and it may make sense to move these policies to a community well-being chapter or section.

2) New goals and policies that reflect feedback we are hearing about this topic. For example, we want the Bellingham Plan to reflect the values and priorities of the community, such as community cohesion.

3) New goals and policies that reflect work the City is already doing to support community well-being initiatives. An example would be programming to support conversations about accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Related Events:

The topic of community well-being will be touched on at our initial “Community Vision” session as we explore what safety means to community members. We dive into the well-being topic in much greater detail at the “Vibrant, Equitable, and Welcoming Community” event, where we discuss how our community can be more welcoming, healthy, and lively. This event will touch on diversity, arts, culture, food systems and more.

• Community Vision – February 22, 5-7 p.m., Sehome High School
• Vibrant, Equitable, and Welcoming Community – March 6, 5-7 p.m., Bellingham High School