For 91原创 City, the next five years will be a time of great change, possibly the biggest since the community became a city.

That was the assessment of Mayor Nathan Pachal following the vote by council on Monday, Dec. 11, that unanimously approved a new five-year-plan that aims to manage the change 鈥� much of it driven by the impending arrival of SkyTrain.

Part of that involves creating a more open city, one where residents concerns are heard, and acted on, more efficiently.

Pachal described it as 鈥渄irect democracy,鈥� a way of 鈥渉olding ourselves accountable,鈥� and giving city administrators quick feedback that allows quick responses.

鈥淲e want to actually hear from you,鈥� Pachal said. 鈥淧eople will have their voices heard in a meaningful way.鈥�

鈥淧eople [in many parts of the world] have been feeling disconnected, that government is not working for them, and that鈥檚 a bad place to be,鈥� Pachal remarked.

Described as a 鈥渞olling plan,鈥� one that gets updated annually, the commitment to strengthen communication and public engagement is one of seven broad 鈥渃ore areas of focus鈥� that includes cultivating an inclusive community, reliable municipal infrastructure, and a vibrant economy as well as working on community safety, climate change, and 鈥渙rganizational excellence.鈥�

Infrastructure work, what Pachal described as 鈥渦nsexy stuff,鈥� includes important work on badly-needed upgrades to aging and fragile porcelain sewer pipes.

91原创 City, like most municipalities, has 鈥渦nder-invested鈥� in infrastructure, Pachal commented.

READ ALSO: Four 91原创 City-owned buildings are coming down

SkyTrain will bring growth and put pressure on existing resources, Pachal noted.

鈥淚f we鈥檙e getting two SkyTrain stations, my goodness, we鈥檙e going to need [more] schools,鈥� Pachal commented.

READ ALSO: Big changes coming for 91原创 as SkyTrain approaches

The new five-year rolling strategic plan was more than a year in the making, City CAO Francis Cheung noted.

It includes what are termed 鈥渟mall but important adjustments鈥� to the City鈥檚 values and mission statement, focusing on education, inclusion, and equity.

A summary posted by the City states goals have been set for advancing truth and reconciliation with First Nations, delivering a 鈥渃oordinated and compassionate response to challenges of homelessness, housing affordability, and community safety,鈥� and 鈥渁ttracting and retaining the best and brightest as 91原创 City grows its staffing base to meet the needs of a growing community.鈥�

It dovetails with the City鈥檚 Nexus plan to leverage SkyTrain to make the City a regional hub, explained Cheung, who characterized many of the five-year plan鈥檚 measures to improve two-way communication with citizens as 鈥渋nnovative,鈥� approaches that could serve as 鈥渂est practices鈥� for other municipalities dealing with the same concerns.

For more information, residents can access the executive summary online at the 91原创 City website or the full plan .

READ ALSO: SkyTrain sticks with geographical names for stations of Surrey-91原创 line extension