City Manager's Office

Envision Riverside Strategic Plan

The Envision Riverside 2025 Strategic Plan is comprised of two components:

  1. City Council Strategic Policy - This section sets forth the priorities and policy direction of the City Council to advance Riverside’s potential and to frame the work efforts of staff over the next five years. This section includes the Vision, Cross-Cutting Threads, Strategic Priorities, Indicators, and Goals.
  2. Operational Workplan - This section sets forth envisioned actions to be carried out by City staff to implement the City Council Strategic Policy, as well as related metrics to track the trendlines of progress toward achieving City Council priorities.

VISION

Riverside is a city where every person is respected and cherished, where equity is essential to community well-being, where residents support one another, and where opportunities exist for all to prosper. In Riverside, everyone comes together to help the community, economy, and environment reach their fullest potential for the public good.

MISSION

The City of Riverside is committed to providing high-quality municipal services to ensure a safe, inclusive, and livable community.

CROSS-CUTTING THREADS

Major themes that exist within the Envision Riverside 2025 Strategic Plan and should be reflected in all our outcomes include:

Riverside is transparent and makes decisions based on sound policy, inclusive community engagement, involvement of City Boards & Commissions, and timely and reliable information. Activities and actions by the City serve the public interest, benefit the City’s diverse populations, and result in greater public good.

  • COMMUNITY TRUST

  • The City is beginning to plan renovations of the Cesar Chavez Community Center using $25 million in funding from the state.
  • The City is working with local partners to identify internship opportunities for Riverside youth using funds from the State’s Youth Corp Grant Program.
Riverside is supportive of the City’s racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, identity, geographic, and other attributes of diversity and is committed to advancing the fairness of treatment, recognition of rights, and equitable distribution of services to ensure every member of the community has equal access to share in the benefits of community progress.

  • EQUITY

  • The City is currently in the process of redistricting to ensure that each councilmember represents about the same number of constituents. In Riverside, the City is responsible for drawing council wards and the redistricting process must be completed by August 2023.
  • Using grant funds this summer, PRCSD was able to offer 2,450 subsidized swim lessons and 1,000 free pool passes to the community.
Riverside is a prudent steward of public funds and ensures responsible management of the City’s financial resources while providing quality public services to all.

  • FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Approximately 4-acres of parkland adjacent to Ryan Bonaminio Park was purchased using grant funding.
  • Public Works and Parks have submitted grant applications for over $20 million for mobility and transportation grants.
Riverside is inventive and timely in meeting the community’s changing needs and prepares for the future through collaborative partnerships and adaptive processes.

  • INNOVATION

  • City entered into an agreement with SiFi to build a citywide fiber optic network to bring broadband connectivity to all residences and businesses.
  • The City received an Award of Excellence in Design from the California Parks and Recreation Society for the Bourns Family Youth Innovation Center.
Riverside is committed to meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future and ensuring the City’s capacity to persevere, adapt and grow during good and difficult times alike.

  • SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY

  • The City is currently in the process of redistricting to ensure that each councilmember represents about the same number of constituents. In Riverside, the City is responsible for drawing council wards and the redistricting process must be completed by August 2023.
  • Using grant funds this summer, PRCSD was able to offer 2,450 subsidized swim lessons and 1,000 free pool passes to the community.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

The Riverside City Council adopted six Strategic Priorities and associated Indicators and Goals for each priority on October 20, 2020. The Strategic Priorities are listed below in alphabetical order. It should not be interpreted that a priority early in the list is of greater priority than one later in the list.

Arts, Culture & Recreation
Provide diverse community experiences and personal enrichment opportunities for people of all ages

  • Lifelong Learning
  • Shared Uses and Partnerships
  • Arts and Cultural Opportunities
  • Access to Parks, Trails and Open Spaces
  • Programs and Amenities

1.1. Strengthen Riverside’s portfolio of arts, culture, recreation, senior, and lifelong learning programs and amenities through expanded community partnerships, shared use opportunities, and fund development.

1.2. Enhance equitable access to arts, culture and recreational service offerings and facilities.

1.3. Improve parks, recreational amenities, open space, and trail development, and fulfill critical lifecycle and facility maintenance needs.

1.4. Prioritize safety at parks, trails, arts, cultural and recreational facilities.

1.5. Support programs and amenities to further develop literacy, health, and education of children, youth and seniors throughout the community.

Community Well-Being
Ensure safe and inclusive neighborhoods where everyone can thrive.

  • Housing Supply & Attainability
  • Public Safety
  • Public Health
  • Placemaking
  • Homelessness
  • Household Resilience

2.1. Facilitate the development of a quality and diverse housing supply that is available and affordable to a wide range of income levels.

2.2. Collaborate with partner agencies to improve household resiliency and reduce the incidence and duration of homelessness.

2.3. Strengthen neighborhood identities and improve community health and the physical environment through amenities and programs that foster an increased sense of community and enhanced feelings of pride and belonging citywide.

2.4. Support programs and innovations that enhance community safety, encourage neighborhood engagement, and build public trust.

2.5. Foster relationships between community members, partner organizations, and public safety professionals to define, prioritize, and address community safety and social service needs.

2.6. Strengthen community preparedness for emergencies to ensure effective response and recovery.

Economic Opportunity
Champion a thriving, enduring economy that provides opportunity for all.

  • Workforce Development
  • Business Development
  • and Success
  • Local Investment
  • Regional Partnerships
  • Economic Mobility

3.1. Facilitate partnerships and programs to develop, attract and retain innovative business sectors.

3.2. Work with key partners in implementing workforce development programs and initiatives that connect local workers with high quality employment opportunities and provide access to education and training in Riverside.

3.3. Cultivate a business climate that welcomes innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.

3.4. Collaborate with key partners to implement policies and programs that promote local business growth and ensure equitable opportunities for all.

3.5. Lead public-private partnerships to build resources and grow the capacity of the local food system.

Environmental Stewardship
Champion proactive and equitable climate solutions based in science to ensure clean air, safe water, a vibrant natural world, and a resilient green new economy for current and future generations.

  • Water Quality, Supply, Efficiency & Reliability
  • Climate Resiliency, Carbon Footprint & Air Quality
  • Usage, Condition & Quality of Public Lands
  • Local Food System Vitality
  • Environmental Justice
  • Renewable Resource Usage & Waste Reduction

4.1. Rapidly decrease Riverside’s carbon footprint by acting urgently to reach a zero carbon electric grid with the goal of reaching 100% zero-carbon electricity production by 2040 while continuing to ensure safe, reliable and affordable energy for all residents.

4.2. Sustainably manage local water resources to maximize reliability and advance water reuse to ensure safe, reliable and affordable water to our community.

4.3. Implement local and support regional proactive policies and inclusive decision-making processes to deliver environmental justice and ensure that all residents breath healthy and clean air with the goal of having zero days of unhealthy air quality per the South Coast Air Quality District’s Air Quality Index (AQI).

4.4. Implement measures and educate the community to responsibly manage goods, products and services throughout their life cycle to achieve waste reduction outcomes.

4.5. Maintain and conserve 30% of Riverside’s natural lands in green space including, but not limited to, agricultural lands and urban forests in order to protect and restore Riverside’s rich biodiversity and accelerate the natural removal of carbon, furthering our community’s climate resilience.

4.6. Implement the requisite measures to achieve citywide carbon neutrality no later than 2040.

High Performing Government
Provide world-class public service

  • Community-Centered Service
  • Adaptive Organization
  • Financial Health
  • Equity in Delivery of City Services
  • Civic Engagement
  • City Team Engagement

5.1. Attract, develop, engage and retain a diverse and highly skilled workforce across the entire City organization.

5.2. Utilize technology, data, and process improvement strategies to increase efficiencies, guide decision making, and ensure services are accessible and distributed equitably throughout all geographic areas of the City.

5.3. Enhance communication and collaboration with community members to improve transparency, build public trust, and encourage shared decision-making.

5.4. Achieve and maintain financial health by addressing gaps between revenues and expenditures and aligning resources with strategic priorities to yield the greatest impact.

5.5. Foster a culture of safety, well-being, resilience, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion across the city organization.

Infrastructure, Mobility & Connectivity
Ensure safe, reliable infrastructure that benefits the community and facilitates connection between people, place and information.

  • Access to Transportation Choices
  • Infrastructure Quality and Reliability
  • Outside Investment
  • Smart City Ecosystem
  • Greening Facilities
  • Fleet and Systems

6.1. Provide, expand and ensure equitable access to sustainable modes of transportation that connect people to opportunities such as employment, education, healthcare, and community amenities.

6.2. Maintain, protect and improve assets and infrastructure within the City’s built environment to ensure and enhance reliability, resiliency, sustainability, and facilitate connectivity.

6.3. Identify and pursue new and unique funding opportunities to develop, operate, maintain, and renew infrastructure and programs that meet the community’s needs.

6.4. Incorporate Smart City strategies into the planning and development of local infrastructure projects.