We have been leading this work in Ontario and across Canada for over 40 years.
LURA helps communities and organizations have important conversations about the future. Guiding our work is the fundamental belief that communities need to have a say in community planning processes and decision-making. We know from experience that meaningful engagement informs better planning, and the results from this planning become easier to implement.
Our Approach
We create a clear path forward. Hover over the icons to learn how we approach our work at LURA.
Listen
Understand
Relate
Advance
Listen
We listen carefully to our clients to gather information about the project objectives and context. As we develop the engagement approach, we recommend early dialogue with the community to hear how they want to participate and identify concerns to address through engagement.
Understand
We use proven engagement, facilitation, and strategic planning techniques to understand community views, look for common ground and ensure “what we heard” is accurately and transparently documented.
Relate
We assist our clients by connecting community feedback to emerging plans, strategies, and decisions, ensuring “what we heard” helps shape project outcomes and informs decision-making.
Advance
We help our clients advance their plans, strategies, and decision-making processes with confidence, knowing that stakeholders and communities have been effectively engaged.
Our Roots
In the 1970s, LURA’s founder – Sally Leppard – called for more attention and effort to be paid to integrating community voices into government planning and decision-making around environmental issues.
In 1974, she established Lura— then known under the acronym “LURA” or Land Use Research Associates — as a consultancy with a mandate to involve more people and organizations in government-based decisions.
Initially, this work focused on the environmental sector. We have since broadened the reach of our foundational collaborative approaches into many different sectors ranging from infrastructure to health to social issues.
