Communities

Montpelier Web-Based City Plan

SE Group partnered with the City of Montpelier to create an interactive digital version of the City’s recently updated Comprehensive Plan. The project has since been recognized with the 2026 American Planning Association Small Town and Rural (STaR) Vernon Deines Comprehensive Plan/Special Project Honor Award, the 2025 Plan of the Year Award from the Vermont Planners Association, and the 2025 Plan of the Year Award from the Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Traditional planning documents can often feel lengthy, technical, and inaccessible to the broader public. With its most recent comprehensive plan update, the City of Montpelier, VT sought a more engaging way to communicate the Plan’s vision, priorities, and recommendations. The City partnered with SE Group to create an interactive digital comprehensive plan that translates the adopted City Plan into a visually engaging and easy-to-navigate public resource.

Working collaboratively with City staff and the Planning Commission, SE Group adapted each chapter of the Plan into a graphic-rich StoryMap experience incorporating maps, photography, text, and interactive content. The plan uses a consistent storytelling framework and visual template that provides technical planning information in an approachable format that any community member can navigate. The final plan, delivered on an ArcGIS Hub Site, serves as the City Plan itself and as an educational platform that helps residents, stakeholders, and decision-makers better understand the City’s long-term goals and initiatives.

People walking on the sidewalk in downtown Montpelier

Why This Project Matters

Comprehensive plans shape the long-term future of communities, yet they are often difficult for residents and stakeholders to engage with in meaningful ways. As communities increasingly seek more transparent and inclusive planning processes, there is growing recognition that public-facing planning materials need to be more accessible, visual, and interactive. Montpelier’s Web-Based City Plan demonstrates how technology and storytelling can improve public understanding of planning initiatives while strengthening community engagement and civic participation.

The project also reflects an emerging shift among small and rural communities toward adopting innovative digital planning tools more commonly seen in larger urban areas. By leveraging an online platform, this project created a modern planning resource that broadens access to information and supports long-term public education on community priorities and future growth.

Impact

The Montpelier Web-Based City Plan provides the community with a more transparent, engaging, and accessible way to explore the City’s long-term vision and planning priorities. By translating the Plan into an interactive digital platform, the project helps broaden public understanding of planning initiatives and encourages ongoing community engagement with the City’s future.

The project has also become an example of how smaller communities can leverage digital storytelling and mapping technology to modernize planning communication and improve public access to information. Montpelier’s approach demonstrates leadership among rural communities exploring more innovative and engaging planning tools.