The City of Huntsville is developing a new comprehensive master plan — The BIG Picture – to help direct the future of economic growth, neighborhood redevelopment, parks and greenways, transportation, and quality of life for all of our citizens. Throughout the 2014 and 2015 calendar years, The BIG Picture will develop in three phases:
1. Our Study – Providing research, demographics and economic da
ta to determine who we are and how we compare with other cities across the nation.
2. Our Vision – Engaging citizens in a variety of workshops, lectures and online forums about their ideas, dreams and desires for a better and sustainable Huntsville.
3. Our Plan – Formulating a transparent, breathable plan with the ability to guide funding and policy decisions. This plan will be continuously updated each year to best reflect changing conditions. OUR STUDY
From May 2014 to May 2015, the City of Huntsville Planning Division has been working with Market + Main (www.marketandmain.net), a collaborative city planning consulting company based in Atlanta, on the research for the “Study” phase of the comprehensive plan. We’ve been gathering data, crunching numbers, creating maps and interviewing community leaders to get a better handle on current trends and to understand where Huntsville is positioned for the coming decades. This research will act as our foundation for our Vision and Plan phases of The BIG Picture. THE VISION
This is where you get to participate and be a part of the Big Picture! Click on the links below to learn more. Events- Come to a Citizens Academy, participate in a Focus Group, listen to a presentation as part of our Speaker Series… there are plenty of opportunities to join in the conversation. Citizens Academy- Attend one of our Citizens Academies, meetings focused on general topics like neighborhood redevelopment and transportation. These informal events will have featured speakers as well as activities like “dot exercises” that help gauge citizen opinion on various issues. Focus Groups- These smaller groups will recommend policies and actions to be included in the Comprehensive Plan. Anyone interested in one or more of the focus group topics is welcome to sign up. Presentations- Miss one of our events? Check out some of the presentations from our past events. Imagine Huntsville- the City of Huntsville’s crowd sourced site for citizens to post their ideas and “like” or “dislike” ideas posted by others. Now retooled for the Big Picture. THE PLAN
In summer 2015, we will begin writing the Plan. The draft document will be presented for public input and the final product will be posted online. The BIG Picture is designed to be a breathable plan that evolves to accommodate the City's needs within the Vision outlined by our citizens.