Laying the Foundation of Waltham

The following was submitted by the Waltham League of Women Voters.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Waltham has weathered the recession better than most, thanks to a combination of well-run government, successful industries and businesses, and a good location. However, there may be additional opportunities to improve our community.

We will survey the approach other cities are taking to become more livable and vibrant and assess if any of these ideas can be applied locally to benefit our residents. To this end we are planning a series of events, Waltham Visions.  With others who live and work in the city, we will design a framework for the future built from the desires of its citizens.

The project is planned to take course over 1 year:

·         Spring 2013: Laying the foundation: educating ourselves and interested community members

·         Summer 2013: reaching out to the wider Waltham community

·         Fall 2013: presenting guest lecturers

·         Winter 2013-2014: Synthesizing what we have learned and building a plan to implement

This Spring we will run a series of discussions in order to educate ourselves on current thoughts in urban design. We will be presenting materials providing the philosophical basis for current urban design and talking about how other local communities have set their goals. The first discussion, Laying the Foundation I, will be on April 11 at 7:00 at Back Pages Books. We will share current thought in urban design and ask you to tell us how this might apply to Waltham.