How can we improve our village centers?

At the first organizational meeting of Newton Villages last month, a group of 22 Newton residents, including neighborhood, community, and business leaders, gathered to discuss how this coalition may work to improve our village centers for the benefit of all Newton residents.

Participants at this meeting represented neighborhood associations in Auburndale, Newton Corner, and Newton Highlands, the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters-Newton, Green Decade Newton, the Planning and Development Board, the Traffic Council, the city’s Economic Development Commission, and the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee.

The evening revolved around small-group discussions addressing two core questions about our village centers:

1. VALUES: What is most important about our village centers to preserve, protect or improve?
2. ACTIONS: What specific actions can a coalition of Newton residents and business and community groups accomplish in the next three to six months to support these values?

Our discussions about village values identified five goals:

• Foster community connections,
• Contribute to village character,
• Augment transportation flexibility,
• Improve the business mix, and
• Foster economic health.

In support of these goals, participants conceived of many specific projects, which fall under the following action areas:

1. advocating for new policies,
2. working on streetscape improvements,
3. organizing events, and
4. promoting communication and connection.

In forthcoming posts, we will be discussing specific projects — such as (1) making it easier for restaurants to offer seasonal outdoor seating , (2) organizing and completing beautification projects, (3) locating and installing bike racks and informational kiosks, and (4) creating “village days” to celebrate these public spaces we share. But these are just a few of the projects we’ve identified. If you would like to read more, please download the proceedings. And, stay tuned…

In closing, I would like to thank our gracious host Joe Albanese, Newton native and president of Commodore Builders. And, thanks also to discussion group participants: Pam Boiros, Janice Bourque, Steve Buchbinder, Daphne Collins, Marcia Cooper, Graham Curtis, Eunice and Steve Feller, Jerome Grafe, Phil Herr, Joel Kadis, Alex Leifer, Olivia Mathews, Joyce Moss, Tom O’Rourke, and Joel Shames. Thanks also to Matt Cuddy for his event planning, and to discussion group facilitators Andrea Kelley, John Pears, and Chris Steele.