NEWARK, NJ — Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka announced Nov. 17 that the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association has recognized the Newark360 Master Plan with a 2022 Planning Excellence Award.
Newark360 provides recommendations to better connect Newarkers to their neighborhoods and job centers, create more affordable housing, strengthen Newark’s historical and cultural fabric, and address environmental injustices. These actions are complemented by recommendations for updating the underlying land use and zoning codes that will provide the legal framework for implementing the proposed actions.
“Newark360 expresses the ideas, vision, dreams and aspirations of Newarkers. I am proud that APA-NJ recognized the power of professional planners, collaborating with nearly two years of community engagement, in the most wide-ranging and inclusive outreach that Newark has ever undertaken,” Baraka said. “We are grateful to people from every neighborhood and walk of life who participated, because Newark360 could not exist without the voices and priorities of Newarkers.”
Community engagement included more than 10,000 touchpoints — from an interactive website where people could give their ideas and review documents, Facebook Live discussions, two in-person community workshops in every ward, focus groups, statistically valid surveys, and the Newark Story Bus that roamed the city recording the thinking of Newark’s youth.
About the Author
