(NEWARK, NJ) -- Pledging that Newark's next master plan will be a national model for how residents can consciously shape the future of their cities, on December 2, 2021, Mayor Ras J. Baraka began an intense phase of community involvement in "Newark360, Shaping Our City Together."

The City launched a highly interactive website - www.newark360.org - to give residents the opportunity to share their opinions and priorities about a wide range of issues such as affordable housing, jobs and economic development, transportation, parks and open space, the environment, infrastructure and more. Website users will be able to share what they like about their neighborhoods, what they want to change, and how they envision their neighborhoods 10 years from now.

In addition, the City will host a Community Meeting over Zoom and Facebook Live on Thursday, December 9, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Newarkers are invited to learn about Newark360, the issues it will address, and to ask questions and get answers from city officials and a panel of Newark advocates and policy makers. Please be sure to register at www.newark360.org to receive a Zoom link to attend.

"One of my most important priorities in becoming Mayor was to empower the people of Newark with the tools to create a more equitable, collaborative, educated, healthy and safe city," said Mayor Baraka. "Newark360 is a game-changing collaboration, which for the first time, gives Newarkers the power to plan for the future of our city. With an interactive website, community meetings online and in every neighborhood, and with the involvement of our neighborhood organizations, schools, clergy, businesses, and public officials, Newark residents will have many opportunities to be heard on how the city should grow in the next decade."

"Municipalities in New Jersey are mandated to update their Master Plans every 10 years," said Allison Ladd, Deputy Mayor and Director of Economic and Housing Development. "What makes this one momentous is that preparation of Newark360 will represent the most ambitious community engagement effort the City of Newark has ever undertaken. This plan comes in an era of racial reckoning, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme climate events. These crises underscore the importance of a community-driven plan shaping the future health, equity, and resilience of Newark."

Residents can visit the highly interactive website to learn more about the plan, share their opinions and priorities, and participate in a five-minute Community Vision Survey to help shape Newark's future.

Mayor Baraka and the City's Office of Planning and Zoning are committed to creating a Master Plan that meets the needs of all Newarkers as the city's population grows and changes. Newark360: Shaping our City Together will ensure that all residents - regardless of age, race, national origin, gender, ability, socioeconomic status, or zip code - can weigh in on what matters to them and have input into the Master Plan process by prioritizing what they would like to see in their neighborhood and in their city.