Albany 2030 Process

Thank You to All Who Participated in Albany 2030! 

A summary of the public process for Albany 2030 is below. For more information, you can also visit the Past Events page. You can still join the over 150 followers on Twitter (@albany2030), or like Albany 2030 on Facebook!

The Albany 2030: Your City, Your Future Kickoff Community Forums were held on January 28th, 29th, and 30th, 2010. Thank you to all who braved the cold to join us and provide your input! These three identical events provided participants the chance to discuss Albany's future with their fellow Albany residents and begin to come together around a vision for the City's future.  Click here for more information and to see the Forum 1 results.

Thanks to those of you who came to the rescheduled Storm Cunningham lecture, "Albany 2030 and the 21st Century Restoration Economy" on March 11th, 7PM at The College of Saint Rose.  

A SUNY University at Albany Student Charrette was held after the Kickoff Forums, with over 40 students participating. Click here for more information.

The second set of Community Forums was held April 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, 2010. These three identical events provided participants with a chance to see the Draft Vision Statement, set concrete goals to achieve this vision, and brainstorm on action steps to reach these goals.  Click here for more information and to see the Forum 2 results. 

Additional meetings were held between Forums 2 and 3 in several locations around town.  Meetings were held with the Youth and Workforce Services group and at Westview Homes Senior Center.  A special event was held on June 1st for the Arbor Hill, West Hill, North Albany and Sheridan Hollow neighborhoods to reach out to areas that were particularly underrepresented at Forum 2.  Another meeting in West Hill was held in September, just prior to the Forum 3 event.  Lastly, a "Speed Planning" event was a great success at reaching out to young professionals and getting them involved in the Albany 2030 process.

The City and the Comprehensive Plan Board also reached out via "Stoop Surveys" conducted in the evenings in various City neighborhoods.  These surveys were filled out by residents spending time on their front stoops or porches and gathered valuable input in an informal setting.

The third round of Community Forums was held September 30th through October 2nd, 2010.  The three events focused on priority investment strategies, asking participants to prioritize and identify key locations for various types of (re)investment.  Participants also allocated mock funds in a budgeting exercise to help the City determine how best to prioritize the Comprehensive Plan Systems and Components.  Click here for more information and results of Forum 3.

The City also held a series of Walkshops, "micro-meetings", and other events to reach out to as many residents and stakeholders as possible. See the Past Events page for more information on these meetings.

After reaching more than 500 people throughout the summer and fall through community meetings, walk-shops, drop-in information tables, stoop surveys, online surveys and more techniques, the Albany 2030 team held their final Community Forum on Dec. 8th, 2011. Community members and stakeholders heard about the Albany 2030 process, the community outreach accomplished and the strategies, actions and projects recommended in the Plan.

The presentation included a look at the "Top 10 Reasons You Should Care About Albany 2030" that were featured on our Facebook, Twitter and flyer campaigns. This list can help community members start a conversation with neighbors and colleagues about Albany 2030 and how to get involved with implementing the Plan.

The roughly 60 attendees at this final meeting were also presented with ways they can actively participate in implementing the Albany 2030 Plan. Seventy five percent of those polled at the meeting stated they would help implement Albany 2030 through more than one method. We look forward to working with these community members and other to continue our progress through 2030.

See the presentation or download it here.

Throughout the process, residents and stakeholders could also participate via cell phone, receiving text alerts about meetings and emailing or messaging in photos from around the City with comments on assets and challenges.