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Newark Mayor Ras Baraka announced Sept. 27 that the Newark360 Master Plan – a 10-year blueprint for the Brick City’s physical development – was unanimously approved by the Newark Planning Board.

According to the mayor’s office, the approach lays out Baraka’s core principles of creating a more equitable, healthy and resilient city. Newark360 provides key actions to better connect city residents to their neighborhoods and job centers, to create more affordable housing, to strengthen the city’s historical and cultural fabric, and to address environmental injustices.

The city says the plan’s name was intended to describe how the initiative will take a 360-degree view of Newark and its future.

Some elements include:

• sustainability and preparing for the impacts of climate change,
• better connecting neighborhoods via public transit and pedestrian infrastructure,
• supporting neighborhood businesses with startup micro-capital funds,
• fostering more affordable housing,
• the Newark Airport City initiative,
• implementing a citywide tree canopy initiative,
• supporting the vision of the Newark Arts and Education District,
• supporting legislation and zoning for Newark to become a 24/7 city, and
• expanding green zones.

“Newark360 encompassed the ideas, visions, dreams, and aspirations of Newarkers themselves, not academic or bureaucratic planners,” said Baraka. “It was created through nearly two years of community engagement, the most wide-ranging and inclusive outreach the city has ever undertaken.”

His office says that community engagement included more than 10,000 touchpoints, a highly interactive website for the public to share ideas and review documents, Facebook Live discussions, two in-person community workshops in every ward, focus groups, surveys and the Newark Story Bus, which took feedback from the city’s youth.

“We are grateful for people from every neighborhood and walk of life who participated, because Newark360 could not exist without the voices and priorities of Newarkers,” said Baraka.

The public can review the plan here.

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