FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Please join us Wednesday, Oct. 23 at the Springfield Art Museum, 1111 E. Brookside Drive, as “The Next American City,” author and four-term Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett shares his insights on how Springfieldians can shape the future of our city with the Forward SGF comprehensive planning process.
Hors d’oeuvres and networking will begin in the Art Museum lobby at 6:30 p.m., with Cornett taking the stage in the auditorium at 7 p.m. Time will be allotted at the end of Cornett’s presentation for Q&A with attendees.
The event is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed on Facebook and at https://livestream.com/SGFCityView for those unable to attend in person. Child care will be provided by Community Partnership of the Ozarks.
“I believe that mid-sized metros like Springfield are the next dynamic and inventive urban centers of the future,” Cornett says. “Cities just like Springfield are going to lead the United States in the years to come.”
Cornett’s list of awards includes nods for urban design, health, sports and the arts. Newsweek called him one of the five most innovative mayors in the country. London-based World Mayors listed him as the No. 2 mayor in the world, and Governing magazine named him the Public Official of the Year.
Best known for helping Oklahoma City attract an NBA franchise and “putting Oklahoma City on a diet,” in 2007 after the city made the list of the most obese cities in the U.S., Cornett also led the charge to pass MAPS 3, an innovative $800 million investment in parks, urban transit, wellness centers and infrastructure that has dramatically reshaped Oklahoma City and enhanced the quality of life of its residents.
About Forward SGF
In August, the City’s Planning and Development Department kicked off Forward SGF, an 18-24-month initiative that will result in a new comprehensive plan to map out Springfield’s future for the next 20 years.
Similar to Vision 20/20, the City’s previous comprehensive plan created in the late 1990s, Forward SGF will answer such questions as:
- What is the overall vision for the community over the next 20 years?
- What is the preferred growth pattern for the community?
- Should the city’s boundaries be expanded to include areas that have developed or will develop at urban densities?
- What should be done to improve our transportation systems – streets, sidewalks and trails?
- How do we accommodate commercial growth and protect vulnerable neighborhoods?
- How do we create places that encourage personal interaction and build community pride?
- What types of housing are needed currently and how will demographic trends impact future needs?
- How can existing codes be improved to better influence land use and opportunities for development and redevelopment?
- How do we improve the overall identity, appearance and character of the community?
- What land use decisions can improve overall community health?
- What actions should we take to attract and retain a talented workforce and new families?
An advisory team comprised of 23 members will serve as a community sounding board and will meet throughout the process to review and discuss issues and direction and then provide feedback on a draft plan for Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council consideration. Additional Forward SGF community engagement activities over the next year will include pop-up events, visioning and goal-setting workshops, focus group discussions, surveys and speakers.
“At its core, the comprehensive plan is a guide for future land use, but it is also an opportunity to really dream about what we want our community to become,” said Mary Lilly Smith, Planning and Development director. “A community-wide comprehensive planning process should create a vision for what kind of city and community we want Springfield to be and establishing a path to make that vision a reality. In addition to guiding public infrastructure and investment, the comprehensive plan answers questions such as, ’how do we focus our growth?’ and ’what public policies will help us get there?’”
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For more information, please contact Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott at 417-380-3352 or [email protected] or Principal Planner Randall Whitman at 417-864-1031 or [email protected]. Learn more about Forward SGF at forwardsgf.com.