KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo neighbors are meeting at neighborhood schools and community centers to help shape their city’s future through 2035, participating in interactive planning sessions to identify priorities for their communities.
I attended one of these meetings at the Woodward School, where neighbors used stickers and Post-it notes to highlight what matters most to them. Things like pedestrian safety and housing came up often.
“I think it’s really nice to come into a place and find at least a handful of your neighbors or people you know, and be surprised about it,” said Staci Gibson, a Kalamazoo neighbor who attended the Stuart neighborhood meeting.
The sessions are part of Imagine Kalamazoo 2035, the city’s master planning process that seeks input from residents across all neighborhoods…