Somerville a work in progress

By Danielle Dreilinger, Globe correspondent

What does the future hold for Somerville's 4.1 square miles? The city showed off progress on the "SomerVision" comprehensive plan at a June 12 open house: A draft vision statement and draft goals for the city's future.

It's the city's first attempt to create a comprehensive plan for the future. With the new transit coming in — the Green Line extension plus a new Orange Line stop at Assembly Square — it's important for residents to think proactively about the future, said Monica Lamboy, director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. Along with promoting positive change, "It's really an opportune time ... to protect the things that we care about," she said.

The vision statement, released in March, emphasizes the need to foster diversity, community spirit, the local economy, non-car transportation, good schools, and a healthy environment through innovative strategies.

The next step is moving from the ideal to the real, turning goals into concrete policies, actions, and maps. The city's budget crunch makes planning all the more crucial: "Resources are limited and you have to be strategic about what you invest in," Lamboy said.

Open house attendees provided feedback on the goals to date; in addition, the city is posting materials online for review. "If we can get consensus around it and get the whole community behind it, it can really happen," Lamboy said.

The public can watch the sausage get made at SomerVision steering committee meetings; the next takes place at 6:30 p.m. July 13 at the Visiting Nurses Association.

For more information, visit somervillema.gov.