City of Moscow

Moscow is participating in the foundation's pilot project known as America's First NewCities Initiative. By earning a New City designation, Moscow will be recognized nationally as a city eager to engage its people, listen to their ideas, find solutions, and reap the benefits of a community that is prepared to thrive in an era of growing global connection.

On August 22nd the City Council and Mayor will hold a meeting celebrating the conclusion of the New Cities Project. The meeting will begin with an open house session starting at 6:30 p.m. and then the formal report and presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the University Room at the University Inn. During the workshop NewCities Foundation staff will provide an overview of the project, input they have received from the community and their final recommendations and implementation strategies. After the report the Council will hear comments and input from the public.

Many citizens of Moscow have taken the opportunity to voice their hopes about the future of Moscow and a common theme is emerging: planning for a continued high quality of life is critical.

Project History
On September 22nd, The Mayor and City Council hosted the community at the "NewCity Moscow" kickoff event at Friendship Square in downtown Moscow on September 22. The The meeting was attended by over 600 residents who listed to the Mayor's address and heard from Sylvia Lovely, the President of the New Cities Foundation.

On October 13th a community listening session was held at the Hamilton Indoor Recreation Center (HIRC). It was a positive session (see the proposed ground rules) where citizens and community members said what they would like Moscow to be. Participants at the session were asked to take a few minutes and answer several questions. NewCities facilitators will asked each person to share ONE of the things they’ve written. Everyone in the audience had an opportunity to share their visions.

The second meeting was a community Charrette held on Saturday, October 15th from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the HIRC. At this meeting the participants were assembled into small groups to discuss various community issues. New Cities staff facilitated the event and the groups presented their findings and recommendations to the audience. This information will later be utilizing in identifying priorities and work plans to guide our community's future.

The third meeting was a community open house at the 1912 center on November 17th. New Cites staff provided a flyer condensing the input gathered during the October Charrette to verify if what was recorded truly reflected what was said. This meeting provided an opportunity for community members to visit one-on-one with NewCities staff in an informal setting.

The fourth meeting was held on January 19th, at which NewCities staff members presented the initial results of the NewCity Moscow project with preliminary suggestions of strategies to accomplish the communities objectives. The presentation can be viewed here.

The fifth meeting was held on March 2nd, at which the City Council and Mayor conducted a special workshop at the University Inn. A flyer containing an invitation to the meeting and the preliminary recommendations was mailed out to all residential mailing addresses within the City. During the workshop NewCities Foundation staff will made a brief presentation on the status of the project, the input they have received and their preliminary recommendations. After the report the Council received comments and input from the public.

City of Moscow • 206 East Third Street • Moscow • ID • 83843