Understanding a community's past, analyzing its present, and articulating its residents' vision for the future: these three elements make up a process known as "Visioning." This process is a key step in creating a Community Development Plan.

The purpose of the Visioning phase is to identify the points on which residents agree and disagree, and to build a common framework through listening and dialogue. That framework will shape the subsequent stages of the community planning process.

In any community, change is inevitable. You can either seek to guide change, or you can just sit back and let it happen. Choices must be made, because "not to decide is to decide."

Goal-setting is an essential element of good planning. The more clearly you can define the needs of your community, the more effective the entire planning process will be.

During the "Visioning" phase of the Community Development Planning process, the community develops a set of goals and priorities. No matter what your specific needs are determined to be, awareness of the following basic planning themes will help to focus the Visioning process:

• Develop a community-based planning process with broad participation.
• Promote interlocal cooperation.
• Provide housing across a broad range of income levels.
• Protect environmentally sensitive areas, conserve open space, and preserve the historic built environment.
• Promote sustainable economic development.
• Provide for transportation that focuses on the movement of people and goods rather than automobiles; increase the use of alternatives to automobiles, including bikeways and pedestrian ways.
• Build on the character and individuality of Massachusetts communities.