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Walk & Talk: Recap and Map

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Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Davis Square Walk and Talk! Community members walked the neighborhood alongside staff to observe the square’s current conditions and share ideas for its future.
Our team is currently sorting through and analyzing all the input received. We will compile everything into a comprehensive Community Feedback Summary at the end of Phase 2, which will synthesize key themes to serve as the foundation for developing our draft plan.
In the meantime, some topics we heard consistently across all three sessions included:
Strong interest in local, small retail.
SupportContinue reading
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Davis Square Walk and Talk! Community members walked the neighborhood alongside staff to observe the square’s current conditions and share ideas for its future.
Our team is currently sorting through and analyzing all the input received. We will compile everything into a comprehensive Community Feedback Summary at the end of Phase 2, which will synthesize key themes to serve as the foundation for developing our draft plan.
In the meantime, some topics we heard consistently across all three sessions included:
Strong interest in local, small retail.
Support for mixed-use development and public community centers.
Interest in active ground-floor spaces with opportunities for housing on upper floors.
Emphasis on safer pedestrian connections, transportation infrastructure, and traffic management.
And more!

How to Participate On Your Own Time
If you missed the Walk and Talk or just want explore the route again, you can still participate! We are posting the Walk and Talk route and feedback sheet in the documents section so you can take a self-guided tour anytime.
Self-Guided Paper Route: Print out the route and feedback sheet, walk the path, and use the back of the sheet to write down your observations.
You can return completed sheets in one of three ways:
Email: Send your feedback sheet to planning@somervillema.gov with the subject line “Submission: Davis Square Walk and Talk Feedback Sheet”.
In Person: Drop off at the Planning Division inside the Tufts Administration Building (TAB), 167 Holland St, Somerville, MA.
Mail: Send to Somerville City Hall, Attn: Planning Division, 93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143.
Upcoming Digital Map: In the coming weeks, we will launch an interactive digital map. You can use it to follow the walk-and-talk route and submit comments digitally or drop feedback on any spots in Davis Square that matter to you! Once available, the digital map will be posted here.
Open House and Virtual Meeting

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The City of Somerville’s Planning Division invites you to an in-person, open house for the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan to help shape the future of the square! Your feedback will help build a strong base for developing the draft plan.
In-Person Open House
When: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144
Format: Free flowing, self-paced open house. Drop in anytime during the two-hour window! No registration required.
What to Expect: There is no formal presentation for this workshop. Instead, drop by whenever works best forContinue reading
The City of Somerville’s Planning Division invites you to an in-person, open house for the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan to help shape the future of the square! Your feedback will help build a strong base for developing the draft plan.
In-Person Open House
When: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144
Format: Free flowing, self-paced open house. Drop in anytime during the two-hour window! No registration required.
What to Expect: There is no formal presentation for this workshop. Instead, drop by whenever works best for you during the two-hour window to explore hands-on activity stations and chat directly with City staff and Technical Advisory Committee members.
Opportunities to review the neighborhood research and baseline data our team has been conducting
A strength, weakness, opportunity, and threats analysis to map out community needs and challenges.
A chance for your ideas and creativity to shine through using maps, craft supplies and your imagination!
An opportunity to review goals from past planning cycles and tell us if older plans still match today's realities.
Live co-authoring of a collective, community-wide Vision Statement
And more!
Can’t Make It?
For those who could not attend or are looking for a formal presentation, we will also be hosting a virtual meeting featuring a traditional presentation and a Q&A session on September 17th 5:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. The meeting will be hosted on Zoom and registration is required. To register, please follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/yzp6mkr2
Survey 1: Baseline and Visioning

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In this first survey, we ask how you currently use the square, what concerns you have, and what you see for the neighborhood’s future. Your input will build on previously gathered feedback to guide decisions for the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan when we move into Phase 3: Draft Plan. Don’t forget to share with your community!

Take the 15-minute survey: bit.ly/davissquaresurvey
The survey will remain open through Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Persons with disabilities may request accommodations to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville by contacting the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.govContinue reading

In this first survey, we ask how you currently use the square, what concerns you have, and what you see for the neighborhood’s future. Your input will build on previously gathered feedback to guide decisions for the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan when we move into Phase 3: Draft Plan. Don’t forget to share with your community!

Take the 15-minute survey: bit.ly/davissquaresurvey
The survey will remain open through Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Persons with disabilities may request accommodations to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville by contacting the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.

The survey is available in the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Nepali, Haitian Creole, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. If your preferred language is not available, please call 311 (617-666-3311) or contact us at languageaccess@somervillema.gov. The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter for free.
Davis Square Walk and Talk

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The Planning Division invites you to join us on a guided Walk and Talk of Davis Square on Thursday, September 10, 2026, and share your thoughts for the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan! Come with us as we explore community insights. Along our route, we'll look at key public spaces, share ideas for the future of the square, and talk about what matters to the neighborhood.
To accommodate many schedules, we are offering three time slots throughout the day.
Session 1 (Morning): 9:30 AM
Session 2 (Afternoon): 1:30 PM
Session 3 (Evening): 5:30 PM

Exact route details will be sharedContinue reading
The Planning Division invites you to join us on a guided Walk and Talk of Davis Square on Thursday, September 10, 2026, and share your thoughts for the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan! Come with us as we explore community insights. Along our route, we'll look at key public spaces, share ideas for the future of the square, and talk about what matters to the neighborhood.
To accommodate many schedules, we are offering three time slots throughout the day.
Session 1 (Morning): 9:30 AM
Session 2 (Afternoon): 1:30 PM
Session 3 (Evening): 5:30 PM

Exact route details will be shared prior to the event. Total event time is about route time is about 60 minutes (25 minutes walking, 35 discussion/breaks) with planned rest stops.

Registration: To keep our conversations focused, each session is capped at 20 participants. Every member of your party must register individually. To provide opportunities for all our neighbors, we ask that each person only sign up for one session. Upon arrival, participants will be asked to sign in.
You may register at the following link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/ZRKkJwb1bJ

Waitlist: If your preferred timeslot is full, you will automatically be added to the waitlist.

Deadline: Registration for the Walk and Talk closes September 4th.

To ensure everyone can comfortably participate, we will share the exact route, total walking distance, and terrain details ahead of the event with those who have registered.

We have also planned for multiple breaks. Participants are encouraged to bring water, wear loose fitting clothing, comfortable shoes and sunscreen.
If you require language interpretation services, please let us know when filling out the registration form so we can support you. We will have interpreters available to Walk and Talk with us!
Tabling in Statue Park

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The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan team will be tabling in Statue Park Friday, August 14 from 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm and Saturday, August 15 from 11 am – 2 pm. Stop by to speak directly with staff, review the scope and schedule, and learn more about the project!
The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan team will be tabling in Statue Park Friday, August 14 from 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm and Saturday, August 15 from 11 am – 2 pm. Stop by to speak directly with staff, review the scope and schedule, and learn more about the project!
Davis Square TAC Meeting #1 Recap

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The Davis Square TAC had its first meeting on Tuesday, August 11th. The notes and summary from Meeting #1 are available in the documents section of the SomerVoice page.
The Technical Advisory Committee’s first meeting was focused on community engagement, the project scope, and a baseline inventory analysis. The City of Somerville project team introduced the project and discussed how this planning effort will build on ideas from past plan iterations while creating an updated vision for the neighborhood.
The TAC provided feedback on the Community Engagement plan and provided insight into the community’s perspective on the neighborhood planContinue reading
The Davis Square TAC had its first meeting on Tuesday, August 11th. The notes and summary from Meeting #1 are available in the documents section of the SomerVoice page.
The Technical Advisory Committee’s first meeting was focused on community engagement, the project scope, and a baseline inventory analysis. The City of Somerville project team introduced the project and discussed how this planning effort will build on ideas from past plan iterations while creating an updated vision for the neighborhood.
The TAC provided feedback on the Community Engagement plan and provided insight into the community’s perspective on the neighborhood plan overall. City staff and the TAC discussed the baseline inventory analysis and suggested other data points that could be explored. To close the meeting, the TAC provided parting thoughts and ideas on how to improve past plans and make this a successful planning process.
Thank you to our committee members for bringing their local expertise to the table, and to the community for following along as we work together on the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan! Our next TAC meeting is planned for February 2027.
TAC Update #1

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After a thorough evaluation process, we are excited to announce the first Davis Square TAC meeting!
The first meeting will be held the evening of Tuesday, August 11th. For the first meeting, TAC members will undergo onboarding, review a past data synthesis, and establish alignment on core values with the goal of preliminary visioning.
TAC meetings are closed working sessions and are not public meetings. To keep the public in the loop, notes and summaries from TAC meetings will be posted on SomerVoice in the days following a meeting.
The TAC will actContinue reading
After a thorough evaluation process, we are excited to announce the first Davis Square TAC meeting!
The first meeting will be held the evening of Tuesday, August 11th. For the first meeting, TAC members will undergo onboarding, review a past data synthesis, and establish alignment on core values with the goal of preliminary visioning.
TAC meetings are closed working sessions and are not public meetings. To keep the public in the loop, notes and summaries from TAC meetings will be posted on SomerVoice in the days following a meeting.
The TAC will act as a sounding board for the Planning Division as we develop the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan. There are no formal votes or decisions made by or within TAC meetings. Rather, it is a place for the Planning Division to learn from local knowledge and combine it with planning expertise.
We are excited to announce our committee members: Ruby Aidun, Cassandra Arnaud, Angie Byrne, Paul Christie, Jonah Coe-Scharff, Josh McLinden, Jason Rhode, Rachel Rosenberg, Chenoa Schatzki-McClain, Catherine M Venturini, and Stephanie Wasiuk.
Other Ways to Get Involved
The TAC is just one of the many ways to get involved in shaping the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan. We have several other community outreach and engagement events on the horizon, including public workshops, open houses, surveys and more. We expect to announce dates for our first event in the coming weeks.
Join the Davis Square Mailing List: We recommend you join the Davis Square mailing list. Here is where we will send all major updates and share project events. http://eepurl.com/SXnFT
Join the Planning Division Newsletter: To stay in touch with all things Planning Division, (including Davis Square Neighborhood Plan), you may join the Planning Division newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/somervillema.gov/bxithf5lws

How We Selected TAC Members
Our goal was to build a well-rounded team that balances personal, lived experiences with professional expertise.
What We Looked For
We evaluated applications based on a geographic connection to Davis Square, a commitment to neighborhood equity, and how an applicant's background fit into four core categories:
Neighborhood & People Advocacy: Experience in housing affordability, tenant organizing, or senior and immigrant services.
Local Business & Economy: Small business operators, commercial tenants, or property managers.
Public Realm, Mobility & Infrastructure: Daily transit users, pedestrians, and safety advocates.
Arts & Culture: Local artists and cultural non-profits.
Note: Applicants did not need to meet every single qualification to be chosen. For instance, living directly inside the square wasn't a requirement if a strong connection to the area was clear, and personal/lived experience was weighted just as heavily as professional experience.
The Evaluation Process
Applications were reviewed in three distinct stages:
Baseline Review: We checked for baseline completion and that applicants were available to attend all mandatory meetings.
Qualitative Ranking: We reviewed the application with an emphasis on short-answer responses. Applicants were evaluated on their local insights, their alignment with community collaboration and equity values, and their vision for the future of Davis Square in line with SomerVision 2040.
Final Selection: The project team reviewed the top-ranked applications and made final selections.
Invited Stakeholders
To ensure key local perspectives were represented, we sent asked some established neighborhood organizations to apply. Invitations to apply did not grant automatic selection. While applicants who represented a target organization were pre-vetted as having a direct local connection to the study area, every applicant was evaluated using the same criteria for their core values, collaboration style, and community perspective.
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Applications

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The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan process has officially launched, and the City of Somerville’s Planning Division is convening a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to help guide the effort. A TAC is a group of community members and subject-matter experts assembled to provide specialized guidance, feedback, and recommendations throughout the planning process. As a key partner in the development of the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan, the TAC will help review and strengthen data collection and analysis, inform project priorities, and assist in shaping community engagement efforts.
Members of the TAC can expect to attend three meetings throughout the project that alignContinue reading
The Davis Square Neighborhood Plan process has officially launched, and the City of Somerville’s Planning Division is convening a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to help guide the effort. A TAC is a group of community members and subject-matter experts assembled to provide specialized guidance, feedback, and recommendations throughout the planning process. As a key partner in the development of the Davis Square Neighborhood Plan, the TAC will help review and strengthen data collection and analysis, inform project priorities, and assist in shaping community engagement efforts.
Members of the TAC can expect to attend three meetings throughout the project that align with key milestones. Information about anticipated meeting timeframes, the length of each meeting, and meeting format (i.e., virtual, in-person, or hybrid) are detailed in the application.
Applicants will be evaluated based on their geographic connection to Davis Square, their commitment to neighborhood equity, and how their professional or lived experience fills one of the following core qualification categories: neighborhood and people advocacy, local business and economy, public realm, mobility and infrastructure, arts and culture.
Although these categories and metrics outline our primary criteria, an applicant does not need to meet every qualification to be chosen; our goal is to select well-rounded individuals who bring unique perspectives to the table. Both personal and professional experience will be weighted equally in selection. There will be several additional opportunities aside from the TAC to get involved in the planning process, including pop-up events, surveys, and community workshops.
To be considered, please apply here by the submission deadline. (The deadline has now passed)
Submissions can be completed online, or physical paper applications can be downloaded from the documents section of SomerVoice, printed, and mailed to Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143, or dropped off in person to the Planning Division, located at the Tufts Administration Building (TAB), 167 Holland St, Somerville, MA.
Submission Deadline: July 12th, 2026, at 11:59 PM. Final decisions will be made in late July.
Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov
If you need assistance translating or understanding this information, please call 311 (617-666-3311) or contact us at languageaccess@somervillema.gov. The City of Somerville can provide you with an interpreter for free.