Public input played a key role in the creation of the plan, with over 700 community members participating in a week-long charrette. Participants, City leaders, and the design team identified a series of plan fundamentals, or “foundations”, essential to the implementation of the plan. These foundations of the plan include preserving the traditional city, providing greater connections to the James River, encouraging proper urban architecture, providing variety and choice in housing, services, and transportation, making a ‘greener’ Downtown, and promoting Richmond’s historic past.