A new exhibition previewing Huntsville's comprehensive master plan will allow residents to learn more about future growth in the Rocket City.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Long-Range Planner Dennis Madsen held a news conference Tuesday, July 19, 2016, to announce a new exhibit previewing the city's master plan to be revealed in full this fall. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

Mayor Tommy Battle and The BIG Picture will unveil a new traveling exhibit at 6 p.m. July 26 in the fellowship hall at First Baptist Church on 600 Governors Drive in Huntsville.

City leaders will be available at the free event to review the plan's findings, provide tours and answer questions about Huntsville's blueprint for growth before the master plan release this fall.

"When you walk through this exhibit, you're going to see and hear the voices of the citizens of Huntsville," Battle said. "We have a community-driven plan informed by facts and by best practices. This will be our compass and it will be our catalyst moving forward."

The master plan process began two years ago to address several areas: reviving older neighborhoods and struggling retail areas; meeting the needs of young professionals and empty nesters; preparing for an increasingly digital world; discussing where to put future parks and greenways; and managing growth in a sustainable way.

The plan is organized by six guiding principles, including:

Build a Live/Work Thrive Community

Expand a Sustainable, Resilient Economy

Design a Mobile and Accessible Transportation Network

Maintain a Network of Exceptional Education

Support Local Arts and Culture

Develop Healthy and Active Neighborhoods

Huntsville's Long-Range Planner Dennis Madsen said the most exciting part of The BIG Picture process so far is the amount of public input received since 2014.

"I get the sense that there is a lot of public interest in seeing this implemented and seeing these programs roll out simply because we've been able to talk to so many people," he said. " ... Here, because there is so much interest at the community level in seeing these things happen, that's why this actually stands a chance of being a vision for the future that is actually implemented."

The public event next week will be the first in a series of meetings to see The BIG Picture exhibit over the course of four to six weeks. Madsen said anyone who is interested in hosting the exhibit for an evening in Huntsville can contact the city's planning department at 256-427-5100.

Locations and dates of future exhibits will be posted at bigpicturehuntsville.com.

"We'll be moving the exhibit all around the city to allow as many people as possible the opportunity to see it first-hand," Madsen said.