The City of Richmond is seeking your input about the future of historic Shockoe Bottom. To its credit, the City is asking, “What are your BIG IDEAS?” To answer the City’s question -- now , while Shockoe’s small area plan is being written by the City’s Department of Planning and Development – public advocacy is needed to promote the community-generated concept for the Shockoe Bottom Memorial Park . That is an expansive memorial park that marries preservation, commemoration, education, and equitable revitalization at a scale proportionate to Shockoe Bottom’s nationally significant heritage. On July 17 the City convened its second public meeting about Shockoe’s small area plan. The meeting room was full of community members. After brief remarks, the community members engaged in dynamic conversations at facilitated tables in the too-noisy room. The City’s goal for the meeting was a public discussion about how to physically implement big-picture themes like “history and cultur