AUBURN — It would be easier to list the groups that weren’t represented at the Lewiston-Auburn joint meeting Thursday night than to list those that were.

City Councils from both sides of the river and the city clerks were there. The Chamber of Commerce, the L-A Economic Growth Council, the business planners, the librarians and even the water and sewer departments had people in attendance.

In their midst was Jim Damicis, senior vice president of Camoin Associates. He was there to provide a view of the not-too-distant future, a stark look at the way things have changed in the local economy.

“We’re in an environment now,” Damicis told the group, “where small is really big.”

What does that mean?

Lots of things.

Damicis led city leaders through a list of realities that have changed the economic landscape. Advances in technology that allow people to work anywhere in the world, for example. Robotics threatening to render extinct as many as 40 percent of current jobs.

There’s the increased cost of labor in China to think about and the fact that most businesses are no longer tied to natural resources, such as the Androscoggin River. There is the intersection of many sectors; the ease of online shopping and the fact that it’s not just people being connected by the Internet, but things.

And money, of course. As Lewiston and Auburn look to move into the future together, they have to start thinking more creatively. Networking is where it’s at. In tough economic times, funds for some projects may have to come from concepts like crowd-sourcing instead of directly from the taxpayer.

“There is a lot more pressure,” Damicis said. “A lot more scrutiny on local budgets. We have to find new ways to finance things.”

This is what Camoin Associates does. Considered leading experts in economic development, the company was brought here to help guide Lewiston and Auburn into the future. To attract business. To lure families here and to hang on to their existing populations.

It’s not all about factories anymore, Damicis said, or housing that’s convenient to the workplace. It’s about building a place where people want to be.

“It’s about having options,” Damicis said. “It’s about having art and culture and recreation.”

Gone are the days when a region can put all of its eggs into one basket — the textile factories or the paper mills.

“You have to look at how you’re going to diversify across the entire economic base,” Damicis said.

For the first half-hour, the group assembled at City Hall only had to listen. The rest of the night was about discussion. The first order of business was a lofty question: What activities or processes have worked well for the Twin Cities so far, and thus, should be kept?

The answers were diverse.

“We have so many different agencies working on economic growth,” Lewiston City Council President Mark Cayer said. “That’s something that’s worked out well. It’s such a diverse group.”

The others were quick to agree, although they would later find problems with this very thing. Lewiston and Auburn have numerous individuals and groups working on growth, yes. But is it a cohesive effort? Does anybody even know who’s in charge?

They agreed that tax-based sharing has worked out well as the cities continue to work together. And branding of the region with slogans, including “It’s Happening Here,” and “Cities of the Androscoggin,” has been effective.

Auburn Mayor Jonathan LaBonte pointed out the success of the LA Art Walks and how it has helped to establish networks and revitalize downtown Lewiston.

But again, there were rumblings of that lack of cohesiveness. One councilor pointed out that a figurative master plan has been in the works for many years, but it changes as new leaders are elected and others fade into memory.

The trick, it was agreed, was to take the old ideas and make them work with the more current vision.

“I don’t think,” LaBonte said, “that anyone is saying we should throw away the work that’s been done and start from scratch. A lot of good work has been done.”

Either way, the vision of the future must be able to evolve and adapt. The meeting with Camoin on Thursday night was a large part of that.

“The plan,” Cayer said, “needs to be a living, breathing plan.”

Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald also complained about a lack of continuity and defined roles among city and business leaders. He said the goal still needs to be to build an area that people want to call home.

“You make the place livable,” he said, “and you attract people.”

There was talk of further unification between the cities as a means of creating that cohesiveness. There was talk of better communicating with the rest of the state about the area’s successes and continuing needs.

“The world needs to know that this is a great place to live,” Auburn City Councilor Tizz Crowley said. “We need to keep the citizens of L-A here, and I don’t think we’re doing a good job of that. We have young people we want to keep, but they’re going elsewhere.”

Damicis gave everyone a rather long list of trends in economic developments — various things for the cities to consider as they plan for their future together. More work needs to be done, everyone agreed on that. There will be more meetings, more plans and more heavy discussion. The goal? Not just to adapt in the fast-changing economic environment but to formulate a plan that will enable both cities to thrive.

In a cohesive way.

“I think we’re going to have to learn how to do that,” Mark Adams of LAEGC said, “and learn how to do it well.”