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In both the Atlanta metro region and beyond, Decatur, Georgia enjoys a reputation for smart growth and good governance. But it’s not an arbitrary assessment. Since its landmark 1982 Town Center Plan, the city has earnestly and continuously sought the input and contributions of its residents and has, in turn, acted on their collective will in the form of policy, programs and growth regulations.
In short, they ask what residents want, then do their level best to get it done.
Charles B. Rice grew up in Early County, Georgia, and moved away to make his fortune. Upon returning, he was struck by the downtrodden state of the county, and undertook a 50-year visioning effort to turn things around. Recognizing the expansive scope of his challenge, he engaged PlaceMakers to facilitate an economic development visioning process characterized by wide community engagement, master planning, a form-based SmartCode customization, and ongoing guidance in how to implement ambitious efforts in a climate of economic disinvestment.
Fitchburg has the unique advantage of lying between the time-tested urbanity of Madison and the inspiring landscape of the agrarian countryside. Citizens have access to either in a matter of minutes. But what’s missing in its current array of suburban housing and commercial areas is the appeal and practical performance of more compact, walkable neighborhoods. The Fitchburg SmartCode District aims to empower a more complete community with the full range of living, working, and playing environments.
Honokohau Village offers up a whole new way of planning for the County of Hawai’i Planning Department, the focus of which is an 80-acre TOD in Kona that includes the new West Hawai’i Civic Center. But the broader aim is educational.
Developer Herb Freeman’s home, a Georgian mansion that sits in the geographic center of his 160 acres, inspired the design for Leytham, a traditional neighborhood development just outside Omaha, Nebraska. Directing all facets, PlaceMakers delivered master planning, regulatory codes, charrette communications, implementation advisory and, after the charrette itself, brand marketing support.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Pike Road, Alabama, Mayor Gordon Stone had two key opportunities before him. First was the rural city’s prospects for growth. Just 15 miles outside Montgomery in its primary growth corridor, there was no question it was coming. And quick. With an aggressive strategy to encourage and manage it, this ambitious and relatively young community could bring greater flexibility and choice to landowners — and make the prospect of annexation more attractive to those adjoining its borders.
Having attracted $6 million in grants and loans from three federal agencies, HUD, EPA and DOT, the city of Ranson, West Virginia, contracted with an international team of consultants for Transect-based planning. With the EPA money, the planning partners designed proposals for re-purposing six brownfield sites for new businesses. HUD funding provided resources for a rezoning approach to guide smarter growth and redevelopment. And the DOT grant enabled the redesign of a key corridor into a connective boulevard and plans for the transformation of historic Charles Washington Hall in Charles Town into a commuter center, strengthening links between regional rail and regional residents.
