MCG Architecture is currently working on an urban renewal master plan project in the city of Arvada, Colorado. Its a lot of fun to work with the community to essentially create a new neighborhood out of an area that’s become a series of very tired strip malls.
We are meeting with a selected group of neighbors, business owners, and city employees. We’ve also brought in the local recreation district and community college. The advisory committee provides a wonderful cross section of the community with practical goals for the community. They have a vested interest in the future and health of the city they love. The committee also has some terrific ideas for planning and uses.
Our goals, as the planner, are to create an economically viable neighborhood solution that will add value to the city. Too often, suburban communities want to try to force an urban design into their communities, thinking that its an automatic home run. Its not that simple. How do you accomplish creating a new neighborhood that will remain alive and viable? By creating a sense of place.
Basically, memorable destinations generate an emotional reaction in the visitor. Think about your favorite places to visit – why do you love them? Uses, architecture, vehicle and pedestrian circulation, organization, and imagery all contribute to creating a great place. If you create an area that generates a positive emotional connection with visitors, they will return again and again. They will also tell their friends…
We are in the early stages of the project and have essentially completed the information gathering, or programming, phase. At the last meeting, we presented six conceptual schemes which loosely addressed the traffic concerns and the uses within the planning area. The next meeting, we will present two schemes which begin to pin down building areas, public spaces and traffic circulation.
The process of creating a new place or neighborhood is a long and complicated process. There are so many factors to balance and weigh. One thing affects another, sometimes in detriment. That’s where the challenge lies – how best to create our place with the pieces and parts we have?
I cannot post images at this point since we’re not officially public with our design intentions. That will come in the next couple of months. I will then post some of the early planning images so you can see how the process has evolved.
