DesignWorks

About the Program

Category: Planning (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

DesignWorks is an urban design program administered within the joint Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department. DesignWorks was created in 2011 to provide skilled urban design consultations on public and private construction projects, develop and implement district plans focused on placemaking, and to participate in policy projects involving urban design and the public realm. This approach works to include the concepts of urban design and placemaking at three different scales of intervention: public policy, district plans, and individual sites. The purpose of the program is to engage as co-creators of our community with the private and public sector to make our community more functional and comfortable for people. A functional and comfortable urban environment is an important factor in both environmental and economic sustainability. Outcomes from the DesignWorks program include development of Multi-Modal Transportation District design standards, adoption of four separate district placemaking action plans, implementation of significant streetscape improvements based on district plans, award-winning public realm projects (Civil Rights Heritage Walk and Smokey Hollow Commemoration at Cascades Park), and many consultations providing recommendations on private development projects.