A PlaceMaking Journal

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. Continue Reading

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. (more…) Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading

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... Continue Reading