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Governing Magazine - Placemaker Profile: Allan Jacobs
Charlotte Center City Vision
Charlotte, NC (2008-2009)
Client: Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Department, Charlotte Center City Partners (CCCP), City of Charlotte
A working group meeting with city employees
Under the leadership of Leon Younger and PROS Consulting, PPS is working on the Charlotte Center City Vision for Parks, Recreation, and Public Spaces, which will help drive the development of a more livable and vibrant downtown in the years to come. Our planning is framed around the key destinations in Center City – parks, entertainment and sports destinations, cultural and educational institutions, commercial hubs, transportation facilities, etc. – and how to enhance and connect them.
The Plan provides the vision, goals, design guidelines, as well as the principles, strategies and policies to help make Center City an extraordinary place to live, work, and visit. As Charlotte develops more densely, there is a need for great attractive, usable public spaces that provide and opportunity for meaningful experiences. Every park should be designed to contribute to the environment, social and economic well-being of the surrounding neighborhood and or attraction in Center City. Parks cannot be planned and designed as independent “recreational islands”; they must respond to the context of adjacent streets and land uses as well. Therefore, the Plan creates a strong vision for a system of connecting streets, boulevards, green streets, bike paths, and greenways to create a sense of place and infuse the center city with the same quality of amenities, activities, and maintenance that one finds in a fine civic park.
A local attraction will become part of a larger vision for the city
Financing alternatives have also been identified to make this Charlotte Center City Vision a reality, from utility fees to a park benefit district to a boulevard tax and beyond.
The plan will be incorporated into the Charlotte Center City 2020 Vision Plan and, in fact, provides a bridge between the 2010 plan and the 2020 plan.
