Can You Imagine: Parks Over the Pike in Newton - Boston Globe

Newton, MA — Boston Globe features story about vision to “deck over” the pike in Newton, MA as part of the ongoing Washington Street Vision Plan & Code project.

In Newton, a walk through the park could one day mean a hike over the Massachusetts Turnpike, as city officials consider a proposal to build public parks on decks spanning the highway.

For more information on the Washington Street Vision Plan & Code, see the city’s website: www.newtonma.gov/washingtonstreetvision. To read the Boston Globe article, click the link below.

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Can You Imagine: Parks Over the Pike in Newton | Boston Globe, March 15, 2019

Open Comment Period on First Draft for Newton's Washington Street Vision Plan Underway

Newton, MA — Open comment period for the first draft of the Washington Street Vision Plan in Newton, MA is underway: residents can read and comment directly on the document online and in-person throughout the City. For more information, read about the project at www.newtonma.gov/washingtonstreetvision!

Woonasquatucket Vision Plan Announced

Providence, RI — On Thursday, Providence city officials including Mayor Jorge O. Elorza announced a new plan for the neighborhoods along the Woonasquatucket River corridor.

“We’re thinking big about the Woonasquatucket River Corridor,” said Elorza.

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MORE INFO:
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza unveils 20-year revitalization plan for Woonasquatucket River — Providence Journal, October 25, 2018
Woonasquatucket Vision Project Page

Smart Cities and the Symbiotic Relationship between Smart Governance and Citizen Engagement

BOSTON, MA — Tori Okner and Russ Preston collaborated to write Chapter 12 of Smart Cities: Foundations, Principles, and Application (published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc). The chapter, entitled Symbiotic Relationship between Smart Governance and Civic Engagement, suggests that for smart cities to succeed they must facilitate human connection. This can be achieved through smart governance, circumspect implementation of the tenants of smart cities, along with human‐centered planning and design. The daily experiences of a city's population represent an often‐untapped source of knowledge about how the city could be improved. Tapping into this knowledge base is essential for smart governance. The symbiotic relationship between citizen engagement and smart governance is explored through a case study on Somerville, Massachusetts. To read more, click the links below!

MORE INFO:
Chapter Summary
Book Information

Hello Washington Street! Studio Week

Newton, MA — This month, Principle and the City of Newton held a public design workshop in the form of an on-the-ground Pop-Up Design Studio to explore a vision for Washington Street. From June 7 through June 12, the public was encouraged to stop by the studio at 1239 Washington Street anytime from 8:30am–9pm daily to participate in topic sessions, community dialogue, planning activities, and engage with the project team. For more information on the process including photo, video, and results, please go to the City's website. 

MORE INFO:
City of Newton Washington Vision Plan Webpage

Coding After Dark: PlaceCode Beta 3.0 Release Party at CNU Savannah

SAVANNAH, GA — A planner, a developer, and a designer walk into a bar...

Coding After Dark, an informal release party for Principle's PlaceCode Beta 3.0, went off without a hitch at CNU 26 in Savannah this May. Physical copies of the code were available to party-goers, who immediately began marking it up with pens and pencils. If you weren't able to make it, or are curious to view the code and provide feedback, please check it out online at placecode.org!

 

Woonasquatucket Draft Vision Plan Approved by Redevelopment Agency

PROVIDENCE, RI — On Thursday, the Providence Redevelopment Agency approved a draft plan for the Woonasquatucket Corridor.

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Draft plan for Woonasquatucket Corridor includes financing, envisions mixed use — Providence Journal, May 10, 2018

Form-Based Zoning Code Draws Interest in Mashpee Commons

MASHPEE COMMONS, MA — A "Tuesday Talk" about form-based codes took place April 10, as part of a community planning effort called Mashpee Commons by Design. Somerville's Director of Planning George Proakis was on hand to discuss the differences between conventional zoning and form-based code, his experience with both methods in Somerville, and answer a broad range of questions from the audience. 

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Form-Based Zoning Code Draws Interest | The Mashpee Enterprise—April 20, 2018

To learn more about the Mashpee Commons By Design process, including information about other Tuesday Talks, please visit their website: www.mashpeecommons.com/future

PACTS Destination 2040 Long Range Plan Wins 2018 New Urbanism Award

BOSTON, MA — Principle and Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) were awarded the 2018 Urbanism Award for Regional Engagement on Thursday, March 29 at the Impact Hub in Boston. For more information on the project, please read a summary on the project page by clicking the link below. 

MORE INFO:
View Destination 2040 Plan 

Director of Principle's Portland Office Seeks to Renew Lewiston Firehouse

LEWISTON, ME—Kara Wilbur, Director of Principle's Portland Office and co-founder of the Build Maine conference, seeks to renovate the old Lincoln Street firehouse in Lewiston into a mixed-use space housing a restaurant or brewery on the ground floor with two second-story apartments. 

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Portland-based developers hope to attract restaurant, brewery to former Lewiston firehouse | Portland Herald, February 5, 2018

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Woonasquatucket Vision Plan Open House - Feb 28

PROVIDENCE, RI — After a year's worth of community visioning and workshops, the City of Providence and Principle will host a final Open House for the Woonasquatucket Vision Plan on Wednesday, February 28 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at the Wurks, 45 Acorn Street (entrance on Tingley Street, halfway down the block on the right). 

At the open house, we’ll present a draft of the Vision Plan, put it on display gallery style, and solicit one last round of feedback (live and online). 

The Open House is part of the #Woonasquatucket Vision Plan, a plan for redeveloping polluted industrial sites along Providence’s Woonasquatucket River. The Plan aims to stimulate economic development that benefits neighborhood stakeholders and strengthens environmental and social resilience. It will be used to guide and prioritize the many investments planned and underway in the Woonasquatucket Corridor, determine other needed investments, visualize what desirable reinvestment looks like, and advocate for and secure resources for implementation.

More information can be found on the project website:
 http://www.providenceri.gov/planning/woonasquatucket/

Plans Unveiled for Mixed-Use Infill Project in Mission Hill

BOSTON, MA—New Urban Partners LLC, Principle, and Utile have unveiled plans for a mixed-use infill project for Mission Hill. The 31-unit development on Burney Street includes a ground-floor restaurant, a public laneway, and several affordable units.

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31-unit development eyed for Mission Hill | Boston Herald—January 8, 2018

Principle is Hiring!

New England—Principle is seeking a full-time Urban Designer to join our team.

Are you a New Urbanist, self-starter who works well in a virtual office space? Can you bring three years of experience working at a professional firm to our team? We'd love to hear from you! Read the full job descriptions below. 

JOB OPENINGS:

Russell Preston Selected as Jury Member of CNU Charter Awards

Since 2002, CNU's annual Charter Awards have recognized outstanding achievements in architectural, landscape, and urban design and planning worldwide. Regarded as the preeminent award for excellence in urban design, the CNU Charter Awards honors a select number of winners—including student winners. Winning projects represent major contributions to building more equitable, sustainable, connected, healthy, and prosperous communities. 

CNU convenes a Charter Awards jury of distinguished designers, architects, planners and scholars who review entries and select winners. Applicants are judged on the extent to which they fulfill and advance the principles of the Charter of the New Urbanism, which defines the essential qualities of outstanding buildings and urban places. Charter Awards recognize projects at three scales:

• The Region: Metropolis, City, and Town

• Neighborhood, District, and Corridor

• Block, Street, and Building

Jurors for the 2017 CNU Charter Awards include: Maurice Cox, Jury Co-Chair and Director of Planning & Development for the City of Detroit; Jennifer Hurley, Jury Co-Chair and
Principal at Hurley-Franks & Associates; Antonio Fiol-Silva, FAIA and Founding Principal at
Sitio Architecture + Urbanism; Susan Henderson, Principal at Placemakers; Anne-Marie Lubenau, FAIA and Director at Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence; Elizabeth Mossop, Dean of School of Design at University of Technology Sydney; and Russell Preston, Founder and Director at Principle Group. 

MORE INFO:

CNU Charter Awards website
Congress for New Urbanism website

Community Process Begins for Expansion of Mashpee Commons

MASHPEE, MA—Mashpee Commons by Design seeks to engage the community in order to facilitate the design for the expansion of Mashpee Commons, an award-winning, mixed-use neighborhood on Cape Cod. Principle, Imai Keller Moore Architects, and Simon Consulting working with the Mashpee Commons to host a series of public events over the course of 2018.  

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Mashpee Commons gives community planners a blank slate | The Mashpee Enterprise—December 8, 2017