Urban Planning & Development
Urban planning starts with building partnerships. That’s why SmithGroup’s planning process is intentionally inclusive, working with our clients to gain a deep understanding of their communities and their needs. Our holistic approach allows us to discover connections and identify improvements that translate ideas into innovative, actionable policies and projects. No matter what the scale of your project, we bring bold urban thinking, unafraid of driving change and shifting community conversations from “what has been” to “what can be.”
Destination Medical Center Development Plan Update, Rochester, MN. 350 S. Fifth Ave. Mixed-Use Development, Ann Arbor, MI. Wake Forest Innovation Quarter 2 Master Plan, Winston-Salem, NC. Plan Danville Comprehensive Plan, Danville, VA. Buffalo Central Terminal Adaptive Reuse and Redevelopment Plan, Buffalo, NY
The most successful urban planning projects are built on a strong foundation of community involvement. It begins with our clients: listening and engaging with them to understand their objectives and goals. Community stakeholders are always vital participants in a transparent, community-led process. We augment community insights with hard data—harnessing research and spatial analysis to develop solutions that fit each community’s context, capacity and long-term vision.
SmithGroup’s interdisciplinary planning team develops comprehensive frameworks for implementation that address phasing, policy changes and partnerships. We bring substantial experience to each new project, able to think at multiple scales, foresee and overcome potential obstacles, develop alternate scenarios and design concepts, and facilitate consensus building. It’s a process that results in impactful and transformative city building, from a foundation of plans and policies to fully realized and thriving places.