look.listen.draw.

look…

we first visit the site and map its natural and cultural resources to come to a deep understanding of these features. Natural factors include topography, vegetation, hydrology and solar aspect. Cultural factors include historic buildings, land use, transportation, pedestrian use patterns, and utilities. Each of these may become a driver of design, whether as a constraint or opportunity for placemaking. ©

listen…

we mean engaging the neighbors and stakeholders in a public conversation about their needs and desires. We find face to face meetings invaluable to gaining an understanding of community values, but increasingly, social media is being used as a supplement, as it affords the ability to capture sentiments of people who do not have the time or ability to attend public meetings. From these public conversations arises a sense of a program for a given place. Listening continues throughout the design process, as we present our ideas and gain feedback from our clients and the public. This feedback drives refinements to the design to make it even more place-specific.

draw…

we mean to create plans, sketches, and images for a proposed landscape. We employ a variety of imagery to communicate ideas to the public, including sketches, photos, and diagrams. All of our work is geared toward an understanding of the scale, character, and quality of place by the general public. To that end, we employ “before” and “after” imagery for places, as people can most easily grasp change through such direct comparisons, more than looking at plans. We also create alternative plans so that people have real choice in the destiny of a place by seeing a variety of concepts.