CNU32 kicked off in Cincinnati, OH in Mid-May this year.
DPZ’s busy 2024 calendar continued throughout the late spring and into the summer with public and private sector projects. CNU32 in mid-May drew over 1,000 New Urbanists to host city Cincinnati, OH. Following last year’s trend, the event saw many new attendees bringing renewed energy to the sessions.
Meanwhile, DPZ has been pleased to welcome a mix of new and familiar faces to our offices in Miami, DC, and Portland.
To read and learn more in depth about our work this past year, check out the other posts on the DPZ Pulse.
CNU32 – Cincinnati, OH
As DPZ partner Matt Lambert assumed his new role as chair of its board of directors, the 32nd Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) annual conference took over downtown Cincinnati, OH, in mid-May.
Quite appropriately for a 19th Century city that has witnessed the rebirth of many historic neighborhoods, the theme was restorative urbanism. Many of the sessions focused on the management, design, and policy tools new urbanists are employing to bring about much-needed revitalization in our urban cores.
DPZ helped “restore and energize” the attendees once again with our #NotABooth coffee lounge. While not taking in the sights of new and old urbanism in the area, DPZers were moderating sessions, participating in panel discussions, and sharing some of DPZ’s architectural and urban know-how in special presentations.
Click here to read more about DPZ’s participation at this year’s CNU conference.
Walton County 2040 Community Engagement Charrette
This past May, a team led by DPZ and Walton County held a community engagement charrette that welcomed opinions and insight from local community members to provide an evaluation and appraisal update to the comprehensive plan, and propose a physical vision.
The county’s goal is to ensure the anticipated growth and development over the next few decades can be well balanced with the preservation of the environmental and natural resources. Topics included preservation, infrastructure, traffic, Smart Growth, and more.
The Assessment of the Comp Plan is expected to be completed mid-2025, and will build upon the impactful Comprehensive Plan “South Walton TRUST Plan”, also completed by DPZ in 1996.
Click here to read more.
Winnipeg, Canada
This June, DPZ led a workshop to help draft a new zoning code for the City of Winnipeg, Canada. Among the goals of the future form-based document was the enabling of by-right development along corridors and for large shopping center and mall retrofits, aimed at providing housing.
Regulations for the Malls and Corridors, along with some missing middle infill, will be adopted later this year.
For the workshop, the goal was to have 6 sample sites analyzed and designed to represent different conditions around the city. By weeks end, there were 9 studies — this was a result of multiple developers and mall operators interested in having their sites redesigned. Co-designing with DPZ and producing roughly half the site studies was the Calgary-based office of B&A Studios, led by Geoff Dyer and Laura Young.
Friday Harbour, Innisfill, Canada
In the two decades since DPZ’s initial consultation on the project, Friday Harbour Resort has undergone various evolutions. Its latest planned development, proposing greater amenities and a higher density beach area featuring a hotel, marks a new phase.
Nestled around a man-made marina off Lake Simcoe, this latest evolution embodies Friday Harbour’s commitment to developing a year-round, amenity-rich resort destination.
The goal is to strike a balance between well-planned density that supports retail, restaurants, and other activities and land conservation that celebrates the surrounding natural beauty.
Click here to read more.
HUD Innovative Housing Showcase – Washington, DC
This June 6-7, Andres Duany and several other DPZers participated in the Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall, managed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R).
DPZ partnered with New Amherst Homes, 21st Century Home, and the No-Nonsense Housing Company to design and build model units for “The Bento” and “The C.I.E.R.S. House”.
Click here to learn more about the event.
Above: Poundbury, Dorchester
NTBA UK Immersion Trip with Senen Antonio
DPZ Partner Senen Antonio embarked on an International Immersion Tour this past June with the National Town Builders Association (NTBA) in Hertfordshire and Dorchester, England, UK.
Characterized by its picturesque countryside, charming towns and cities, and close proximity to London, Hertfordshire has long been considered to be an extremely desirable place to live, work, and visit. In 2008, DPZ was invited by the University of Hertfordshire to run the Hertfordshire Planning Charrette to engage the general population in a debate about the county’s future design and growth.
The tour also included Poundbury, Dorchester, where DPZ designed a code and regulating plan in 1989, as well as an introduction to The King’s Foundation. The King’s Foundation provides holistic solutions to challenges facing the world today, and has a history of collaboration with DPZ since it was initially called The Prince’s Foundation.
Senen also hosted a Central London Walking Tour that explored a number of landmarks and hotspots.
DPZ attends the Hagamos Ciudad (Let’s Make a City) Conference in Leon, Mexico
Organized by long-time DPZ clients, the Gómez family of León, Guanajuato, the Hagamos Ciudad conference took place last May in León, the second of what is becoming a biennial event to promote New Urbanism in Mexico. Over 300 local developers, financiers, and architects eagerly attended two days of presentations at the beautiful campus of the Academia Renacimiento, a music school for local underserved children operated by the Gómez family.