Urban Design

In the words of former NYS Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey, “every community is a combination of its parts, a streetscape, a park, a farm- and our perception of the totality of them creates our sense of place.”

Parks are the place! The great role of parks and public spaces in advancing health, wellness and inclusion in our communities has become even more vital today. The design of our public spaces and inclusion of sustainable infrastructure have a lasting impact on how we connect with our environment and one another.

From revitalized urban waterfronts to New York State’s highest peaks, we have collaborated in numerous ways to preserve and enhance the wonderful parks and historic sites throughout our region.

With each project, we engage stakeholders in deep collaboration and we listen! We believe that inspired programming and resourceful design ideas begin with an appreciation for the unique attributes of each locale to create truly inspiring parks and people-friendly places.

Here are some of our recent open space and park design projects:

Modular Design

Simplicity in design does not exclude deep thought and strategic planning – modular design is a manifestation of this idea and is a level of design thinking that can be utilized at any scale.

Understanding Place

One of the earliest steps in our design process is illustrating the forces that will affect a future design. It is imperative for us to understand how a new project will interact with its surroundings, make us feel, appear throughout the season, and accommodate the needs of future occupants.

Universal Design for Public Comfort Stations

We strive to design for all at every level of the built environment. We are looking beyond Gender Neutral design to Universally designed bathrooms, or comfort stations – conceived to be accessible to all people, regardless of gender expression, age, ability, belief, and social structure.