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Community Planning
Comprehensive Planning
Comprehensive planning is a major area of practice within
the firm. Nationally known for our strong emphasis on, and
use of, public participation in the planning process, our
comprehensive plans are vision-based and emphasize the development
of consensus-based policy and strong implementation linkages.
Comprehensive plans have been prepared for mature and growing
communities of all sizes including central cities, edge cities,
and freestanding municipalities and suburbs.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
Neighborhood Planning
The neighborhood remains the most important organizational
unit in most communities. Here the broad policies of a city's
comprehensive plan must be interpreted and refined to respond
to the day-to-day and quality of life needs of the community.
The Camiros approach to neighborhood planning is both physical
and strategic, emphasizing concepts of neighborhood organization
and design as it responds to issues specific or uniqu to individual
neighborhoods. Our planning stesses public involvement techniques
such as workshops and charettes, and many of our clients are
neighborhood organizations as well as municipal governments.
Key outputs of these plans are work programs which identify
projects needed to implement agreed-upon policy and identify
the priorities and responsibilities for acheiving these goals.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
Strategic Planning
Comprehensive plans consider the community as a whole and
focus on the ultimate outcome. Strategic plans focus on values
and process and means of operationalizing those values. While
comprehensive plans provide guidelines for future land-use
decisions that are aimed at balancing land uses and natural
resources with the need for adequate and cost-effective public
services, strategic plans approach the community from a different
perspective. Rather than address the whole community, the
focus on the specific issues that must be resolved to bring
about a desired result. Even more so than a comprehensive
plan, and because any plan is only as good as the action it
creates, our strategic planning process emphasizes the input
of a community's residents. The strategic plan component will
create the linkage to the community's growth management system
and implementation agenda.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
Human Investment Planning
More and more communities are finding that physical planning
alone is not sufficient to ensure future vitality. Improving
the prospects for children in the community, providing access
to affordable housing, retaining and developing jobs that
pay livable wages - these are the types of concerns emerging
at the forefront of discussions about community-building.
The Camiros approach to Human Investment Planning is best
illustarted by example. Kansas City, Missouri, is developing
a non-traditional citywide plan by taking a three-pronged
approach. Two of the prongs of the FOCUS (Forging Our Comprehensive
Urban Strategy) Plan, - Physical Environment and Governance
- are found in most good community plans. The third, though,
breaks new ground by focusing on Human Investment.
Part of the challenge in developing the human investment
component has been defining what it should encompass. Health
care, social services, and basic education immediately come
to mind, but FOCUS also deals with job skill and readiness
training, early-childhood and lifelong education, housing
access, environmental issues, arts and culture, citizenship,
and the elimination of racism. The centerpiece of the plan
is a prototypical child named "Kacey." By improving "Kacey's"
life and giving this child a supportive environment and the
tools to succeed, the community will improve the lives of
all citizens.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
Downtown and Commercial Area Planning
Crafting a strong plan to improve downtown must include
responding to the unique circumstances that define the area.
Camiros places great emphasis on taking a fresh look at each
project. Effective planning for today's urban development
issues requires creativity, and this is not fostered by recycling
"cut and dried" planning methods. In overview, Camiros structures
our planning activities around the following key concepts
that drive our approach to the assignment:
1. Plan boldly enough to achieve community goals.
2. Provide a vision for the downtown.
3. Plan for alternative eventualities.
4. Provide aesthetic direction for the downtown.
5. Establish functional sub-districts within the downtown
when necessary.
6. Practical approach to market assessment.
7. Build upon local organization to advance implementation.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
Disaster Recovery Planning
Communities struck by natural disasters such as floods and
tornados are often helped to respond to the immediate crises
by FEMA and other emergency service entities. But, after the
"crisis" is over, much recovery still needs to be done, such
as rebuilding neighborhoods and reinvigorating commercial
districts. This work requires a solid understanding of the
abilities of disaster struck towns, along with in-depth planning
skills. Camiros has developed special skills and techniques
to aid in long-term community recovery.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
Corridor Planning
Camiros, Ltd. has broad experience in corridor planning,
as well as in the related areas of downtown planning and streetscape
design. This experience ranges from conceptual plan development
to detailed streetscape design and construction. The firm
has experience in other aspects of planning that can add significant
perspective to the planning process such as transportation
planning, land use planning, development controls, and tax
increment financing. This allows Camiros to think strategically
with respect to overall corridor improvement and solve site
specific problems such as parking and vehicular/pedestrian
circulation. This approach to planning and design helps to
ensure that the resources allocated toward improvements will
be well directed to achieve long-term benefits.
Examples of Camiros' work include:
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