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Thursday, September 24, 2009

'Efficient' Projects = Setting & Sticking to Project Goals

Tucson Weekly named a project I managed (from the landscape architecture side, of course) as the best example of an efficient design/construction project for the City of Tucson. I have to agree (well, why wouldn't I?). Check out the link below:
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/best-example-of-city-efficiency/BestOf?oid=1360541

Any downtown project, anywhere in the world, can be rife with delays and controversy. There are just too many people affected (or not really affected, but just want to have a say) and too often designs, budgets and schedules suffer as a result.
But the Scott Avenue Streetscape project went more smoothly than any other public project I've worked on so far. There was an honest, genuine effort to inform stakeholders so they understood what the project was all about. The design team stuck to overall project goals at every turn - which was a great way to help keep us all on track. When you set your goals (and make them known) at the onset of the project, anything that comes along can be balanced against them to determine whether it is worth pursuing or including at that time.
I have often been told that the Scott Avenue streetscape project should be the benchmark for the rest of the redevelopment of downtown. That is incredibly flattering and alot of thanks goes to all the City staff, designers, stakeholders, and construction crew for making it happen!
If you live in town, you should take a stroll down Scott Avenue sometime...the blog post just below this one shows the curb openings on Scott Avenue collecting water during a rainstorm...

PS: In the interest of full disclosure, I was working with another local landscape architecture firm at the time I managed this project.