Lighting Up Civic Pride By Karen Weston-Chien, RLA Across the United States there is more and more discussion about the use of Neotraditional planning for new developments. These new developments attempt to duplicate the physical properties, particularly the streetscapes, of small city America to create new communities. Less attention has been paid to the original precedents for Neotraditonal planning. The small town, which is alive and well and in many cases redeveloping its downtown streets, is doing so for all the same reasons small town attributes are being designed into new developments. The small town or city provides an identifiable sense of community usually through well-scaled, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. These small cities are realizing the crucial role that downtowns play in reinforcing that sense of community and place. The redevelopment of a downtown requires the ability to create a consensus of support for the project and the design as well as the skills to solve difficult technical problems while creating a unified design. An example of this process of managing the people issues and the physical issues can be found in the Monroe, North Carolina streetscape project. The FWA Group, the Monroe City Council, and Downtown Monroe, Inc., embarked upon a process in 1993 to not only improve the physical setting of downtown but also to cause the citizens of Monroe to rediscover and embrace their civic heart. The design team used a variety of tools to draw people into the process, both to determine their opinion about the physical setting and to get them emotionally involved and excited about the project. The FWA Group completed a door-to-door survey with the existing downtown business and property owners; set up a storefront location for workshops during the design process; presented the plans to large groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and conducted educational tours to explain the problems and the prospects for the downtown area. The Landscape Architects understood that in Monroe, as in any downtown revitalization effort, the support, enthusiasm and education of the public is key to its success. The design for Monroe evolved from the desire to enliven its downtown by enhancing existing architecture, reinforcing downtown's retail potential and creating a streetscape that is durable, flexible and easy to maintain. If those criteria were realized downtown Monroe's long-term future would be bright. Landscape Architects designed a very clean environment that is highlighted by Hadco period light fixtures and Zelkova (Ulmaceae) street trees. Project Manager and Landscape Architect Edd Evans, ASLA, designed the lighting plan after analyzing other downtowns to determine the appropriate illumination level. The design team, guided by Project Landscape Architect Gwen Machen Cook, ASLA, suggested to the City of Monroe that an existing vacant lot be purchased by the city and improved to ensure adequate parking, and to bring additional green space into the downtown area by heavily planting the edges surrounding the parking. Designers also included in the streetscape consideration for accessibility by the handicapped and a brick paver utility strip that can easily be removed for maintenance projects. The FWA Group and the City of Monroe received the 1996 Award of Excellence in Design and Real Estate Development-Public Improvements from the North Carolina Downtown Development Association and a 1996 North Carolina Award of Merit from the NC chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The project has won awards, in part, because the redevelopment served as the catalyst for economic revitalization. The $450,000 public investment on the streetscape has successfully generated $600,000 of private investment in the buildings with fourteen new businesses relocating to the area. Connie Kincaid, Executive Director of Downtown Monroe, Inc., comments, "The project has contributed to the economic development of downtown Monroe. Businesses are more eager to locate in the areas that have been redeveloped." As new development evolves to include the characteristics of small town America, the original models like Monroe, North Carolina will also continue to prosper through a partnership of residents, local officials and Landscape Architects. LASN Affixed banners give the Monroe streetscape high quality image. Boren brick piers, steel fencing, and a planting of day lillies and Zelkova trees add greenspace to the environment. All photos by Meredith Hebden, provided courtesy of the FWA Group. Custom Hadco streetlights complement the turn-of-the-century architecture on Main Street. Editorial Contributors to this article: Karen Weston-Chien, RLA, The FWA Group Edward E. Evans, ASLA, The FWA Group Project Team: Project Manager/Landscape Architect Edward E. Evans, ASLA Project Landscape Architect Gwen Machen Cook, ASLA Landscape Architect Intern Veronica Westendorf, Associated ASLA Landscape Architect Intern Ashley Kiber