News

Keep up with us!  Sometimes we post here - particularly when our work gets a little attention from the media.

MAPXL_slide_1

13WMAZ

Macon Action Plan XL

October 28, 2024

New Macon Action Plan builds on the award-winning success of downtown’s resurgence to support neighborhoods, businesses, tourism and connectivity

READ ARTICLE

01_Announcement-01

Hey, we’re 20!

October 16, 2024

We celebrate our milestone with a revamped website

READ ARTICLE

10 Big Ideas For Fayetteville Street In Downtown Raleigh

WRAL News

10 Big Ideas for Fayetteville Street in Downtown Raleigh

February 9, 2024

Downtown Raleigh Alliance has released the first part of the Downtown Raleigh Economic Development Strategy, which is focused on activating Fayetteville Street.

READ ARTICLE

The ‘Chinatown Stitch’ Looks To Rejoin A Neighborhood Divided By The Vine Street Expressway

BILLY PENN at WHYY

The ‘Chinatown Stitch’ looks to rejoin a neighborhood divided by the Vine Street Expressway

January 9, 2024

The city is asking the federal government to fund the $160 million project.

READ ARTICLE

Who Is Downtown Raleigh For

Raleigh Magazine

Who is Downtown Raleigh for?

October 9, 2023

Raleigh Magazine talked with Scott recently about reimagining DTR to make it more attractive to both Raleighites and visitors and to help reveal the City of Oak’s distinct identity

READ ARTICLE

Macon Action Plan Open House

13WMAZ

Macon Action Plan Open House

September 8, 2023

Maconites came out in force to share ideas for the Macon Action Plan 3.0.

READ ARTICLE

LVT Proposed Perspective

Good Government Files

Together, We Rise – LVT, Fort Worth, TX

August 28, 2023

By listening -- and then acting -- the City of Fort Worth and partner agencies are transforming a neighborhood that had been in decline for decades.

READ ARTICLE

Tackling Gentrification And Displacement In Fort Worth's Housing Plan

Fort Worth Report

Tackling gentrification and displacement in Fort Worth’s Housing Plan

June 20, 2023

Fort Worth’s job market is growing much faster than its housing market, which is one of the many contributing factors to the growing pressure. Read more about our work with FW to mitigate displacement.

READ ARTICLE

An Activist Walking Guide To Philadelphia's Chinatown

American Planning Association

An Activist Walking Guide to Philadelphia’s Chinatown

May 31, 2023

Read about the NPC23 mobile workshop that looked at the challenges that have galvanized the Chinatown community and their efforts to plan for and actively shape an equitable future.

READ ARTICLE

We Had A Great Time Showing Off Philly At The APA Conference

We had a great time showing off Philly at the APA conference

April 25, 2023

We had a blast showing off Philly, building new connections and reconnecting with partners and friends at the American Planning Conference. Our sessions and mobile workshops explored South Philly, Chinatown, Bridesburg , East Fairmount Park, and Swim Philly.

READ ARTICLE

It's Great To Be Back In Macon!

The Macon Newsroom

It’s great to be back in Macon!

April 19, 2023

Macon's transformation since our first Macon Action Plan (MAP) was completed in 2015 has been nothing short of stunning. We were back in town in April for two separate but inter-related projects: to kick off the third iteration of MAP and to join the Reimagining the Civic Commons Studio in Macon.

READ ARTICLE

Downtown Fort Worth Inc. Focuses On Wins For City

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Downtown Fort Worth Inc. focuses on wins for city

April 7, 2022

Successful downtowns have places to play, places to sit and places to grow, Page said. He showed examples of an urban farm in downtown Detroit and an alley in Philadelphia revamped into a plaza. Interface Studio is working with Downtown Fort Worth Inc. on its Plan 2033, a road map to guide development for the next decade. The firm also is working with the city on a similar plan for the Las Vegas Trail area. The firm is surveying residents and downtown stakeholders about what they want to see downtown. Interface will use those results to try to find what Page called “threads of connection,” where people agree on what they want for the city’s urban core. If you do the engagement well and reach out to a lot of people, Page said, by the time the draft comes out, people will agree on about 90% of it, Page said.

READ ARTICLE

North 10 Philadelphia Releases All In Together The Hunting Park East Tioga Neighborhood Plan

North 10 Philadelphia Releases “All In Together: The Hunting Park – East Tioga Neighborhood Plan”

March 1, 2022

We are excited to announce the release of a neighborhood plan for the Hunting Park - East Tioga community of Philadelphia, completed by Interface Studio and Lamar Wilson Associates for North10 Philadelphia with a grant from the H. Chase Lenfest Foundation. Working with the HP-ET community over the past year has been energizing and inspiring...

READ ARTICLE

Community Input Sought In Montgomery’s ‘Downtown Action Plan’

WSFA 12 News

Community input sought in Montgomery’s ‘Downtown Action Plan’

February 8, 2022

Montgomery residents were invited to attend the “Defining Downtown Open House” to weigh in on future developments in the capital city. The open house event is part of the research to complete the city’s downtown action plan. The action plan is an opportunity to build on achievements made downtown by defining the next strategy for growth and investments. City leaders say the 2007 Downtown Montgomery Master Plan provided the foundation for the plan, which will focus on enabling the community to continue this vision forward through strategic projects, policies, and programs.

READ ARTICLE

Harrisonburg’s First-ever Downtown Master Plan In Progress

Virginia Business

Harrisonburg’s first-ever downtown master plan in progress

June 10, 2021

“For the last 20 years, downtown Harrisonburg has seen a tremendous amount of growth and redevelopment,” says Brian Shull, Harrisonburg’s director of economic development. We are excited to get started working on a long-term visioning process that aims to engage residents, visitors and business owners to identify priorities that should guide downtown’s development over the next two decades!

READ ARTICLE

Lewiston Wins 30 Million Choice Neighborhood Grant!

Lewiston Wins $30 Million Choice Neighborhood Grant!

May 20, 2021

We received the FANTASTIC news today that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant to fund the Growing Our Tree Streets Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan in Downtown Lewiston. We couldn’t be more excited for the Tree Streets community, the City of Lewiston, Healthy Neighborhoods and all the project partners. Congrats to everyone involved!!

READ ARTICLE

2020 Year In Review

2020 Year in Review

February 24, 2021

Interface Studio would like to recognize and celebrate the adaptability and innovation we found in our team, our partners, our clients, and the communities we had the opportunity to work in in 2020. From distancing our community engagement, to crafting COVID-19 economic recovery strategies, to learning how to collaborate from afar, the last year pushed us to experiment and expand our existing skills. Click to read the full blog post.

READ ARTICLE

RESTART, RESET, RETOOL, REFILL Considerations For Downtowns, Commercial Corridors, And Main Streets

RESTART, RESET, RETOOL, REFILL: Considerations for downtowns, commercial corridors, and main streets

June 29, 2020

We are at the end of the beginning. There are going to be closures, vacancies, and job losses across communities. How long and how deep will be a function of how well the next three-to-six months are managed, how that impacts consumer confidence, and whether planners and development officials are ready to respond in meaningful ways. Moreover, the pandemic magnified and amplified glaring, pre-existing disparities in our civic and economic structure. How communities address vacancy, maintain a sense of vibrancy and ensure equitable action is at the heart of today’s challenges. As designers and economists who have worked in urban revitalization for the past 20 years, we propose a framework for downtowns and main streets to consider - RESTART, RESET, RETOOL, REFILL

READ ARTICLE

Mindy Watts Talks Big Data And Thick Data At #NPC20atHome

Mindy Watts talks big data and thick data at #NPC20atHome

May 1, 2020

First virtual conference appearance, and nearly 1,600 people tuned in to learn about the importance of contextualizing big data! Thanks for your wisdom, Ninigret Partners, #RebuildPHL, and Reimagining the Civic Commons and thanks for including us, #NPC20atHome American Planning Association.

READ ARTICLE

Richardson Awarded $100,000 Grant For Mobility Improvements In The Innovation District

Community Impact Newspaper

Richardson awarded $100,000 grant for mobility improvements in the Innovation District

September 18, 2019

Richardson will put the money toward a road diet along Greenville Avenue that will remove driving lanes in favor of bike lanes and a pedestrian crossing, Transportation Engineer Daniel Herrig said in the release. The city believes this will better connect Dallas Area Rapid Transit riders coming from Arapaho Center Station to the Innovation District and vice versa.

READ ARTICLE

Efforts Underway To Create New Revitalization 'road Map' For Downtown St. Louis

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Efforts underway to create new revitalization ‘road map’ for downtown St. Louis

August 30, 2019

St. Louis business leaders are spending a year creating a road map for downtown revitalization, harkening back to a project from the late 1990s. As Scott Page describes it, if Downtown Now was about creating the dots, Design Downtown STL is trying to connect them. Page is the principal of Interface Studio, a Philadelphia-based firm tasked with helping develop the new plan.

READ ARTICLE

The Power Of Collaboration Working Together For A More Vibrant Macon

Knight Foundation

The power of collaboration: working together for a more vibrant Macon

May 20, 2019

Thousands of residents engaged in the planning process ✅ Place-based economic development ✅ 80% of strategies implemented ✅ Check out this write up by Knight Foundation about the impact of our work and others in Macon, Georgia, in the past few years. We are so excited to continue our work in Macon, Georgia, with the Macon Action Plan Refresh: the latest update to the Macon Action Plan!

READ ARTICLE

We’re Measuring The Impact Of Investments In Public Places. Here’s What We’ve Learned.

Reimagining the Civic Commons

We’re measuring the impact of investments in public places. Here’s what we’ve learned.

April 18, 2019

How do you measure the value a park has on a neighborhood? From a gathering place, to increasing property values, to improved air quality, and more, we worked with Reimagining the Civic Commons and City Observatory to create tools to capture the social impacts of civic spaces like parks. The four key outcomes we looked at are civic engagement, mixing of incomes and backgrounds, environmental sustainability, and attracting neighborhood investment. Read more about the real impact of a place here

READ ARTICLE

Philadelphia Seeks To Heal Old Eastwick Wound With A Village In The City

WHYY / PlanPhilly

Philadelphia seeks to heal old Eastwick wound with a “village in the city”

April 1, 2019

"The study released on Monday envisions Eastwick as a 'village in the city' that balances development and economic growth around a Main Street, while preserving open space for flood mitigation," writes PlanPhilly/WHYY. We are so glad to be on the team of consultants on this project. Check out this article about our work in Philly's Eastwick neighborhood!

READ ARTICLE

Our DIY Toolkit For Measuring The Civic Commons Is Now Available

Our DIY Toolkit For Measuring the Civic Commons Is Now Available

January 14, 2019

Reimagining the Civic Commons releases our toolkit for measuring the social impact of public spaces. These tools, which are now available for download here, enable anyone to better understand the performance of public space investments in their communities.

READ ARTICLE

Cool Places To Cool Off

Cool Places to Cool Off: Realizing the Potential of Public Pools

September 6, 2018

"And perhaps most impactfully, these makeovers are inspiring cities to rethink the role and potential of their public pool systems. When city leaders start to look at public pools not just as places to cool off, but as cool places, nearly anything is possible."

READ ARTICLE

Measuring The Impact Of Public Space On Neighborhood Well-Being

Inside Philanthropy

Measuring the Impact of Public Space on Neighborhood Well-Being

June 5, 2018

"The reason monitoring all of these potential outcomes is so interesting is that city infrastructure projects can have any number of consequences, intended or otherwise. They can accelerate real estate values, price out or alienate longtime residents, bring in new businesses, or flood the area with tourists. As cities and their donors have paved (unpaved?) the way for trail systems in Philly, a huge city park in Tulsa, or a floating performance space in New York, serious questions about these implications have followed. This project marks an attempt to put some numbers to those implications. "

READ ARTICLE

Measuring What Matters In The Commons

Reimagining the Civic Commons

Measuring what matters in the commons

May 17, 2018

Our baseline metrics reports for the Civic Commons initiative are out in the world! Following up on a first year of data analysis, we'll be going back out this summer and fall to see what impact the first roster of built projects (including Detroit's Ella Fitzgerald Park, HomeBase, and Memphis's Mississippi River Park) are having on their communities.

READ ARTICLE

Innovation And Evolution In North Texas

Innovation and Evolution in North Texas

April 11, 2018

Richardson, a first ring suburb in the fast growing Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, has kicked off a Transit-Oriented Development and Innovation District Study to imagine its evolution as technology and the region changes.

READ ARTICLE

CHINATOWN_10TH & CALLOWHILL GATEWAY

Plan Philly

A New Plan for Chinatown

November 10, 2017

“Chinatown is a neighborhood that is constantly changing and adapting in order to survive,” said Sarah Yeung, director of planning for PCDC. “The key is to strike a balanced approach while at the same time not letting go of our values, which is to allow for community self-determination and to create an equitable community.”

READ ARTICLE

Wilmington Comprehensive Plan Gets Moving

Newsworks

Wilmington Comprehensive Plan gets moving

September 15, 2017

...and we're off. With a steering committee in place, we've begun our year-long process to create a vision and plan for the future of Wilmington. We're excited to work with Mayor Purzycki, City staff and Wilmington residents and businesses to bring their ideas to life!

READ ARTICLE

Pittsburgh's EcoInnovation District Leaps Forward

Citylab

Pittsburgh’s EcoInnovation District leaps forward

September 15, 2017

Citylab featured our EcoInnovation District plan and just this week it was formally adopted by the Planning Commission! Our local partners have already organized a task force to tackle implementation. Next up, a revamped zoning code for the district that will serve as a template for zoning changes city-wide.

READ ARTICLE

Great Turnout In Downtown Atlanta!

Curbed Atlanta

Great turnout in Downtown Atlanta!

March 28, 2017

Nearly 500 folks came through to view the plan and add their 2 cents. Participants dove in to the planning process, adding comments to a sprawling map of the area, leaving comments on pictures of other cities, taking surveys about transportation and amenities they would like to see in the neighborhood, and even designing their ideal street.

READ ARTICLE

Interface Studio Kicks Off The Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy

Plan Philly

Interface Studio kicks off the Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy

January 31, 2017

"After decades of dealing with the impacts of what was called the largest urban renewal project in the country, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority launched a new planning and feasibility study to decide the future of Lower Eastwick’s 190 acres of publicly owned land." We couldn't be more thrilled to be part of the next chapter for Eastwick!

READ ARTICLE

GR Forward Day

GR Forward Day!

December 16, 2016

Grand Rapids celebrates the one year anniversary of the adoption of GR Forward.

READ ARTICLE

Print

Plan Philly

Rebuild receives $100m grant towards implementation

November 22, 2016

The William Penn Foundation announced today that it would be giving its largest grant ever (!) to help implement Rebuild - Philadelphia's proposed $500m investment in its community infrastructure. Interface Studio led the team to help shape the program, and we're over the moon about its potential impact on our City.

READ ARTICLE

You're Darn Tootin'

You’re darn tootin’

October 11, 2016

The public process kicked off last night in Fargo for the Downtown Infocus comprehensive master plan. Over 280 members of the community came out to help us shape their vision for the future of Downtown Fargo.

READ ARTICLE

Manayunk Bridge Trail Wins 2016 Preservation Acheivement Award

Manayunk Bridge Trail wins 2016 Preservation Acheivement Award

June 8, 2016

The Manayunk Bridge Trail project was recently selected by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia (PAGP) to receive a 2016 Preservation Achievement Grand Jury Award.

READ ARTICLE

Jamie Takes First In Visualization Challenge!

Jamie takes first in visualization challenge!

March 1, 2016

Our infographics wiz Jamie Granger took first prize in Data2Go's NYC Visualization Challenge. He manipulated the data provided to map the best places to look for love in NYC. #loveit

READ ARTICLE

Say Hello To My Little Drone

Say hello to my little drone

February 14, 2016

That's right. We have liftoff!

READ ARTICLE

Praxis Dialogues Designing For Good

Plan Philly

Praxis Dialogues: Designing for good

November 24, 2015

As part of the Praxis Dialogues, Scott shares his perspective on designing for the public good.

READ ARTICLE

Interface Studio Celebrates 10 Years & 100 Projects

Interface Studio Celebrates 10 years & 100 projects

October 9, 2015

Ok, technically we are turning 11, but better late than never! Thanks to all of your support along the way. Cheers to the next 10!

READ ARTICLE

FOLLOW UP Vision For Vitality Restoring Central Dover

Dover Post

FOLLOW UP: Vision for Vitality: Restoring Central Dover

November 9, 2014

"Our Vision for Vitality" will be a key component of an application to make Dover one of at least three Downtown Development Districts (DDD) in the state.

READ ARTICLE

North Philly's Yorktown Neighborhood Plans For Future While Getting National Honor

WHYY Newsworks

North Philly’s Yorktown neighborhood plans for future while getting national honor

February 24, 2012

It's almost a cliché to describe Philadelphia as a city of neighborhoods, but when a community right in our backyard receives a national award from the American Planning Association, it's time to take a closer look.

READ ARTICLE

Interface works across the country on projects big and small. Connect with us. Let's make some plans!