News
Keep up with us! Sometimes we post here - particularly when our work gets a little attention from the media.
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
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.
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.
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
13WMAZ
Macon Action Plan Open House
September 8, 2023
Maconites came out in force to share ideas for the Macon Action Plan 3.0.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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!
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!!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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!
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.
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."
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. "
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.
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.
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.”
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!
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.
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.
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!
GR Forward Day!
December 16, 2016
Grand Rapids celebrates the one year anniversary of the adoption of GR Forward.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.