Urban Design Associates has developed implementation-oriented Master Plans, Urban Designs, and Design Guidelines for Downtowns and Waterfronts that have served to revitalize the economy of cities and regions throughout the United States and internationally. Our participatory process engages city political and business leadership, as well as the general public, in the creative process of design. Dynamic three-dimensional graphics used throughout the process help build the support and consensus needed to implement the concepts of the plan.
Conceived as destinations in their own right, pedestrian-friendly downtowns serve as both the civic and cultural core of regions and as 24-hour-living centers with residential, cultural, entertainment, retail, business, civic, and educational uses.
UDA’s working method builds on the inherited strengths of each city to create an environment that is unique because it is anchored in that particular place. The images produced during the planning process are often used to market the development, build a “bandwagon” of support and attract new businesses.
The plans create a framework of public open space and streets which connect and serve a variety of development parcels. Design guidelines are prepared for each parcel, but the potential uses are not limited to one type, making it possible to respond to changing market conditions.

Cities are often in competition with each other as they attempt to attract new economic development. The most sought after types of businesses are increasingly those in the “knowledge industry.” Finding a city which offers the quality and character of environment in which “knowledge workers” prefer to live is an important consideration for companies as they choose a location. Downtowns and Waterfront Districts can provide such vital environments if properly planned and designed.
Downtown Norfolk provides a good example of this process. There, the UDA team began the planning process on the day on which the last of the Downtown department stores closed. The Downtown retail area was nearly abandoned. Within ten years, as a result of the master planning process and implementation, Downtown Norfolk was once again thriving. A community college, a major retail center, new office buildings, and a substantial amount of downtown housing had been developed in the Downtown area. Retail sales volume for the city grew from $50,000,000 to $250,000,000 in one year and continues to expand. The Downtown has become such an attraction that the cruise industry has chosen to establish a homeport on the waterfront within a five-minute walk of the retail district. That has resulted in further increases in retail business. The revitalization of Downtown Norfolk exemplifies the way in which UDA’s emphasis on the character and quality of the public realm can promote even greater than anticipated levels of successful economic development.