March 25, 2007
R/UDAT is here! World-Class Architectural Team Has Less Than Four Days to Redesign City
Petersburg, VA (3/23/07) In what sounds like a plot for a reality television show, a world-class team of architects and urban planners will have less than four days to redesign the entire lower downtown and waterfront of Petersburg, Virginia, a city of about 33,000 just south of Richmond.
But itÔø?s not for show. ItÔø?s for real, and the planning team arrives Thursday evening, March 29, to get started on the project.
The preparation for the team visit has actually been underway for over a year. When the Petersburg Downtown Harbor Initiative Steering Committee first convened, they contacted the American Institute of Architects, who were the creators of the Ôø?R/UDATÔø? (Regional/ Urban Design Assistance Team) process. Since the 1960Ôø?s, the AIA has successfully completed many urban planning projects around the country using the same process.
Ôø?My guess is, this has got to be the most unique revitalization program in the country,Ôø? says Steve Perez, Public Relations Chairman for the Petersburg Downtown Harbor Initiative. Ôø?ItÔø?s utterly amazing how these people will execute their design process in so short a time frame.Ôø?
The AIA process is notable for other reasons besides its brevity. First, itÔø?s conducted on a completely volunteer basis. The Steering Committee that originally contacted the AIA is a citizenÔø?s group, made up of local stakeholders from around the community. They are not representing any government entity or private interest group. And the design team who puts the plan together also donates their time, and asks only that the community raise enough funds to cover their costs.
Also, it is open to anyone in the community who wants to get involved. The four days that the design team spends in Petersburg will be spent taking bus tours, walking tours, holding press conferences, interviewing everyone from government officials to church leaders, reviewing aerial photos and maps, creating detailed artistic renderings, and even emceeing open-microphone Town Meetings where anyone and everyone is invited to come out and voice their vision for the project area.
What results is a kaleidoscope of intense planning activity that is anything but boring. In fact, the schedule is so tight, nap-time has to be built in to the program agenda because the design team will literally be working with little or no sleep. Says Perez, Ôø?All eyes will be on Petersburg while the design team is in town.Ôø?
As the focal point of the Petersburg project, the steering committee selected the Lower Downtown and Appomattox River Waterfront. Since a huge tornado tore through downtown Petersburg over a decade ago, the city has begun to restore economic vitality to the area. Old Towne Petersburg is an extraordinarily rich historic treasure, being ground zero for General GrantÔø?s final showdown with Lee during the Civil War, and even before that, a key trading point for the early Colonists.
And equally important is the immediate future. Currently underway are the Federal GovernmentÔø?s plans to expand Fort Lee, the military base right next door to Petersburg, which is scheduled to more than double in size over the next few years. Additionally, the Army Corps of Engineers has plans to complete the dredging of PetersburgÔø?s original river channel and harbor, which fell into disuse after World War I and subsequently filled with sediment. According to the Steering Committee, itÔø?s critical that the city develop a direction in light of the inevitable change.
Before they leave, the team will present to the city a detailed vision for the project area, with key recommendations, priorities, strategies, and suggested timelines for following through on the plan. In addition, a key part of the process will be a visit by team representatives on the one year anniversary of the design session, to follow up and see what suggestions have been implemented.
What makes all this activity a realistic effort, rather than a pipe dream, is the quality of the designers. AIA representatives cull their membership from around the country to recruit volunteer architects and urban planners who are specialists in the unique attributes of the project community. In PetersburgÔø?s case, the eight-member team has been stacked with professionals who have expertise in historic and environmental preservation, waterfront development, minority issues, and unique transportation challenges. They will be traveling here from all over the U.S., from as far away as California. Thus, whatever problem they face, chances are theyÔø?ve worked with it successfully in the past.
And yet one nagging question remains: How can a group of outsiders possibly get a feel for the pulse of a four-hundred year old community in only four days? According to Perez, Ôø?WeÔø?ve been doing breakout discussions with the public for the last couple of months. There are some obvious changes that the people are ready to see. ItÔø?s not a question of whether or not the team will understand the public. The people here know what they want, and theyÔø?re not about to sit passively by while these folks design around them. They will be heard.Ôø?
During the Civil War, the city of Petersburg fell to the Union Army on April 2nd, 1865; it took General Grant over nine months to bring the city of Petersburg to its knees. With the R/UDAT arriving, thereÔø?s a good chance these four days will put the downtown back on its feet. When they present their plan for the revitalization of the city, the date will again be April 2nd , only this time in a brand new era.
The R/ UDATÔø?s arrival will kick off with a press conference on Friday morning, March 30th, at 7:30 am. On Saturday morning, March 31st, beginning at 9:00 am., the general public from the city and surrounding region is invited to an open-microphone Town Meeting at the Petersburg Regional Art Center (PRAC) at 132 N. Sycamore St. Lastly, the team will present its published findings to the city at a gathering Monday evening, April 2nd, at 6:30 pm., also at the PRAC.Ôø?
For more information go to the website atÔø? www.petersburgharbor.org.
To be put on the mailing list, please send your contact information to:Ôø?Ôø? petersburgharbor@aol.com.
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