University urban design centers in the planning and implementation of urban greenways. – Possible strategies for the UMass Amherst Design Center in Springfield, MA.

Abstract

University supported community design centers in the United States provide an institutional alternative for urban design and planning. They are a link between the innovative and educational milieu of the university and professional practice. Design centers provide the infrastructure that allows faculty and students’ research opportunities and projects that intersect with the practice of urban design and planning, with the goal of improving the physical and consequently, the social environment. This paper assesses the following goals that nascent community design centers should pursue in the planning and design of greenways: 1. focus on developing a collective vision and a tangible plan through public participation, service learning and visualization, 2. execute interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration, 3. establish public-private partnerships, 4. search funds for staffing and implementation with a high proportion from private capital or foundations, 5. pursue a step - by step approach with visible results