Framework Cultural Placemaking

Very honored to receive a Great Places Award from the Environmental Design Research Association for our Olympia Armory Creative Campus project! This project looked at how to turn a block of former Armory buildings into a multidisplinary arts hub that will be a catalyst for creativity in Olympia. Click below to learn more about this project. https://lnkd.in/gNPRsm-j

So excited to congratulate our friend and collaborator Michael Eliason on his new book! In Building for People, Eliason makes the case for low-carbon ecodistricts and presents tools for developing these residential and mixed-use quarters or neighborhoods. We have so enjoyed working with Michael over the past year and dreaming up new ways of existing in urban spaces. This book is going to help move this vision forward!

Lesley Bain will be among panelists discussing the future of Seattle's downtown and the newly launched Third Avenue Strategic Forum Report tonight as part of Allied Arts' Beer & Culture series. Come to Base Camp Studios 2 in Belltown to hear her weigh in on mechanisms for maing Seattle's city center better than ever and enjoy some refreshments alongside fellow Downtown-enthusiasts. Doors at 5:30pm, panel starts at 6pm.

After having two Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plans adopted this year (in Milton and Buckley!) we've been thinking a lot about how cities can realize their visions for parks that bring people together, provide opportunities for exercise and play, and contribute to the ecological health of the region. A lot of it comes down to money, because it costs a lot to operate parks and even more to build new ones. When we talk about parks planning, we're talking about making sure the parks grows to accomodate growth in population, which means expanding the capacity of sport leagues, accomodating more cyclists on trails, and creating new park typologies that respond to the needs of the many communities that exist within cities. This month on the blog, we're looking at the different ways that cities in Washington can fund their parks. From levies to impact fees, grant funding to fundrasing by "friends of" groups, cities have several tools at their disposal to make their recreation dreams a reality, and the strategies they choose can shape what gets built and who it benefits. Check out this month's article where we break down park funding strategies for Washington cities.

We're excited to announce the adoption of the Airway Heights Comprehensive Plan Update! Framework collaborated with the City of Airway Heights to update their plan and develop a user-friendly digital twin of the print document. The web-based version offers a dynamic and accessible platform that constituents and other interested parties can use to explore the future of land use, housing, transportation and more in Airway Heights.

"Kids approach the built, social, and natural world with a balance of curiosity, imagination, and vulnerability that can be equally practical and inspiring. They’re regularly looking for adventure and play, and, at the same time, undeniably vulnerable to the harms of a warming climate and an unsafe, inaccessible public realm—not to mention entirely disadvantaged in a culture that revolves around cars. Our youth are also keenly aware of our societal struggles for social justice and climate action. So, taken seriously, the realities of kids’ lived experience can inform design interventions and policy moves that produce a more comfortable, joyful, and socially just world for everyone." Thanks to Tyler Quinn-Smith for writing this insightful piece!

The 2023 Governor’s Smart Communities Award winners were announced last year and as we move into 2024, we have the opportunity to present each community with their award. The City of Olympia was awarded the Smart Project Award for their collaboration in the planning and development of the Armory Creative Campus. This is the city’s second award in three years. The art campus has created a regional destination for the community and visiting artists from across Washington. Taking Olympia’s comprehensive plan goals and capitalizing on the availability of a former National Guard Armory to get to this point has been inspiring. Congratulations. Olympia on your award and realizing a 30-year ambition for a community-based art center! Learn more about the project at https://lnkd.in/gHeJSpvy.

We're truly thrilled to see the Olympia Armory Creative Campus recognized for a WA DOC Smart Project Award. We had a fantastic time engaging over 6,500 community stakeholders to create a Community Visioning and Concept Plan for transforming a former National Guard armory into a public arts center. As the City moves forward with implementing this plan, we can't wait to see Olympia's creative community flourish in this space.

Seattle City Council is preparing a resolution calling to lid I-5, a major undertaking that could reconnect parts of the city that are bisected by the freeway. Many of you are aware that this idea has been churning for years, nearly as long as the freeway has. Having worked on the 2019 feasibility study, we are excited to see some movement on this and can't help but fantasize about the massive shift we could see in Seattle's public realm.

We had so much fun at the Teal Building exploring what a future of Seattle could look like. So much fun, in fact, that we're taking our exhibit to Seattle Art Museum's Remix event this August! We want to feature more ideas for a bright future in Seattle. Maybe you've explored ideas in your design studio, thesis, or at your firm. Maybe you took a photo while traveling and thought, "why can't we do that in Seattle?" Maybe you have a sketchbook full of ideas. We want to feature your work! Submitting an idea is EASY! If you don't want to use the Google Form, send your idea and image to [email protected] https://lnkd.in/grSbgBKn