DK&P leaders Victor Dover and Andrew Georgiadis will give presentations at the upcoming 61st International Making Cities Livable conference in historic Cortona, Italy, October 31st and November 1st.
I'On recognized with ASLA Landmark Award
Smart City: Dover among international sustainability awardees
APA Award for Lake Wales Envisioned
Congratulations to our Director of Design, James Dougherty!
Oakland adopts Downtown Specific Plan
Dover, Kohl & Partners is excited to announce the adoption of the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan! Based on extensive community engagement over a period of years, the Specific Plan places equity at the center, and aims to increase affordable housing, connect people with jobs and services, and support arts and culture.
Featured on "The Built World" podcast
Victor Dover was recently interviewed by Felipe Azenha and Ben Hoffman for an episode of their long-form podcast The Built World, where he shared his personal journey from North Carolina paperboy to leading city planner. The hosts probed for a deep dive into the beginning of his career and the transformative events that inspired Victor and longtime business partner Joseph Kohl, shaping their passion for urban design. The episode is full of Victor’s original experiences that shaped him into the person and professional he is today, including his stint as an exhibition designer at the National Gallery of Art in the mid-1980s.
Big RAISE grants for our clients in Lake Wales and Siloam Springs
Siloam Springs and Lake Wales each received significant RAISE grants from the federal Department of Transportation.
Good planning brings return on investment in a number of ways. But one of them is this: Having a coherent plan can move your infrastructure project to the front of the line for funding. This month, the federal Department of Transportation awarded nearly two billion dollars for several projects through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program to invest in improving and repairing critical transportation infrastructure and increasing levels of private sector investment.
Two Major Awards for Kingston Code
In 2023, city leaders in Kingston, New York unanimously voted to replace their 1960s-era zoning with a new, citywide, form-based-code. Dover, Kohl & Partners led the Kingston Forward initiative, devising the new code in an interactive public process. This month Kingston’s bold undertaking was recognized with two major planning awards.
Charter Award
The Congress for the New Urbanism honored the Kingston code at the CNU 32 Charter Awards ceremony in Cincinnati. The Charter Awards are considered the highest honor in urban design. Project director Amy Groves, a Dover, Kohl & Partners principal who has been with the firm since 2002, said, "Kingston is using code reform to help meet City goals for increasing housing options, building sustainably, and preserving its historic core. It is a great example for cities across the country."
Kingston is an extraordinary, historic place, deserving of the best design and thoughtful development.
CNU wrote: “For the 24th year, CNU's Charter Awards recognized outstanding achievements in architectural, landscape, and urban design and planning worldwide. Regarded as the preeminent award for excellence in urban design, the CNU Charter Awards honor a select number of winners. Winning projects represent major contributions to building more equitable, sustainable, connected, healthy, and prosperous communities.”
Dover, Kohl & Partners was joined in the Kingston Forward effort by Laberge Group, who spearheaded the GEIS; the Pace University Land Use Law Center, who helped integrate the code into Kingston’s legal system; Hall Planning & Engineering, who supervised the multimodal street design standards; and Gridics, who implemented an innovative online code platform.
Kingston’s new code was the result of an extensive, interactive public process.
Form-based codes have been recognized as one of the “25 Great Ideas of the New Urbanism.” Victor Dover and Joseph Kohl were among the founders of the Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI). Victor, Joe, Amy and others from DK&P have served as FBCI faculty. Robert Steuteville commented, “Kingston Forward takes the art and communication of a form-based code to a new level.”
The new code is tied to a street-based, transect-based plan for the city, enabling new development to fit the historic pattern without needless variances. The code legalized mixed use and “gently denser” development, repealed minimum parking requirements, legalized accessory dwellings citywide, and lowered the barriers to affordability.
Conference of Mayors Achievement Award
In May, Kingston Forward was also selected for the 2024 Local Government Achievement Award given by the New York State Conference of Mayors. “This community-led initiative will really change how and where new development is created in Kingston, and we believe this is much more equitable and sustainable,” said Mayor Steven Noble. “We are already starting to see new projects that create much-needed housing, especially the crucial ʻmissing middle,ʼ and affordable development.”
Charrette sketch showing how to repair the effects of 1960s “urban renewal” projects and restore the form of the town
Syracuse: Interstate 81 to be removed; "Community Grid" will take its place
The City of Syracuse is garnering national attention for its plan to tear down the segment of Interstate 81 that divides the city, restoring the network of streets with a focus on walkability, opportunity, and correcting past racial and environmental injustice. The Dover, Kohl & Partners team has been tasked by Syracuse mayor Ben Walsh with assisting the City, giving the neighbors a voice, detailing the new “Community Grid,” and showing New York State Department of Transportation how to apply the most appropriate street designs.
Existing Conditions: The elevated Interstate 81 freeway tore through historic and underrepresented neighborhoods, dividing downtown from Syracuse University and devastating the 15th Ward.
What If: Removing I-81 will stitch the neighborhoods back together, unlock enormous value, and enable the City and state to recreate Almond Street as a grand, tree-lined avenue.
Mayor Walsh said, “This is another historic win for Syracuse and Central New York that will help us realize the vision of a Community Grid built for people. New York State Department of Transportation and the City of Syracuse will be better able to improve mobility, rebuild city infrastructure, improve transportation, and strengthen neighborhoods, parks and public spaces. I thank President Biden for committing to the Reconnecting Communities program and recognizing the importance of the I-81 project. And I credit Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for championing Syracuse for Reconnecting Communities funding. We look forward to continuing our work with Governor Hochul, Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez and their DOT team in maximizing the positive impact of the Community Grid for generations to come.”
The enormous potential that will be unlocked by the Community Grid spurred Mayor Walsh to feature the project in his latest State of the City address, and in March, his enthusiasm was matched by state and federal leaders:
“Thanks to support from the Biden-Harris Administration, we are turning the vision of a reunified Syracuse into a reality,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “The I-81 Viaduct Project will reconnect communities that a highway has divided for generations, proving that we can rebuild our infrastructure to support healthy and thriving neighborhoods. New York is setting the national model for major infrastructure projects that prioritize equity and community engagement.”
Gentle, human-scaled revitalization on the Northside
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, “When I became majority leader, I said I would deliver the federal investment to make the I-81 transformation a reality. Today I am proud to say a promise made is a promise kept as we deliver a whopping $180-plus million to lay the foundation for a more interconnected and dynamic future of Syracuse after the viaduct comes down. When I-81 was built it cut through the heart of Syracuse, it fractured a once vibrant neighborhood and left scars of systemic inequality that are felt to this day. Federal policies are what created the concrete walls of I-81 that divided Syracuse neighborhoods, and today the federal government is stepping up to right that historical wrong. With this funding, the federal government is shining a national spotlight on Syracuse and New York State, under Governor Hochul, as leaders in addressing the legacy of highway construction dividing neighborhoods and giving the support needed so that Syracuse can be a blueprint for reconnecting communities across America.”
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, “This is one of the biggest investments in the transformation of I-81 and downtown Syracuse yet, and I’m proud to have advocated hard to deliver it. I helped lead the creation of the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity programs, and over the past few years, I’ve brought key White House officials—including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu—to Syracuse to show them the enormous potential of the I-81 project. And today, all of those efforts are paying off. This $180 million in funding will promote growth, create good-paying jobs, and most importantly, build stronger, more equitable, and more livable communities on the South Side of Syracuse while ensuring that the people who live there can stay there. I’m a proud supporter of this project and I will keep fighting in Congress to deliver for Syracuse.”
Syracuse has been making regional and national headlines with the plan to remove Interstate 81 and restore the Grid.
Before and After: The Enormous Potential [Gallery]
