A group of University of Georgia students and faculty spent a recent weekend in Fort Valley to help the community launch its first project in UGA’s Connected Resilient Communities (CRC) program. Students from the College of Environment and Design (CED) worked with community stakeholders to begin planning for downtown beautification and green spaces to make the area more attractive to businesses. The project is the first of three that Fort Valley will complete as part of the CRC program, which is facilitated by the UGA Archway Partnership™.
“I am excited about the opportunity we had to bring the community together with UGA students and faculty to envision solutions for revitalizing our downtown,” said Tisa Horton, chair of the Fort Valley Downtown Development Authority.
Students from the UGA College of Environment and Design (CED) and community stakeholders participated in a “charrette” – a multi-day event that brings designers and locals together to envision plans. The students, who study landscape architecture, historic preservation and urban planning, worked with community members to illustrate design concepts that can guide downtown leaders towards civic improvements.
The ideas presented include facade rehabilitations that aligned with historic preservation best practices, redesigned parking and plantings along East Main Street to provide beauty and traffic calming, and landscape improvements for existing green spaces and bare corners Downtown.
“While working with people in the community, it was evident how excited they were to make a positive change in the area,” said Laura Binford, second year student in the Master of Landscape Architecture program. “I really enjoyed getting to know a small town and their hopes and dreams for their community.”
The charrette was led by the college’s Center for Community Design and Preservation (CCDP). As the public service and outreach arm of the UGA College of Environment and Design, the CCDP has conducted over 100 design charrettes in Georgia since 1997.
“We had consistently good turnout from locals throughout the weekend, which speaks to their interest in positive change,” said Jennifer Lewis, director of the CCDP. “Our hope is that those attendees see themselves playing a role to help move these ideas forward, and that current leaders make space for new voices. Community buy-in and true collaboration are what has led to success in other historic downtowns.”
The CRC program, facilitated by the award-winning Archway Partnership, helps communities tap into the resources and expertise at UGA to address local issues and become more attractive to economic development. CRC communities receive the designation after partnering with experts from UGA to complete three projects designed to increase resiliency.
Now it in its fourth year, the CRC program helps communities work on locally-identified projects supported by faculty research. The program also helps students gain real-world experience while learning more about the state of Georgia.
“The fast-paced nature of the charette process was unlike anything I’ve experienced in the classroom,” said Binford. “It forces you to think quickly on your feet and make decisions, which will be important moving forward in my career.”
Thomson-McDuffie County was the pilot community for the CRC program, earning its designation in 2021. Last year, the CRC program produced more than $434,000 in project value.
