A Look Ahead
Here is a quick glimpse into projects in the works across the country . Watch for more on them in our blog ( https :// www . ayresassociates . com / blog /) and in future TRENDS issues .
Graphic Visualizations Bring Complete Streets Project to Life
Palatka is a small community in northeast Florida , well-known for its local festivals , most notably the Florida Azalea Festival and the Blue Crab Festival . The City comprises an intricate melding of people , bicycles , public transportation , rail , boats , and vehicles . For 20 years , Ayres has been in partnership with the community , working side by side to help bring the community ’ s vision for development to fruition .
The reimagining of St . Johns Avenue is a key project for Palatka . The corridor has been a point of pride and an anchor of remembrance for the Palatka community . Ayres ’ planning , development , and landscape architecture experts used a tactical urbanism approach to study , demonstrate , and explore streetscape principles . The planning process kicked off with an interactive community engagement session at the local craft beer festival , allowing for the public to offer feedback specific to the unique opportunities and constraints of St . Johns Avenue . While most public meetings feature stale doughnuts , integrating our workshop with the local brewfest resulted in engaged ( and chatty ) participation .
Through the use of 3D modeling and graphic visualizations , Ayres is able to showcase the design theme , which focuses on the creation of distinct walkable character areas unique to Palatka . The proposed design will encourage pedestrians to travel east and west through a variety of changing experiences . These character areas are anchored in the design identity of each individual street segment . The character of each “ sub-district ” is established through the architecture of the proposed buildings , district markers , and mural typology . The entire public realm is anchored in a consistent language of site amenities that tie in the design and create a sense of place . The design process and decisions are underpinned by our 20 years of knowledge and partnership with the
community and its residents . For a 3D view of the St . Johns Avenue reimagining concepts , visit https :// view . mylumion . com /? p = l8wcij5yha7pfgc4 .
Colorado Wildfire Brings Need for Recovery Design Work
In 2020 , Colorado experienced its largest wildfire in state history . The Cameron Peak fire started August 13 west of Fort Collins in the Arapahoe and Roosevelt national forests , destroying nearly 209,000 acres before it was contained on December 2 . As is the case with wildfires , large burning and loss of vegetation and groundcover has detrimental impacts to watersheds , including heating and baking of the soil that can form a water repellant layer that increases runoff as water is unable to saturate the ground . The results can be devastating to downstream communities , as flash floods and debris flows can damage homes and critical infrastructure . Also , increased ash and sediment can severely degrade water quality for downstream users on the Front Range .
During the immediate emergency Ayres assisted with the first steps of the repair work , including assessing the impacts of the differing burn severities and protecting water resources vital to cities across Colorado ’ s Front Range . Now that the immediate threat of the fire has passed , post-fire assessment work has shifted to the recovery phase . As part of this effort , Ayres is assisting the City of Greeley with recovery design in 11 high severity burn watersheds tributary to the Poudre River . www . AyresAssociates . com 33