AGA Public Realm Strategists

Alexander Garvin has been a fixture in New York's architectural, political, and economic spheres for more than 40 years. His skill at navigating these worlds makes him a polymath, and makes his firm Alex Garvin & Associates somewhat hard to define. The six-man firm refers to its role as "public realm strategists," but Garvin gets more specific while remaining elusive. "We're city planners, but we have a different definition of city planning than most people," he said. Then he offers up the firm's credo: "Good planning means initiating public sector actions that elicit a sustained, positive private sector reaction." Translation: you have to pay for the public life, but you also have to make the public life pay for itself.

Depending on the needs of the clients, the firm will hire consultants, act as a competition advisor, or help communities devise funding strategies for new public projects, often using private nonprofit conservancies or public/private partnerships. "We're not afraid to take ideas," said Nick Peterson, a senior planner with the firm. "If there's a good idea out there, we'll consider it."

After holding executive positions for the New York City 2012 Olympic bid and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and serving as city planning commissioner from 1995 to 2004, among numerous other positions, Garvin is currently working outside the five boroughs. Recent planning studies have included a guidebook for development along I-80 in Nebraska, a new greenbelt around Atlanta, and a massive public park outside Memphis, Tennessee. Closer to home, the firm has worked on a waterfront study for the city and has helped the Metropolitan Museum of Art locate possible sites for a new storage facility. While the firm often works outside New York, Garvin's not interested in chasing commissions in the far corners of the globe. "There's a reason we've worked in London but we won't work in China or Dubai. We don't speak those languages. I don't think you can do good planning if you can't communicate with people," said the opinionated Garvin. Of some of his colleagues who work in those contexts, he said, "I don't think they're planning."

BELTLINE EMERALD NECKLACE
ATLANTA
This plan for the Trust for Public Land identified and connected sites along a 23-mile ring encircling the city of Atlanta, which has very limited parkland. The plan calls for the addition of over 1,400 acres of parkland, along with 530 acres of mixed-use and transit-oriented development around train stations. Much of the connective ring is formed out of abandoned rail rights-of-way. Garvin & Associates argues the beltway should include two phases: The first would establish a loop for pedestrians and cyclists; the second would include a transit loop, likely light-rail, which would help link the city's bus and subway system.

PUBLIC REALM FOR DEKALB COUNTY
DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA
This plan for the Briarcliff-North Druid Hills section of the county would graft a new public realm onto a suburban area, creating more parkland and opening up areas for new development. It calls for two major arterials that cross the site to be converted into tree-lined boulevards, including a central roundabout where the roads meet. Four new street types - retail, park, residential, and boulevard - were developed to help clarify development and circulation in the area, and a network of pedestrian and bike lanes was added. A park at the southern edge of the site was expanded to include an existing lake, while new roads create greater connectivity and development potential.

SHELBY FARMS PARK
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
On this 4,500 acre project, one of the largest urban parks in the country, Alex Garvin & Associates brought a variety of skills to bear, including detailed site analysis, structuring of financing and maintenance, and acting as a competition advisor. Garvin helped establish the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy and initiated an RFQ to create a master plan for the park and helped select finalists Hargreaves Associates, Thomas Leader Studio, and Field Operations. Field Operations prevailed in April, and their plan is pending approval in August. The park includes active uses such as biking, jogging, and swimming, but will also likely include farming and environmental education areas.