Engineering that creates value

A place developer wants to create value in every neighborhood and city. Using their wide-angle lens allows them to unearth what already exists that drives value when connected to the marketplace. A result is a place that values the people who live there, business establishment, and have meaningful opportunities to learn and play.

Borrowing the practices and investment patterns from other places is not always the best solution for a neighborhood or city. A new road project with a well-designed round-about at the main intersection might solve traffic congestion and vehicular flow. However, when left to itself, it likely destroys the value of the surrounding land.

A business district may try to establish itself but struggle to survive. The road design doesn’t value the human pedestrian. Because you are traveling so fast, you have no clue that a theater, restaurant, or dentist exists in that space. The narrow sidewalk next to the well-engineered road makes you feel unsafe, so you choose the national chain over the local shop.

Choosing to value access over flow creates long-term value. The result is more people want to rent or buy a house in that neighborhood because it is safe for kids to walk around and play. Others will establish an e-commerce bookstore and coffee-shop because placemaking made it easy for the pass-through traffic and nearby resident to access, not just pass by.

When you contemplate revitalizing a neighborhood or business district, prioritize the assets and access over the need to engineer flow and significant project investment.