Our mission: City Visions is a professional services consultancy committed to envisioning, facilitating and implementing projects supportive of sustainable and vibrant communities. We perform our work through collaborative processes at both the architectural and urban scales; and encourage a participatory approach to the needs and desires of direct and indirect stakeholders. Our established areas of expertise are heritage stewardship and transportation infrastructure. Our approach stresses  sustainability and green building. We welcome the opportunity to integrate and expand upon this expertise.

 ·       FAQs

1.     What are “sustainable and vibrant communities?”

The most commonly accepted definition of sustainability promotes the use of resources in the present in a manner that does not compromise the choices and quality of life of future generations. We agree with this and work to increase our knowledge and expertise so as to be able to deliver on this commitment. We’ve also come to the conclusion that in order to expand the constituency for sustainability there is no substitute for urban and architectural design that enhances and animates the public realm.

2.     What are “collaborative processes?”

For us, excellence in design and project implementation is as much a matter of finding the right approach to a challenge as it is a matter of making strong individual choices. Hence, City Visions is open-minded about the scope of services we provide. We have been the principal “designer” on some projects, but also regularly act as an owner’s representative, programmer, public participation consultant, technical expert, or project advocate & facilitator.

3.     Who “participates?”

We honestly believe that the most exciting and rewarding development projects are the result of complex relationships. When this complexity is not fully and explicitly valued it can be a source of frustration. Hence, we always ask (at least ourselves), who has an interest in or concern about what we’re doing? Can this interest be accommodated or concern mitigated? Can the project address multiple interests? The goal is not compromise; it is synergy!

4.     Is a “stakeholder” different than a client?

We value our clients and always seek to address their identified need for the professional services we offer. However, we also seek out a broader “constituency” that may go well beyond what the client first considered. We help our clients reach out across space (e.g., neighbors, potential users) and even across time (e.g., intrinsic heritage value, needs of future generations) in understanding the context of the project.

5.     Is “heritage stewardship” another name for historic preservation?

Too often it is, but we don’t think it should be. While a narrow interpretation of historic preservation often finds value solely in the historic object, our approach is one in which long-term and sustainable stewardship requires attention to 1) conserving the object, 2) bringing about an effective contemporary use, and 3) assuring the ability of the heritage resource to inspire on into the future.

6.     How is “transportation infrastructure” related to “sustainable and vibrant communities?”

Mobility is precious to us, and indeed our collective ability to freely and efficiently move about has contributed to economic prosperity. However, the unintended consequences such as congestion, sprawl, and pollution have motivated concerned citizens to demand new approaches in the design of the public realm. So whether road, transit, or trail we are committed not to expediency, but to realizing solutions that advance better design in and between the places we live.

7.     What do you mean by “sustainability and green building?”

At the most basic level it is building that consumes fewer resources (e.g., energy, water) than comparable structures. At a more ambitious level -- and this is where we, along with our clients, are trying to move – it is rethinking architecture in a way where the building isn’t just more efficient, but where the architecture helps us transform our relationship to resource use and stewardship. Of course we subscribe to standards such as the US Green Building Council’s LEED program as helpful, but incomplete, ways of benchmarking progress.