Client: Action Greensboro, Inc.

Background
Greensboro is a city of 225,000 located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Like many of the cities in the region, Greensboro grew up around the railroad and the textile industries. Today, as the traditional industries decline and the suburbs expand, the city struggles to find new economic engines and revitalize its historic core. Six local foundations are working together to plan for the future and maintain quality of life in the city. Action Greensboro is an organization created by the foundations to coordinate revitalization efforts.

Process
The Center for Connective Architecture at Cooper Carry was retained by Action Greensboro in July of 2001 to create a vision plan for the Center City. The Center has also worked closely with Downtown Greensboro Incorporated, an organization already revitalizing the Center City. The resulting plan identifies and locates several landmark projects, establishes synergy between the landmarks and catalyzes development. The Center researched the places, people and issues of Greensboro during a week of workshops, interviews and tours. By the end of the week, the team had created three alternative plans. A consensus plan was selected and is currently in refinement.

Solution
The Greensboro Center City Plan revitalizes four neighborhoods and corridors, focusing on Elm Street, the city’s Main Street. A mixed-use Minor League Ballpark will anchor Elm Street on the south and a Concert Hall and Freedom Square will anchor the street on the north. The Market/Friendly corridor, connecting two college campuses on the east with two on the west, will become The Grand Boulevard, a connection between campuses including a linear park, transit, and residential. Each of the neighborhoods will benefit from the other landmark projects, including a Railyard Park with a new lake, an Inter-University Center over the railroad tracks, a Technology Cluster and a K-8 School fronting Bellemeade Square. 

The Greensboro City Center Master Plan received the 2002 Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Tri-State Chapters.