DevelopSpringfield Corporation, Springfield, MA
Guiding a city towards recovery with community-based planning
After a June 2011 tornado left a path of destruction through Springfield, Massachusetts, Goody Clancy worked as a member of a consultant team led by Concordia LLC on a rapid effort to provide an implementable planning framework to guide reconstruction. Goody Clancy developed a community-based rebuilding plan for the downtown and the adjacent South End, a predominantly low-income neighborhood. The plan offers a holistic framework of initiatives supported by partnerships, coordination, enforcement, and crime reduction; new approaches to financing development; and integrated strategies for housing, commercial development, community institutions, public spaces, historic preservation, and urban design. DevelopSpringfield, in partnership with the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, used the plan to guide rebuilding.
Guided by the dual goal of rebuilding while reinforcing existing community strengths, the plan includes:
- A housing strategy to enhance neighborhood character, add market-rate housing, and raise median household income
- Creation of institutional and commercial anchors in defined centers of activity along Main Street through relocation from damaged sites
- Preservation and enhancement of historic and urban character by adaptive reuse and establishment of urban design guidelines and regulations that promote walkability
- Activation of existing public spaces to create destinations and mobilize community partners for stewardship
