Everyone, it seems, is looking for a “sense of place” — a highly sought-after quality in an increasingly fragmented, but homogenized world. At its heart, it represents a feeling of connectedness to the local situation and other people. It can, and should, occur in all aspects of our daily life, from workplaces to houses, to public spaces and entire neighborhoods.

PlaceMapping & Place Making: putting ideas into action

PlaceMapping is an analytic understanding of place as seen from an anthropological perspective. This viewpoint finds the fundamental qualities of a place informed by the complex relationship of people and their natural or human-made environment. Place Making is the application of the knowledge gained from PlaceMapping to shape great places through planning and design. Successful Places occur at the intersection of three interrelated spheres:

Culture:  the social context for human experience that is memorable, pleasurable, haptic, social, emotional, visceral.

Nature:  a sensitive response to the physical qualities of the context, whether natural or human-made that is responsible and beautiful.

Economy:  the management of the intended program needs and resources that make a place efficient and sustainability.

PlaceMapping — the process of discovery

PlaceMapping is a process that can streamline design and planning and build consensus among all stakeholders by creating a framework of common understanding for decision-making. Based on a thorough investigation of the fundamental characteristics of the challenge, it leads to a clear set of design principles for future action. PlaceMapping is inter-disciplinary and collaborative. It relies upon a web of intelligence and broad experience where each participant brings his or her specific expertise to the table, creating better results.

Why use PlaceMapping?

Just as every person is different, every place is different—that’s why it is important to bring fresh eyes, trained by years of experience, to each project. Assuming a outlook informed by these multiple perspectives we creatively integrate them through design thinking.

Place Making — Design Thinking in Action

Making places is the synthetic activity that results from the mapping of a place; it translates research into action through design thinking.

Place Making is the creative three-dimensional response to the activities of PlaceMapping. If it is successful, it creates a spatial venue for human experience by  design. It results in places that advance both civic values, and real estate values.

Place Making is a complex mix of design and planning that integrates buildings, landscapes and the sites they occupy into holistic assemblages that are spatially defined and interconnected to the broader urban framework.

Our mission is to assist our clients in achieving these kinds of extraordinary places in their projects.

PlaceMapping leads to Successful Places

Successful places can be as simple as a beautiful sun-lit room, a thriving street or square, or an expansive landscape. Each are defined by physical dimensions that frame it as a resonant venue of human life and in all contexts, the environmental, social and economic aspects are critical to successful places.