Although The Walker Collaborative focuses primarily on enhancing existing places, TWC also has experience with the creation of new town centers.
Combining his extensive experience in the revitalization of existing downtowns and commercial districts with his experience planning New Urbanist “greenfield” mixed use centers and traditional neighborhood developments (TNDs) while working for Looney Ricks Kiss Architects (LRK), Phil Walker has strong credentials in the creation of new town centers.
Such plans rely heavily upon existing site conditions, as well as the optimal development program determined by a real estate market analysis.
New Town Centers Project Portfolio
Tyrone, Georgia
TYRONE TOWN CENTER PLAN
Tyrone is a community of approximately 7,500 residents located 25 miles southwest of Downtown Atlanta and part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area. Named after County Tyrone in Ireland, the community lacked a conventional historic downtown, but the community has desired a walkable mixed-use town center for many years.
Sumner County, Tennessee
NEW SHACKLE ISLAND VILLAGE CONCEPT PLAN
Sumner County is a rural county northeast of Nashville. Because the Long Hollow Pike area was threatened by sprawling suburban housing and a strip commercial development, The Walker Collaborative (TWC) was hired by the County to lead the creation of a plan for the 23,640-acre study area. The project included an economic assessment and a multi-day planning charrette.
Clemmons, North Carolina
Clemmons Village Center
Straddling I-40, much of Clemmons’ development has occurred within the past few decades. However, residents felt that their community lacked a “sense of place” because of the domination of generic suburban development. The Village hired Clarion Associates to lead the creation of a new comprehensive plan, and TWC – working with Common Ground Urban Design + Planning – was a subconsultant to Clarion. TWC’s key role was to lead a public charrette to create a series of concept plans, including the proposed Village Center at the site of a largely vacant strip center.
Lookout Mountain, Georgia
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN TOWN CENTER PLAN and DESIGN GUIDELINES
When the grocery store anchoring Lookout Mountain’s commercial center burned down, it prompted the community to rethink the unattractive strip center that constituted the closest thing they had to a town center. Electing instead to pursue a true “heart and soul” for their community, the City hired The Walker Collaborative (TWC) to lead a planning process that viewed the site as a blank canvas.
High Point, North Carolina
Mercado District
Located within the 1.5 million-person Piedmont Triad metro area with Greensboro and Winston Salem, High Point is best known as the “Furniture Capital of the World.” The Walker Collaborative was hired by the City of High Point to lead a comprehensive planning process for the most urban third of the city, including the downtown and surrounding urban centers and neighborhoods.
Additional Projects
Phil Walker has played a key role in the following projects through The Walker Collaboration (since 2002) and previous firms.