“Visioning” is the process of learning what a community wants for itself and making consensus and collective vision possible.
The Walker Collaborative’s Phil Walker gained his initial Visioning experience during the late 1980s as an Associate with Hintz/Nelessen Associates in Princeton, NJ, a nationally recognized pioneering firm in Visioning. Since then he has utilized a broad range of Visioning tools to forge a public consensus on planning issues, including Vision Surveys, Public Opinion Surveys, Focus Group Sessions, Planning Charrette Workshops, Real Time Polling, and Visual Simulations.
Not only does Phil take the lead role in Visioning for the projects that he primes, but he is sometimes hired for the same role as a sub-consultant on projects he does not lead.
Phil Walker is trained and certified in managing charrettes by the National Charrette Institute (NCI) and has been a member of the International Association for Public Participation. In addition to public sector Visioning, he has performed consumer preference research for the real estate industry using similar methods.
Visioning Project Portfolio
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
GULLAH GECHEE VISIONING
Although Gullah people now account for only 7% of Hilton Head’s population, prior to the mid-20th century, they were the island’s sole inhabitants. Because their population and culture continue to dwindle, TWC was hired by the town to develop a strategy to preserve their culture.
Tryon, North Carolina
DOWNTOWN TRYON VISIONING and STRATEGY
Tryon is a town of 1,500 residents in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Until recently, there were several vacant buildings and it struggled economically. Consequently, the Tryon Downtown Development Association (TDDA) hired TWC in 2015 to conduct a visioning and planning process to craft a strategy for the downtown.
Frederick, Maryland
MONOCACY PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
In 1973, much of the 1864 Civil War Battlefield of Monocacy was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) District, but the National Park Service (NPS) recently proposed expanding the boundaries. Thus, the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation hired The Walker Collaborative to lead a public outreach program to build support from affected property owners, local governments, and the general public.
Topeka, Kansas
CAPITAL DISTRICT CHARRETTE
Topeka is the capital of Kansas, and Kansas Avenue is Topeka’s “Main Street.” Although Kansas Avenue benefits from the 10,000 state employees that populate the area each weekday, much more revitalization was needed. Consequently, The Walker Collaborative was hired by the Capital District Project to run a public charrette to generate ideas.
Kingsport, Tennessee
KINGSPORT VISIONING
Over the past decade, a variety of entities had conducted community visioning projects to forge a collective vision for the future of Kingsport. TWC was hired by the City to analyze the extensive visioning data, interpret that information, and develop the composite vision on which future planning recommendations can be based.
Additional Projects
Phil Walker has played a key role in the following projects through The Walker Collaboration (since 2002) and previous firms.
“I enjoyed your session. Your presentation was streamlined so it was easy to follow and grasp concepts,
entertaining with your natural injection of humor, and you had excellent presence.
You really connected with your audience.”
“… the City hired The Walker Collaborative (TWC) to craft a detailed revitalization strategy in 2013… Issues addressed included uses and development along the Coosa River … Although budgets are tight, we have used the plan to make steady progress in revitalizing the district… The City of Wetumpka was quite pleased with the services and end product provided by The Walker Collaborative.”
“Philip and his team are sincerely nice people with no pretense –
a delight to be around and interact with.
I am looking forward to helping implement all the great ideas and images they created for our City.”
“Mr. Walker assembled a talented team…that have dramatically changed the neighborhood for the better.
The plan has since been used as a model strategy for the revitalization
of other similar neighborhoods in Tupelo.”
“You and your team did a fantastic job with this comprehensive plan.
It clearly reflects a high level of care on your part.
We feel like the City of Midway really got its money’s worth.”
“Phil is a pleasure to work with and for. He is committed to giving his clients
everything they seek while providing high-quality professional recommendations and plans.
He is always seeking the best in colleagues and consultants, as well.”
“The reason the City continuously hires The Walker Collaborative, even over the course of multiple political administrations, is because they do a good job. Phil is good at listening to his clients and the public in general, and he takes the time to understand the various existing conditions in a thorough manner. His solutions for our community always seem to be the most technically sound and pragmatic path to take, so we value his recommendations.”
“From all accounts, The Walker Collaborative knows what it’s doing when the aim is downtown revitalization… What we like most about this process is the strong desire this organization has to get public input…
The Walker Collaborative seemed to truly care about getting local buy-in.”
“I can tell you project managers make all the difference in the overall success of major planning initiatives. Phil Walker provided leadership at every step of the project. He took the lead role in all public meetings, served as the key point of contact with the City, and oversaw all aspects of the planning process. He exhibited a high level of expertise, professionalism, and responsiveness.”
“The Walker Collaborative did a tremendous job of helping to forge the initial vision for our heritage area. The economic study prepared by Phil Walker and persuasively presented by him in five communities throughout the region was instrumental in confirming the potential of our proposed heritage area and solidifying widespread political and public support.”
