Tag: Community Engagement

Prototyping with an eye to the future

Prototyping is not a new concept for designers. They regularly create early representations of an idea with intentions of testing a theory or response, then adapting the design into a bigger and better version of the original.

The same can be said when introducing prototyping into the public realm.

Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency (DMC EDA) recently invited local innovators to help activate the Peace Plaza in Heart of the City by installing their own prototypes in the space.

Discovery Walk: Connecting the District

Cities across the country are exploring new and improved ways to design the streets and corridors that connect us to the places we live, work, and play. In downtown Rochester, DMC is looking at options to provide practical, safe, and appealing ways for everyone to move between the six sub-districts.

Most recently, designers for DMC have been focusing on the future of a four-block segment of Second Avenue SW. The corridor – which extends south from Heart of the City through Discovery Square and down to Soldiers Field – has been dubbed “Discovery Walk.”

“Connecting existing and future assets of downtown is essential,” says Patrick Seeb, director of economic development and placemaking for the initiative’s Economic Development Agency. “Discovery Walk will be an integral piece of the greater plan for the DMC District.”

Discovery Walk is among several downtown streets to be redesigned as part of the DMC initiative.

Engaging the community through prototyping

2016 brought a multitude of new ideas and excitement to downtown Rochester with the temporary installation of 16 prototypes at the first ever PlaceMakers | Rochester Prototyping Festival.

The idea of prototyping is not new, but it is new to Rochester.

Since the September festival, which addressed “Health and the Built Environment,” the community is beginning to see more examples of urban prototyping taking place.

Progress toward DMC’s vision

With a number of new housing and retail developments and a burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit, Rochester is booming. And Destination Medical Center (DMC) is in the middle of it all.

2016 brought new developments in each of the DMC sub-districts, including housing, hotels, retail, restaurants and other businesses, that will inspire dynamic places to live, work, and play, filled with culture and recreation. 2017 is certain to bring more of the same.

Press Release: Committee Named – Destination Medical Center and City of Rochester Establish Heart of the City Community Advisory Committee

Destination Medical Center and City of Rochester Establish Heart of the City Community Advisory Committee

Fourteen Volunteer Members Named to Assist with Design for Public Spaces

ROCHESTER, Minn. (April 5, 2106) –The Rochester City Council has approved the membership of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Heart of the City public space design.

Formed through a collaboration between the City of Rochester and the Destination Medical Center (DMC) Corporation, the 14-member volunteer CAC will assist with the design for public spaces of the Heart of the City DMC sub-district at the intersection of First Street SW and First Avenue SW. As envisioned by the DMC Development Plan, Heart of the City will bring together Mayo Clinic, commercial, hospitality, retail and residential sectors, while also serving as a gateway to other DMC sub-districts.

Post Bulletin: Community engagement offers promise

Flurries of questions and conversation filled the spaces between people in two rooms at Forager Brewery on Thursday. Discussions compared the difference between a tunnel and a subway, between 30-year-old plans and current proposals and between what the landscape looks like today and the potential for decades in the future.

Ultimately, the focus of the gathering hosted by Imagine Kutzky was Rochester’s Second Street Southwest Corridor and what potential changes mean for the rest of Rochester.

Just as important, however, is what such an event means for the city and its residents. Conducted in an informal style, the gathering provided ample opportunity to connect with local activists, business leaders and city officials, all with the goal of sharing ideas and gathering information.