Tysons Placemaking Vision and Framework Plan Tysons, Virginia

Services Provided

Visioning
Engagement
Public Realm Design

People Involved

Tim Bragan
Gaelle Gourmelon

Award

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Placemaking activates public and private spaces to transform Tysons into a 24/7 urban center

MKSK worked closely with ZGF Architects and the Tysons Community Alliance to develop a placemaking framework for Tysons, Virginia – an important step for this edge city that aspires to become a 24/7 community just outside of Washington, D.C.

The process began with a series of workshops with diverse stakeholders, including county planning officials, transportation professionals, developers, local businesses, and arts groups. With facilitation by the design team, this core group identified priorities and focus areas in Tysons to maximize activation in the public realm and ultimately develop a coherent framework for the proposed interventions. A targeted workshop was used to gather more specific stakeholder expertise and develop a placemaking “toolbox” – a series of programmatic and conceptual approaches that could be used to activate key sites throughout Tysons.

Using recommendations from these workshops along with spatial analyses and site visits, MKSK produced a series of provocative conceptual sketches – referred to as “what ifs” – that were presented at a community event attended by approximately 150 members from the local community. This “Placemaking Fest”, co-led with the Tysons Community Alliance and Happy Cities, encouraged participation in and stoked up excitement about pop-up placemaking while also gathering feedback from community members.

The Tysons Community Alliance has used the Vision and Framework to spur developers and local stakeholders to explore and support placemaking efforts, as well as to set a basis for implementation.