|
Travel to historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for an afternoon walking tour of the City’s historic downtown, Market Square and the surrounding area. Led by City Planners Peter Britz and Peter Stith, and the City’s design consultants for the Market Square Master Plan, BETA Group Inc., participants will wind their way through some of the most interesting streets and alleyways in New England to see and hear first-hand about projects currently under construction, those completed, and plans for several envisioned projects beginning to come into focus.
The session will kick off with a brief presentation to provide participants with overall context of the urban fabric of the city in the Levenson Room in the Portsmouth Public Library. Learn about the origins of Portsmouth’s transformative Market Square project and hear about the urban design plan created in 1978 by then–City Planner, Robert Thoresen, and learn what the plan meant to the City at the time—and what it means today. Hear what worked, what might be approached differently now, and which ideas remain central to Portsmouth’s vision.
The walking tour will depart and head north from the library, with planned stops at the African Burial Ground Memorial, the Music Hall and Vaugh Mall, as well as the new 2 Russell St. development, the Hill, and several points beyond. The tour will take participants in a concentric ring, through past and ongoing projects, eventually arriving in Market Square, with the group having first experienced the surrounding streets and alleys that form the “spokes” around the central hub of the Square itself.
Each project site on the tour presented unique challenges, and the tour leaders will highlight notable aspects of the various projects, the things that made them successful, and touch on the particulars that mattered most, no matter the scale of the project. Hear how different design strategies were developed, and how they supported the goals of each project. Learn more about the Market Square Master Plan, including concepts for re-scaled streets, expanded outdoor dining, wider sidewalks, and woonerf-style street treatments that allow flexible vehicle management while prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists.
The tour will conclude with discussion of how the Market Square Master Plan interconnects with other planning initiatives, such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and the broader Portsmouth Master Plan now nearing completion. Also learn what’s next for the City, and stay on a bit later if you are able as the final leg of the tour will bring participants to Market Square with great options for local fare and refreshment.
Speakers:
o Peter L Britz, Director of Planning & Sustainability City of Portsmouth
o Peter M Stith AICP, Assistant Planning Director, City of Portsmouth
o Arek W Galle, PLA, AICP, Senior Associate, Project Manager, BETA Group Inc.
o Jeff Maxtutis AICP, Vice President, Transportation Planner, BETA Group Inc.
|
