Working Together to Lay Foundations for Healthy Communities
Resiliency, responsiveness, and equity are central to well-planned communities. These factors — and more — inform the award-winning work completed by Cushing Terrell’s planning team. From rural farming communities to dense urban environments, the aspirational plans we create alongside our clients and diverse stakeholders guide growth and preservation for today, tomorrow, and the distant future.
Areas of Expertise
Urban Design
Small-area/Site Plans
Master Plans
Streetscape Design
Downtown Plans
Regional/Urban Planning
Comprehensive Plans
Resort Plans
Parks/Open Space Plans
Community Engagement
Technical Processes
Geospatial Analysis
Entitlements
Subdivision Administration
Community-Driven Design
For a modern perspective on the importance of heavily involving the community itself in a city’s design process, check out Director of Planning and Urban Design Nora Bland on a recent episode of Cushing Terrell’s Good, Thoughtful Hosts podcast:
Committed to Equitable Design
At Cushing Terrell, we know that real, authentic, and innovative community engagement is critical to the success of most planning efforts. We also understand that traditional approaches to outreach can exclude some community members due to language barriers, feedback methodology, the location and time of engagement events, and more. Therefore, we employ methods with a specific emphasis on broad engagement by intentionally reaching out to, and amplifying the voices of, communities and populations that have historically been left out of planning and decision-making processes.
This can sound like a pipe dream, but it’s achievable — and we’ll show you how.
We balance objective data with qualitative feedback and employ outreach methods that invite participants to define project values and reach agreements while keeping the door open for creative, fun, and fiscally responsible expression. Given the occasional difficulty with large, face-to-face engagement, our focus is on facilitating activities that are equally immersive, whether in-person or virtual. The goal is to reach targeted audiences and key stakeholders and achieve a broad understanding of the community’s vision. Thus, participants are empowered to feel they have a voice and that the project ultimately reflects their values, priorities, and input.
From our Creative, Collaborative Partners
Throughout the planning process, Cushing Terrell demonstrated exceptional professionalism, technical expertise, and a genuine commitment to understanding the character and long-term vision of our community. Their team worked collaboratively with town staff, elected officials, stakeholders, and residents to develop a thoughtful and comprehensive plan that will help guide Alpine’s future growth and development for years to come. What distinguished Cushing Terrell was their ability to balance practical planning strategies with community values. They listened carefully to local concerns, communicated clearly throughout the process, and delivered a final product that reflects both the opportunities and challenges facing our town.
Eric Green
Mayor
Town of Alpine, WY
Throughout 2020, the dedicated Cushing Terrell crew guided a steering committee, a stakeholder group, and the general public through a process that was challenging to navigate during a pandemic. They did it with great skill, grace and professionalism. The creative solutions they came up with to accomplish the goals set before them were inspired. Cushing Terrell exceeded our expectations, and the finished product is something the community of Great Falls will be very proud of upon implementation.
Joan Redeen
Community Director, Great Falls Business Improvement District
Great Falls, MT
Cushing Terrell demonstrated both exceptional patience and support for our community’s needs to achieve the successful outcome of our Comprehensive Plan. They walked the ‘planning best practice’ talk of creating a truly community-driven planning process.
Marjo Curgus
Planning Comissioner
Chaffee County, CO
Over the course of three months, Cushing Terrell conducted an assessment of roughly 900 acres of land along with a mixture of water rights and a 1,300 acre-foot reservoir. During this time Cushing Terrell spent a lot of time in our town conducting interviews with community members, analyzing the site with the existing infrastructure, and reviewing the water rights. By spending this time at the site and with our community, Cushing Terrell was able to capture our priorities. We were very impressed with the team.
Phillip Puckett
Town Administrator
Buena Vista, CO
