Abstract:
THE PALMER SPRINGS DISTRICT
Located within Colorado Springs, Colorado and branded as the Palmer
Springs District, this project reveals the urban revitalization design of a downtown
district and how it can be restored by re-establishing the vitality and economic
health of the city. A challenge to urban revitalization becomes the impact it has
on the social, environmental, and economic health of the city. In response to this
challenge, this project explores a mixed-use development, a strategy based on
the principle of allowing more than one type of use within a building or a set of
buildings. It also proposes the redevelopment and relocation of a minor league
baseball park and also the redevelopment of a historic trolley route that will bring
visitors to and from the Palmer Springs District.
Two primary phases constitute the study for this comprehensive project.
The fi rst introduces and analyzes the principles of mixed-use developments.
This phase also highlights some of the design opportunities that can grow from
this type of strategy and evaluates how effectively mixed-used development
principles work in other cities. Evaluations of case studies have been taken into
consideration for the design and development of the Palmer Springs District.
These case studies helped establish goals and objectives to drive the design of the
master plan.
The second phase explores how urban revitalization and mixed-use
development principles can be applied to the City of Colorado Springs for future
use and demonstrates how one site within the city can serve as a catalyst for
future developments. This phase consists of the selection of a particular site
within the downtown area, researching the existing contextual features and
historical background of the site. This information provides the foundation for
design guidelines that will take part within the master planning process. The
master plan is based on primary goals such as connectivity, economic gain, and
conserving natural environments. The revitalization of this downtown area will
create a safe and unique urban mixed-use district development and entertainment
space, which will serve both as an origin and a destination.
