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Leadership Award for Planning and Policy |
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City of Fort Worth Urban Village Development Program The Urban Village Development Program is a partnership between the City of Fort Worth, private developers, business groups, and neighborhood associations to transform many of the central city's older commercial districts into vibrant urban villages. These active, diverse, mixed-use areas are already attracting investment to the central city, promoting pedestrian and transit-oriented development. This program is the centerpiece of the City's central city revitalization effort. The cities vision for each of the villages is unique, yet they all share certain characteristics; a concentration of jobs, housing, commercial uses, public spaces, public transportation and pedestrian activity. Three strategies -- capital improvements, mixed use zoning and economic incentives -- are central to the urban village program and are currently being utilized by the city to encourage investors. Nearly $63.3 million in public funds has been secured for development and to date, five of the thirteen planned urban villages have been rezoned to mix-use. This mix of uses in the village, including a variety of owner- and renter-occupied multifamily residential, is envisioned to be located in taller buildings with minimal setbacks from the street and reduced parking requirements, achieving the densities necessary to support transit and pedestrian activity, attract private investment and create a sense of place. According to the CLIDE Awards Jury:
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