Traditional Neighborhood Development

Cities and towns like Charleston, Savannah, Richmond, and Alexandria are wonderful destinations that bring out our sense of community and the enjoyment of pedestrian life. Their squares, parks, shops, and street cafés are perfect gathering spots that revitalize our spirits. It's no surprise that these are the places we enjoy visiting and would love to call home.

PSH's Dedication to New Urbanism

At PSH, we are fully dedicated to the New Urbanism movement, which places greater importance on the experience & sustainability of our communities rather than urban sprawl. We believe that development is an art, which involves a wide range of skills, talents and intuition from many disciplines. Our team of experts is committed to enhancing the experience, beauty, convenience, and social integration of communities to offer a more sustainable approach to development.

PSH is fully equipped to provide a range of planning services for all stages of a project lifecycle. This includes a.) preliminary master planning for feasibility studies, b.) conceptual design for entitlements and approvals, or c.) final product design through community completion.

Charrette Process

‍A charrette is an intensive planning session, typically near the project site, where developer, municipalities, citizens, designers and others collaborate on a vision for development. It provides a forum for ideas and offers the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to the designers. More importantly, it allows everyone who participates to be a mutual author of the plan. Formal and informal meetings are held throughout the event and updates to the plan are presented daily.

Through brainstorming and design activity, many goals are accomplished during the charrette. First, everyone who has a stake in the project develops a vested interest in the ultimate vision. Second, the design team works together to produce a set of finished documents that address all aspects of design. Third, since the input of all the stakeholders is gathered at one event, it is possible to avoid the prolonged discussions that typically delay conventional planning projects. Finally, the finished result is produced more efficiently and cost-effectively because the process is collaborative.