Placemaking creates quality places people want to be in, now and in the future. Placemaking is not just a buzzword anymore. The world has changed over the past two years, bringing the importance of placemaking into sharp focus. People are no longer simply looking for a home; they want to be part of an experience, to be connected to a broader community and, at times, they want to feel protected by that community.

Placemaking can be a hard concept to grasp. Better Cities and Towns defines placemaking as “the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play and learn in.”

“Placemaking is a people-centered approach to developing communities and the public spaces in them,” St. Bourke President Ben Simpson said. “Looking at each piece of a community in a thoughtful way allows us to create interesting places that people connect with and want to come back to time and time again. It’s about balancing commercial success with creating great places.”

Atlanta-based asset management and development company St. Bourke’s unique approach to placemaking ensures that every project is thoughtfully designed and carefully developed, resulting in the delivery of quality places that are successful from both a commercial and community standpoint.

St. Bourke’s placemaking process aligns with the traditional land development lifecycle and has three distinct phases: place visioning, placemaking and place management.

Place Visioning

The foundation for a project is laid during the Place Visioning phase – a phase that most competitors in this space rush through in an effort to begin horizontal development. But in order to achieve long-term commercial success, a vision for the project must be developed considering the expectations of all its stakeholders, the site’s physical and market context, and the aspirations of the people that will inhabit and engage with it in the future. St. Bourke works collaboratively with stakeholders and local experts to develop their place visions, which are supported by robust market research and rigorous financial feasibility analysis.

 “Unlike many firms in this space, St. Bourke recognizes the importance of creating great places that are not only an immediate commercial success but are also sustainable over time,” Simpson said.

Place Making

Once a place vision and project goals are defined, the project transitions to the Place Making phase where St. Bourke begins the procurement process, utilizing their best-in-class network of designers, engineers, architects, and construction contractors to build a project team based on the project’s context, vision, and goals. St. Bourke’s comprehensive understanding of the development process allows them to take a hands-on approach to development management, ensuring that projects are delivered on-time, on-budget, and to the highest quality standards.

Place Management

To create a thriving community, great places need to be owned, managed and maintained in perpetuity. The Place Management phase includes drafting and negotiating key operational documents to establish appropriate place governance and management structures, ensuring the place and its intended functions are supported over time.

Comprehensive place management services from St. Bourke are designed to ensure places are easy to maintain and manage. To hear more from Ben Simpson on placemaking, listen to his interview with Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio.

St. Bourke is an asset management and property development company primarily focused on residential communities and commercial assets. Offering a full suite of placemaking services ranging from acquisition through detailed design and development to ongoing management, St. Bourke creates thriving communities and drives significant value for its clients, partners and community stakeholders. Since its inception in 2015, St. Bourke has helped a variety of both private and institutional clients achieve their project goals. With more than 90 active projects across 20 U.S. markets, the St. Bourke portfolio consists of more than 12,000 acres of land and 25,000 residential lots. For more information on how to work with St. Bourke from the ground up, call 678-853-2530 or visit www.StBourke.com.