Date of Award

5-2023

Degree Type

Creative Project

Degree Name

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Department

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

Committee Chair(s)

David Evans

Committee

David Evans

Committee

Carlos Licón

Committee

Steven Mansfield

Abstract

The idea of a small-town Main Street has profound meaning within the American culture that has prevailed for the past two centuries. Historically, Main Street serves as the beating heart of a community, a place where economic, social, cultural, and civic activities are centered (Francaviglia, 1996; Main Street America, n.d.). Since the beginning of the 19th century, many factors have led to the decline of Main Streets, and despite a variety of efforts from different stakeholders, that decline has only intensified in recent decades (Isenberg, 2008; Orvell, 2014 Howard, 2015). In 1980, after a three-year project conducted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Main Street Center (NMSC) was created. Since then, the program has helped thousands of communities revitalize their Main Streets through its Main Street Approach. Using its principles as a reference, thousands of main streets are seeing successful results. There is an urgent need for urban and rural communities to engage in the revitalization of historic Main Streets and downtowns. These efforts can strengthen community identity and support economic vitality (U.S. Department of Agriculture, n.d.).

Price City, a small city 120 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, has pledged to improve its physical environment and the quality of life of its citizens by identifying a variety of areas for improvement in the city, including downtown revitalization (Price City Utah, 2016). The Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan is focused on the redesign of Historic Main Street and Carbon Avenue. The goal of this Plan is to create a lively place where the entire community can come together to feel a sense of shared identity and community pride. To accomplish this goal, a Case Study Methodology and supportive literature review have identified key principles and elements for a successful streetscape plan for Price. The Plan also includes a façade study to help tie key building locations and architectural character to the streetscape design. The Historic Downtown Streetscape Plan documents the best practices of comparable downtowns and provides a comprehensive strategy for the streetscape design of Historic Downtown Price.

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