Renaissance Helps Port Tampa Bay Secure $12.6M RAISE Grant

The $12.6M New Berth 301 project will eliminate millions of truck miles and create 800 full time jobs.

Federally funded grants are one of the most effective means to help local governments modernize transportation and, in turn, spur economic growth, improve safety, and increase access to essential goods and services. Our talented team of integrated planners have assisted many local governments and municipalities in all aspects of grant writing, management, strategy, and monitoring. Earlier this year, Project Manager Amanda Chornoby, AICP co-led and -submitted a winning $12.6M Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant for a New Berth 301 at Port Tampa Bay, FL!

The New Beth 301 was among the 166 infrastructure projects to receive the latest round of RAISE grants announced by the US Department of Transportation on August 11, 2022. The project will construct a new Berth 301 at the Port Redwing facility, and it will connect Berths 300 and 302 with a 1,025-foot dock. The new berth will be capable of docking three of the largest dry bulk/multi-purpose cargo vessels simultaneously, supporting numerous industries to include food and agriculture, project cargo, phosphate, and cement. The top benefits and outcomes of this project will include:

• Eliminating almost three million truck miles, which will cut emissions, reduce roadway wear and tear, and lower crash rates;

• Increase the efficiency of shipping, which will help calm supply chain issues;

• Creating more than 800 full time jobs;

• Expanding a two-ship to a three-ship, 5M+ ton facility.

Grant Expertise

To date, Amanda has helped Port Tampa Bay secure over $30M for critical infrastructure projects.

The Berth 301 project marks that second winning federal grant that Amanda has helped secured for Port Tampa Bay. Previously, they won a 2020 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant for $19.8 Million for a container yard project. For these efforts, Amanda has worked with Port Tampa Bay to develop a robust “win” strategy, build support from municipalities and stakeholders to champion the application, guide data analysis efforts, and draft well-organized, persuasive application content that speaks to federal program objectives with a storytelling streak. Amanda’s track record of successful grant applications stems from her knowledge of federal funding, strong project management skills, and technical knowledge of intermodal and multimodal systems in the Tampa Bay region.

“Federal grant applications require a true understanding of grant criteria,” says Amanda. “At Renaissance, we believe in the power of storytelling and aim to make sure grant projects are backed by sound data analysis but yet also are clear in their equity and sustainability goals to benefit their communities”

We are proud of Amanda for her key contributions in advancing critical infrastructure projects. The whole Renaissance team is excited to support more governments in receiving the funds they need to achieve local and regional goals – and improve the quality of life for their constituents.

Renaissance Launches TikTok Creating @citiesthatwork

Social media is proving to be an important part of everyday life. Catching up on news, sharing photos and life updates, creating, selling – it all comes back to one thing: connection. 

When it comes to social media, it seems that the usual – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn – have been slightly shadowed by the emerging newest platform: TikTok. Tik-Tok is expected to reach 1.5 billion users by the end of this year, and we are curious to learn more. To stay at the forefront of social media trends and evolving communications platforms, Renaissance created our own TikTok account in the summer of 2022 to make connections with new audiences. We are utilizing our team’s multimedia and video production expertise (and knowledge of pop culture and social media) to share our project work and make new connections around evolving topics in the urban planning industry.  

But how do planners bring their own spin to the pop culture focused and video-only dominated platform? Making these connections is simpler than you think. TikTok runs on two major categories to draw the correct audience in: correct hashtags for every user’s algorithm, and trending music. TikTok is supposed to be just that: fun. However, people are looking for more, nowadays. In addition to fun, pop culture focused content, audiences also want real insights and unique information sprinkled in. Whether it’s a quick look into how people love public squares, or a deep dive into integrated planning, the algorithm will connect the correct audience to our videos – gaining likes, follows, comments – and more importantly, shares.  

TikTok has already proved to be a powerful network for Renaissance, drawing in new and younger audiences who are curious and inspired about planning and want to learn more.  

We are excited to share our TikTok platform with you, in hopes that it will lead you to also be inspired or share ideas, or just simply enjoy the content.   

Here is the link to our TikTok page, which can be opened in a browser, or on the TikTok app on your phone / tablet.

Congratulating Joel Lehman, AICP and Zach Hanson, PTP!

Renaissance would like to congratulate two members of our team – Joel Lehman and Zach Hanson – for recently earning two of the leading credentials in the planning industry! Joel has received the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification, and Zach has received the Professional Transportation Planner (PTP) certification.

The AICP credential is a prestigious verification of planners’ qualifications. To become AICP-certified, a planner must have relevant education and work experience, and they must pass a rigorous exam that tests their knowledge and skills of the planning field. Joel’s AICP certification is a great achievement, one that proves his mastery of the experience and skills needed to plan sustainable, multimodal, and functional communities.

Congratulations to Renaissance's next certified planners: Zach Hanson, PTP and Joel Lehman, AICP.

“I view the AICP Certification as an additional way to communicate my commitment to serving communities through practicing high-quality and ethical planning,” said Joel.

The PTP certification program is the only program that specifically addresses the work of transportation planners. Similar to the AICP certification process, becoming a PTP requires professional work experience in transportation planning and the passing of a comprehensive exam on transportation planning processes. Zach’s PTP certification illustrates his proven knowledge of – and dedication to – planning safe, equitable, and highly mobile transportation networks.

“I wanted to be PTP certified to demonstrate to clients that I am a qualified transportation professional,” Zach said. “The certification is the first step in my professional development after getting my Masters in Urban Planning. I will continue to improve my knowledge in transportation planning through professional development hours, including attending webinars, going to conferences, and continuing education credits.”

Both certifications illustrate Joel and Zach’s expertise within the planning field. Joel and Zach both possess unique skillsets that are invaluable to Renaissance. Joel specializes in multimodal transportation planning, community engagement, GIS spatial analysis, and interactive web mapping. Zach excels at transportation planning, accessibility modeling and data analysis, mapping and visualization, and traffic forecasting and engineering. We are proud of Joel and Zach’s accomplishments and their dedication to deepening their professional growth and keeping their skills sharp!

Renaissance Academy Highlight: Place Design in Context

About the Academy Session

The most recent Renaissance Academy session centered around designing in context and gave an in-depth look and how context plays an important role in place-based design. The session was led by Kathy Galvin, FAIA, whose background in architecture and place-based planning gave a unique perspective to the contextual nature of the discussion. With over three decades of experience, Kathy deftly captured the importance of context in design, and how we can apply this place based thinking at a larger scale.

Designing with Scale in Mind

Urban design sketch showing building form and urban spaces at the micro scale.

The session looked at design holistically, and identified three key scales that we as designers of urban spaces should consider:

1. Macro

2. Meso

3. Micro

At the broadest level, the macro scale takes a regional view of an area, zooming out to consider major transportation corridors and the land use in cities/towns. The meso scale zooms in slightly to the level of districts, neighborhoods, and even city blocks to help examine the organization of city centers and communities. The micro scale zooms in even further to look at building form, street design, sidewalks, and placemaking at the human level.

These relationships between the macro, meso, and micro scales are where many designs fail. Designs might work at a macro level, but when you get down to the micro level of the people that use the spaces, there could be conflicts. Looking at these three scales together and applying a contextual design methodology to consider the various challenges and opportunities at each scale, designers can create places that are beautiful yet functional at all scales.  

It was interesting to see how design is applied to the macro, meso, and micro scales, and how at Renaissance our integrated planning approach looks at all these different scales to produce holistic designs and create cities that work. Looking forward to the next Renaissance Academy!

Renaissance Academy: Cultivating a Shared Company Vision and Language

Our staff come from a range of professional disciplines.

Renaissance Academy: A Celebration of our Culture

For a small business, Renaissance brings together professionals from a number of disciplines to create cities that work. We are city planners, communications specialists, transportation planners, urban designers, data scientists, landscape architects, transportation engineers, policy wonks, and graphic designers. We recognize that we each bring our unique perspectives, expertise, and history that offer distinct value to the company – all toward the greater goal of integrated planning and busting the silos that can divide communities. What unities us is a fundamental belief that thoughtful, intentional planning and design of the built environment can improve the common good. To harness our collective mission and cultivate continual learning, we have kicked-off Renaissance Academy, a bi-weekly series of educational sessions that dig deep into best practices and our core philosophy of integrated planning.

The Renaissance Academy Vision

With our staff’s diverse backgrounds, we must speak a shared language – to build positive company culture and blend our multidisciplinary expertise to produce long-lasting, functional, and forward-thinking plans and solutions. Each Renaissance Academy session gives us intentional time to cultivate a shared company vision and language among our staff. So far, the Renaissance Academy curriculum has examined the vital importance of integrated land use and transportation planning while spanning the theory and history of cities, the tenets of transportation planning, and the urban design lens of cities. Each staff member who leads the Renaissance Academy presents the fundamentals of their practice area and domain of expertise, weaving together rich visuals and storytelling narratives.

The Renaissance Academy sessions build and reinforce a foundational understanding of integrated city planning: everything from the relationship between speed and proximity, to the problem-solving principles of place design, to different theoretical models of cities. Even for seasoned planners, there is enormous value in returning to the historical, theoretical, and practical principles of transportation planning, land use planning, and urban design. Taking a break from day-to-day project work to immerse ourselves in big-picture rumination and discourse helps rejuvenate our sense of purpose in solving the complex issues facing communities today.

Urban Sector Model

The first Renaissance Academy session introduced different urban form models common in urban planning theory.

Fixed & Moving Parts

The second set of Renaissance Planning sessions focused on the fixed and moving parts of integrated planning.

Place Design in Context

The third set of Renaissance Academy sessions examined the role of design in systematic, transformational planning.

Sharing our Perspectives

Renaissance Academy sessions inevitably (and thankfully!) prompt lively discussions among our team. Many of us express our ideas and reactions to the sessions, bringing in our diverse backgrounds and project experience (the energy of each meeting’s chat is something to behold). It is the free-flowing exchange of ideas that enriches each presentation, elevating it to a seminar-like setting.

Moreover, the act of sharing our own philosophies and worldviews on planning clarifies the relationships between the different disciplines within our team – and, in turn, helps construct a shared company language. The open-ended dialogue of Renaissance Academy sessions also fosters a workplace that nurtures energy, enthusiasm, connection, and initiative: the key components of innovation, a core guiding principle in all our projects.

In the following weeks, Renaissance Academy topics will explore urban design, data science approaches, GIS and theory-based models, storytelling content and communication platforms, engagement methods, and effective consulting and project management practices. We look forward to gathering our diverse staff to further cultivate our integrated planning practices and define the Renaissance language together.

Welcoming Chase Kea to Renaissance

We are excited to announce that Chase Kea, LEED AP BD+C has joined Renaissance as an Urban Designer and Planner in our Arlington, VA office.

Chase has more than six years of diversified experience in urban design, planning, communications, public engagement, and architecture. He specializes in community design, transit oriented development, and placemaking with experience facilitating community planning charrettes and meetings. Chase has served as a Planner and Urban Designer on long range transportation plans, corridor master plans, feasibility studies, corridor studies, and small town revitalization plans.

In addition to designing through sketching and drawing, Chase is an avid 3D modeler who creates digital models – and uses them to better understand the unique character of places. Chase has led the research and development of emerging technologies to incorporate into workflows including content management, VR, and software integration. Chase is using his stellar communication skills and multidisciplinary experience to build depth into Renaissance’s design practice. With a passion for solving complex design challenges, Chase will amplify Renaissance’s mission to transform the built environment to improve quality of life and help create cities that work. Learn more about Chase below!

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What inspired you to become an Urban Designer?

I was inspired to pursue Urban Design because I had the desire to shape the world that we live in. Having a background in Architecture, I started out designing buildings and structures. I noticed early on that designing successful places extended beyond the building footprint. I saw Urban Design as an opportunity to shape the spaces between buildings and structures to create a more holistic vision for what a place should be.

What drew you to join Renaissance?

I really appreciated the data-driven design process that Renaissance utilizes and the focus on the people, not just the place, throughout the planning process. Making places that people enjoy involves analyzing why certain places resonate with people and using that quantitative and qualitative data to better inform design decisions. Renaissance has proven that using data to make informed design decisions leads to exceptional planning.

What makes cities work, and what does successful urban design look like to you?

For a city to “work,” the people who live, work, and play in that city need to feel a sense of custodial ownership over the place. Focusing on the people AND the place creates a strong synergy that allows cities to thrive. 

How did the pandemic affect or change your own thinking about planning and urban design?

The pandemic caused a shift from in-person to digital infrastructure globally. This shift created new opportunities in the planning process, and leveraging new and emerging technology to bridge the physical gap between people is proving to be an effective strategy for planning during the pandemic.

What do you love the most about urban design? What is exciting for you in the industry right now?

I love how Urban Design involves so many different disciplines, weaving together architecture, planning, and design into a cohesive vision for the future. Currently, I am excited about the opportunities for integrating new technology into design workflows to make more informed decisions about the design of cities.

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