Designing Local

07/17/2026

Designing Local’s Historic Preservation Team has been on the road connecting with vibrant communities across Ohio! As our nation just celebrated its 250th anniversary, preserving the unique spaces that define our hometowns is more important than ever.

Here is what we’ve been up to lately:

Delaware, Ohio: Historic Preservationist Megan Adornetto and Urban Planner Andrew Eble joined Main Street Delaware’s "Wild About Downtown" First Friday. They connected with community members in the Downtown Historic District about upcoming architectural standards updates—all while enjoying live entertainment, local vendors, and some wildlife guests!

Lorain, Ohio: Megan Adornetto attended Main Street Lorain's Second Saturday to get feedback from the community to update the city's Historic Preservation Design Guidelines. These updates will provide clear, objective standards and checklists to streamline building rehabilitations.

There's nothing better than meeting people right where they are. Attending festivals and events lets us immerse ourselves in the local culture, share ideas, and work together to preserve the places and spaces that make each community special.

See you at our next event!

07/15/2026

We’ve been wanting to do this for a while…

Since founding Designing Local in 2014, we’ve had the privilege of working with so many communities across the country - listening to their stories, translating those stories into public art pieces and cultural strategies, new parks and downtowns, saved buildings, and watching places transform as a result. We’ve learned a lot along the way and are ready to start sharing with you!

Follow along with us at the link below!

www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7479951322448941056

07/14/2026

We’re excited to share that the City of Savannah, Georgia has officially adopted our Public Art Master Plan! 🎉

Designed as a living document, this plan will evolve alongside Savannah, guiding the thoughtful stewardship of public art while celebrating the city’s rich history, diverse cultures, and bright future.

More than a roadmap, the plan highlights the value of investing in public art and reflects the voices and aspirations of Savannahians, creating a framework for vibrant, welcoming public spaces that foster connection and community.

Over the next decade, this visionary plan will serve as a catalyst for collaboration across City leadership, neighborhoods, and cultural communities, equipping the City of Savannah with innovative ideas, practical tools, and inspiring direction for the future.

We were honored to have partnered with Savannah-based Ethos Preservation and W Projects on this exciting milestone and look forward to seeing Savannah’s public art continue to flourish.

To read the full plan, please follow this link:

https://www.designinglocal.com/work-portfolio/savannah-public-art-master-plan

07/13/2026

07/10/2026

We wanted to share a few snippets from the Brush & Box Fest that transformed Village Green Park into a vibrant open-air art studio as part of Smyrna's Cup Daze. 20 local artists gathered beneath the festival tent to create one-of-a-kind murals on large-scale boxes, bringing creativity and color to the heart of the city.

Designing Local's Public Art Coordinator, Anna Talarico facilitated the Brush and Box Fest, bringing together this incredible group of artists and helping to ensure the event was a success. These newly painted murals will remain on display throughout Downtown Smyrna all summer, inviting residents and visitors alike to experience public art in their everyday lives.

Having recently completed the City of Smyrna's Public Art Master Plan, it's especially rewarding to help bring that vision to life through public art implementation projects like Brush & Box Fest. We can't wait to continue supporting public art initiatives that celebrate community, creativity, and placemaking.

To view The Smyrna Public Art Master Plan please copy the link below:

https://www.designinglocal.com/work-portfolio/smyrna-public-art-master-plan

06/19/2026

We are excited to share our recently completed Wayfinding Strategy for the City of Westerville, Ohio. This supports an initiative to improve wayfinding across the City’s trail network so that residents and visitors can confidently navigate the system, identify trails, and easily access local amenities and destinations. This plan aligns with the Central Ohio Greenways (COG) Wayfinding Strategy Guide to ensure consistency within the broader regional network.

In addition to maps and signage, the plan emphasizes placemaking, public art, and other creative features that enhance trail identity, improve navigation, and create memorable user experiences. With 13 existing creative elements already located along the Central Ohio section of the Ohio to Erie Trail, Westerville has an opportunity to expand this collection. The plan also includes a demonstration park site illustrating how public art and placemaking can create engaging trail destinations throughout Westerville and Central Ohio.

To read the full plan, please follow this URL:

https://www.designinglocal.com/work-portfolio/westerville-wayfinding-strategy

06/14/2026

Designing Local Historic Preservationists Josh Lapp and Megan Adornetto recently visited Los Alamos, New Mexico to participate in a series of community engagement activities that will help inform the Historic Preservation Plan we are honored to be developing for the community.

These activities included curated small-group walking tours through Los Alamos neighborhoods and trails, providing opportunities for meaningful discussions on key aspects of the area's history and historic preservation. In addition, our team facilitated a public lecture, "Secret Cities: The Architecture and Planning of the Manhattan Project," at the historic Fuller Lodge featuring scholar Martin Moeller.

We are grateful for the opportunity to engage with the Los Alamos community and look forward to incorporating these valuable perspectives into the preservation planning process.

06/09/2026

We are delighted to share that the City of Orem, Utah unanimously adopted the Orem Heart Downtown Master Plan. This plan envisions a dynamic, family-friendly, and economically vibrant downtown core, seamlessly integrating the arts, recreation, education, entertainment, and retail to forge a distinct sense of place for both residents and visitors.

This comprehensive plan outlines a framework for advancing the Downtown vision by proposing incremental phasing and a blend of public and private investment. It identifies potential project sequencing, implementation considerations, and a menu of funding tools and revenue strategies that may be evaluated as opportunities arise. Rather than prescribing a single path forward, the plan emphasizes flexibility, coordination, and shared responsibility, providing a roadmap for aligning future decisions with the community's long-term goals.

To read the full plan, please copy the URL below:

https://www.designinglocal.com/work-portfolio/orem-heart-downtown-master-plan

A special mention to all of our collaborators:

Shalae Larsen, ASLA, PLA and Mackenzie Yeager of Io LandArch

Jake McIntire of Union Creative

Greg Nelson and Tyson Grant, P.E. of Horrocks

Susan Becker, AICP of Zion's Public Finance

06/04/2026

How can commemorative projects reshape our cities — and who gets reflected in public space?

Join the Central Park Conservancy and Urban Design Forum for an evening conversation exploring how designers, artists, and communities across the country are reimagining memorials and civic spaces to honor overlooked histories, confront contested legacies, and create more inclusive public realms. We are so thrilled for Designing Local Managing Principal & Co-Founder Amanda Golden and collaborator Kimberly Danielle to be featured as key speakers, discussing our Reimagining Columbus project. Please join us!

📍 The Greene Space, 44 Charlton Street
�📅 June 11, 2026
�⏰ Doors open at 6:00 PM | Program begins at 6:30 PM
�🎟️ Free admission

To RSVP and learn more, please follow the URL below:

https://www.centralparknyc.org/activities/events/shaping-public-memory-lessons

06/01/2026

Our team is here, there and everywhere!

We have had the pleasure of developing and completing a variety of Public Art Plans in Florida, including in Port St. Lucie, Pompano Beach, Ormond Beach and Riviera Beach. Urban Planner Gabrielle Smith presented at the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals (FAPAP) annual conference in West Palm Beach. We were so excited to be part of discussions and learning about current trends, best practices and issues of Public Art.

Senior Planner Meredith Reed attended the Monuments Lab Summit: “School of Monumaking’ in Philadeplphia. This summit includes artists, educators, activists, and cultural leaders to imagine monument-making as a living classroom. From bold national perspectives to intimate community histories, the Summit centered monument-making as an ongoing practice of learning together: asking who is remembered, how stories are told, and what it takes to build more just public landscapes.