Enhancing Livability for the Next Great College Town

The downtown area and the campus of DePauw University are two of Greencastle’s most important assets. Having achieved success through Indiana’s Stellar Communities Designation Program, which recognizes smaller communities for proactive planning and collaborative partnerships, the city selected Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) to help implement the streetscape element of their plan. The plan called for roadway and sidewalk improvements on two streets, along with a pedestrian alley, decorative lighting, bump-outs, greenspace, and outdoor dining areas. It was all part of an effort to make Greencastle the “Next Great College Town.”

Helping achieve the plan with the limited funds available, CMT provided Practical Design solutions to reduce costs for the roadway and drainage improvements, which in turn allowed additional features to be added. Our engineers used context-sensitive designs for the local project that significantly reduced right-of-way costs and minimized impacts to existing buildings, resulting in substantial savings. Extensive stakeholder coordination and committed public outreach efforts helped to define the economic, livability and environmental goals, a key factor in the projects overall success.

This project demonstrates the benefits of the renewed emphasis on context sensitivity, collaboration, innovation and advocacy. Not only does it elevate the capacity to perform beyond standards-driven design, it illustrates the ability to integrate competing goals with multiple stakeholders and deliver projects where success is realized by all parties.