Comprehensive Planning for The Village of Chatham

Sub-area Planning – Urban Design

Comprehensive Planning for Chatham involved sub-area planning with detailed design & strategies for physical intervention. Based on community input and analysis of existing conditions, one of the proposed decisions was to revitalize the public square as the center of the community. The design aimed at establishing a sense of place and providing an open community space for social gatherings.

The square was designed with the intent to create mixed-use buildings around it where one can live, work, and play. Two adjacent streets were closed to through traffic and were converted to open streets as part of the plaza. The streetscape on the periphery of the square included sidewalks, on street parking, bike racks, buffer landscaping to create safe and comfortable pedestrian oriented streets. The square included an open amphitheater for local music bands, water splash pads, and picnic areas. The plaza connected the existing community hall and the library building to the landscaped square. The design hopes to make an impact at the regional level by connecting surrounding neighborhoods to the central square as a community gathering space.

All images copyright and courtesy SSC Regional Planning Commission, Springfield, IL