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WRT | RFP No. 60149: San Leandro Comprehensive Parks Master Plan 27
<br />Regardless of the scale of the assignment,
<br />all of the firm’s work strives to meet high
<br />standards of design excellence to express
<br />the cultural identity of the place.
<br />WRT’s success is based on our tradition of
<br />excellence, innovation, and leadership in
<br />planning and design, and our commitment
<br />to the firm’s guiding principles of designing
<br />with nature and reinforcing urbanism. We
<br />work with communities to address and
<br />integrate complex issues related to quality
<br />of life and physical character, growth
<br />management, economic and fiscal health,
<br />infrastructure capacity, and resource
<br />preservation and activation. We build on the
<br />strengths of those who have come before us,
<br />but welcome change as an opportunity to
<br />create impact.
<br />Our practice is guided by the
<br />following themes:
<br />Placemaking at all Scales
<br />At its core, the craft of placemaking is
<br />the process of activating the public realm
<br />through design. It is our conviction that
<br />placemaking is integral to improving quality
<br />of life, supporting inclusive growth, and
<br />integrating the shared values of communities.
<br />Uniting planning, architecture, and landscape
<br />architecture, placemaking is a transformative
<br />tool that shapes public spaces into equitable
<br />community places. We develop a true
<br />understanding of the unique character of a
<br />community to create places that enhance
<br />existing assets, strengthen connections
<br />between people and spaces, and promote
<br />healthier communities.
<br />Achieving Equity
<br />We believe in equitable communities that
<br />level playing fields for their most vulnerable
<br />citizens—homeless, low-income, youth,
<br />elderly, disabled, immigrant, refugee, and
<br />LGBTQ. At our core, we believe that while
<br />talent is universal, opportunity is not. Our
<br />projects address this inequity by tackling
<br />PLANNERS
<br />URBAN
<br />DESIGNERS
<br />15%
<br />12%
<br />FOUNDED IN
<br />WRT HAS WON
<br />PLANNING AND
<br />DESIGN AWARDS
<br />1963
<br />400+
<br />issues of housing affordability/insecurity,
<br />mitigating gentrification/displacement,
<br />advocating for environmental justice,
<br />supporting local economies, building local
<br />capacity, focusing on community health and
<br />well-being, and ultimately re-balancing social
<br />determinants of health—so that talent can
<br />thrive everywhere.
<br />Embracing Community Values
<br />The threads of a community create a sense of
<br />belonging, strength, comfort, and resiliency.
<br />An understanding of these threads—shared
<br />stories, common values, a similar culture—
<br />forms a foundation from which communities
<br />can build capacity, regenerate, and blossom.
<br />We tailor engagement tools (from high-
<br />tech to no tech) to enable residents to
<br />discover the distinct characteristics of their
<br />communities, as well as their needs and
<br />ambitions. Working alongside communities,
<br />we shape aspirational yet implementable
<br />plans that range in scale from neighborhood,
<br />corridor, and district plans, to regional and
<br />citywide plans, to park and resiliency master
<br />plans.
<br />Planning For Resiliency
<br />Our planning and design practice is
<br />guided by an ecological and systems-
<br />based approach with resiliency at its core.
<br />This approach is essential in addressing
<br />today’s complex challenges dealing with
<br />environmental, social, economic, and
<br />technological changes. WRT was among the
<br />first planning and design firms to recognize
<br />the need to “design with nature” in order
<br />to sustain natural resources and provide a
<br />healthy living environment for all. We bring
<br />our expertise in ecology, parks and open
<br />space, green stormwater infrastructure, and
<br />revitalization of urban neighborhoods and
<br />districts to mitigate the vulnerabilities and
<br />challenges communities face and help them
<br />adapt for an ever-changing future.
<br />LANDSCAPE
<br />ARCHITECTS
<br />28%
<br />ARCHITECTS
<br />45%
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