SmithGroup Mobility

MOBILITY
& URBAN DESIGN

Design a BETTER FUTURE

Meet OUR Experts

The Mobility and Urban Design Leadership at SmithGroup

JANET ATTARIAN

PRINCIPAL,
SENIOR MOBILITY
STRATEGIST

More About Janet »

DAN
KINKEAD

DIRECTOR
OF URBAN
DESIGN

More About Dan »

OLIVER
KILEY

PRINCIPAL,
URBAN DESIGN
& PLANNING

More About Oliver »

Michael
JOHNSON

PRINCIPAL,
Urban Design
Studio Leader

More About Michael »

Learn More About How We Shape the Future

Lessons from Detroit

JOE LOUIS GREENWAY | SMITHGROUP

Like the man it honors, the Joe Louis Greenway has a bold purpose: to reunify and reenergize Detroit’s diverse communities.
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JOE LOUIS GREENWAY | CITY OF DETROIT

Through this greenway, we strive to honor Joe Louis by providing equitable spaces through arts, programming, and economic opportunities for all.
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Leveraging Vacant Land as an Asset

Why Detroit Matters: Part 1
Detroit’s ongoing recovery efforts have led to a wide range of unique and innovative planning and design responses.
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Connecting Green Infrastructure and Neighborhood Revitalization

Why Detroit Matters: Part 2
Strategies for reutilization of vacant land, putting it into productive use, helping to clean it up over time.

Made in Detroit: Detroit’s New Industrial Economy

Why Detroit Matters: Part 3
Detroit’s industrial complex can be repositioned for a range of uses and impacts.

Higher Education’s Role in Detroit’s Recovery

Why Detroit Matters: Part 4
Detroit’s colleges and universities are emerging as partners for redevelopment and revitalization efforts at the neighborhood level.
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Rebuilding and Democratizing Detroit’s Information Infrastructure

Why Detroit Matters: Part 5
A look at the pivotal role that Detroit’s new open-source data infrastructure is playing in city rebuilding and recovery efforts.

Building a More Equitable Future

Why Detroit Matters: Part 6
Considering Detroit’s aspirational move away from its divisive past towards a more inclusive, equitable future.
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VIDEO | Accessing the riverfront

VIDEO | The Joe Louis Greenway

VIDEO | DETROIT COMPLETE STREETS

Thought Leadership

ADAPTING STREETS AND THE PUBLIC REALM TO BUILD RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

Critical to placemaking – though often not discussed enough – is the vital role that streets and related infrastructure play in making our communities safe, accessible and resilient.
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THE DECADE AHEAD: DESIGN & SOCIAL CHANGE IN 2020 AND BEYOND

Despite an atmosphere of resource challenges, we believe the next decade will see new, creative approaches to funding civic improvements and infrastructure investments.
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GENEROSITY OF SPACE

The COVID-19 crisis has brought into full focus the need for generously-sized, creatively designed public spaces that can be shared and used by everyone for many purposes -- such as walking, cycling, recreating and more.
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LESSONS IN DANISH URBANISM: PART 1 - CYCLING AS TRANSPORT

Cycling in Copenhagen is almost effortless and eminently practical. It is not limited to those brave souls who are excellent cyclists and don’t fear riding in the streets alongside fast-moving automobiles.
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LESSONS IN DANISH URBANISM: PART 2 - URBAN SWIMMING IN COPENHAGEN…AND DC

The harbour baths in Copenhagen are not just a wonderful way to spend a hot summer afternoon, they are a visible celebration of Denmark’s success in cleaning its waterways.
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EQUITABLE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC & BEYOND

SmithGroup’s urban design and planning practice is built on the philosophy that equitable public engagement has the power to more inclusively shape opinion and policy.
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SHAPING URBAN ENVIRONMENTS AROUND TRANSPORTATION INNOVATION

The way we plan and experience our cities has been largely dictated by the automobile for the better part of a century. But those paradigms are currently being challenged by emerging technologies.
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AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES: THE URGENT NEED FOR HUMAN- AND HEALTH-CENTRIC POLICIES

While growing numbers of AVs will start to populate our roads over the next few years, there will be a mix of AVs and traditional vehicles for decades to come.
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THE SMITHGROUP MOBILITY APPROACH

Grounded in complete green streets, active transportation, and placemaking, SmithGroup integrates expertise across scales.
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THE ROAD TO ZERO: IMPROVING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY THROUGH STREET DESIGN

While professionals have known the significant role that street design plays in this issue, the American public is slowly but surely becoming more aware.
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REIMAGINING THE PUBLIC REALM: A FRAMEWORK TO BUILD RESILIENT COMMUNITIES DURING AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC

This is a pivotal moment. Our future will be shaped by our response to multiple global catastrophic occurrences
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DESIGNING FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE: CITIES, SUBURBS & BEYOND

Cities are one of the greatest creations of humankind. They are amazing engines of creativity, productivity, and powerful economies...

COMBATTING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT WITH UAV THERMAL IMAGING – PART 1

Cities around the globe continue to become larger, hotter and more congested.
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COMBATTING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT WITH UAV THERMAL IMAGING – PART 2

How an urban canyon was successfully captured from the sky via UAV.
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COMBATTING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT WITH UAV THERMAL IMAGING – PART 3

We sculpt the ‘shape’ of a day in the urban heat island effect.
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COMBATTING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT WITH UAV THERMAL IMAGING – PART 4

We breakdown the surface area and physical scale of the urban heat island effect.
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RACIAL EQUITY IN URBAN REDEVELOPMENT - PART 1

A robust conversation examines how design and development practices can – and must – be more directly driven toward an inclusive and equitable future.
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MIXED-USE CONVERGENCE & THE FUTURE OF DISTRICT DEVELOPMENTS

There are many drivers in successful district developments and each needs to be considered holistically to ensure success.
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Mobility Brochures & Resource Material

Greenways

Greenways play a critical role in revitalizing and sustaining communities through connectivity of culture, neighborhoods, and resources. Greenways offer equitable access to parks, open spaces, and recreational opportunities, helping build healthy, vibrant, and safe communities.
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CONNECTING PEOPLE AND PLACE THROUGH MULTI-MODAL SYSTEMS

Cities are forged through social, ecological, and economic changes, and it’s their dynamism and adaptive capacity that make them so remarkable.
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DRIVING TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE, FUTURE-FORWARD COMMUNITIES

As planners, designers, and citizens, we must creatively rethink, adapt, and improve our cities to prioritize public health, advance sustainability, and minimize the negative impacts of new forms of vehicular travel.
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PEOPLE-FRIENDLY STREETS

This initiative undertaken in partnership with the City of Ann Arbor utilizes a complete-street approach to the design of public right-of-ways, re-balancing the allocation of space along the street to serve a broader range of people and transportation types.
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REIMAGINING THE PUBLIC REALM

A Framework to Build Resilient Communities During & After the Pandemic
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From Recovery to Resiliency – Part 1
Campus Recreation Responds to COVID-19

With anticipated drops in enrollment and dips into financial reserves imminent, campus recreation leaders are realizing the need to hone their business acumen when it comes to operational structures.
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FROM RECOVERY TO RESILIENCY – parT 2
INTEGRATING FITNESS AND WELLNESS ON CAMPUS

In a new atmosphere for campuses, there is increasing interest in expanding the role of recreation and wellness opportunities to help students bridge personal crises with a renewed focus on building holistic well-being.
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From Recovery to Resiliency – Part 3
Leveraging Campus & Community Partnerships

It will be essential for recreation departments to identify and leverage interdisciplinary partnerships with the expanded campus community to continue to remain competitive and meet the evolving needs of our students.
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Where Will Higher Education Campuses Invest Post-Pandemic?

SmithGroup's Higher Education leadership team asked, "How can existing campus assets be repurposed or repositioned to address emerging needs such as Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) or the rise of the experiential campus post-COVID?
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