Tamara Failor didn't start out with the intention of becoming an urban planning geek. The bug just snuck up on her one day while she was studying at Reed College in Portland.
"I studied English in Portland, and during my junior year I read a book called "Suburban Nation" which is basically about why suburbs don't work and what the alternative to the suburb might be," Tamara said during an interview at The Commons at Plant Zero. "That kind of grabbed me, and I got clued into urban planning.
The book Failor read -- Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream -- was written by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck, and became a seminal book in what is now known as New Urbanism. Because all things are ultimately connected, it should be no surprise that Duany and Plater-Zyberk taught the principals of Dover Kohl at the University of Miami, or that Plater-Zyberk was in Richmond this past winter working on a project in eastern Henrico, or that Failor ended up in Richmond this week working with Dover Kohl in the development of Richmond's new Downtown Plan.
Failor is in town observing and pitching in in order to learn more about the process of charrettes. That's an important thing for a program coordinator with the National Charrette Institute to do.
Back to Failor's story. So, the California native finished her English degree and decided to pursue a career in planning. "It seemed like a good way to make an impact -- it is the intersection between environmental and social issues," she said.
After some time with an affordable housing organization, she found her way to the National Charrette Institute last fall. And then she found her way to Richmond for the week. Color her impressed -- with Dover Kohl, with the city and with its residents.
"I think the people at Dover Kohl are very good at presenting their ideas -- like the food for thought lecture delivered on Friday, when Victor got up and talked about what was good about urban planning and why it was important," she said. "I think part of it comes from their experience, but they're just very good at getting people's knowledge down and helping people's voices be heard."
She described a recent discussion between Dover Kohl and representatives of Richmond's downtown neighborhood organizations that she observed. It took place this week after the hands-on charrette process, while Dover Kohl sought to reconcile drawings and plans with the desires of residents.
"It was nice to see and to hear the perspectives of different neighborhood representatives," Failor said. "There are different things that impact each of the neighborhoods. There are unique things that set Oregon Hill apart, for instance. But the main thing they agree on is that the neighborhoods aren't very connected to downtown."
"It was good to see that each neighborhood was equally involved," she added. "There didn't seem to be anyone not at the table."
During her long week of taking notes, manning a reception desk, facilitating groups and helping planning teams with their work, Failor also had a chance to experience some slices of Richmond's urban fabric -- a driving tour of the city, a long walk to the river and around Belle Island, dinner at Comfort and Europa.
"I can understand why so many people are concerned about the viewscape and why the river is such a focal point for everyone," she said. "I'm impressed by the amount of history in Richmond. It seems like every single neighborhood has its own history and unique character. I like the feel of Shockoe Slip and Carytown, because there is so much pedestrian activity and life."
But, she noted that not all was sunshine and roses. "I was out with the traffic engineers on Commerce Street in Manchester and we just marveled at how you have these six-lane roads with no traffic on them. There's so much land not being used -- vacant lots and vacant buildings -- that can be utilized."
In the end, though, she feels optimistic about the amount of energy and consensus she's experienced in discussions with Richmonders.
"It's so interesting because we're hearing some of the same ideas this week in our group discussions that we heard last weekend," she said. "There is a lot of consensus in Richmond about what to do with your downtown."
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