Whither Our City
A Historic Resource Survey and Urban Design Strategy
Manchester, New Hampshire
In the early 1990’s, the City of Manchester, New Hampshire witnessed the loss of several historic buildings. The additional loss of a prominent ironclad bridge, which had defined a gateway into the City’s downtown, prompted the community to action. Saucier + Flynn, working with a team of architects and historic preservation specialists, was commissioned to develop a community wide historic resource survey that would identify important buildings, open spaces and neighborhoods. In addition, the team was assigned the responsibility of developing a set of urban design strategies that would preserve the community’s historic resources but would also allow for sensitive and informed contemporary development.
The team’s historic preservation specialist conducted an extensive windshield survey of the entire City noting important structures, open spaces and precincts. This information, critical to establishing historic districts or preparing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, served as a foundation for the development of an innovative set of planning tools. The dynamic Urban Design Strategies that emerged served as an educational tool and helped broaden the community’s understanding of critical urban design issues while at the same time, they served as important policy statements and enabled residents, developers and City officials to intelligently evaluate the contribution of proposed projects. The Design Strategies defined and identified the value and significance of key resources such as neighborhoods, transportation corridors and open spaces. The plan also outlined a set of design principles that would guide contemporary development in a manner that accommodated contemporary needs yet respected the community’s unique character and identity.
The project received the New Hampshire Planners Association Award For Excellence in Planning in 1992.
