2025 CDS Annual Conference

An explanation of how your presentation relates to the conference theme (250 words or less):
Pulaski County, Georgia is a long-term community in the [university information retracted for blind review] program, part of [university]’s Public Service and Outreach Division. This [university program] empowers communities to address long-standing, critical community and economic development needs through an executive committee of local leaders, who prioritize the community’s needs and identify projects that benefit the community. Priorities come from diverse, local listening sessions and projects are submitted via local work groups for each priority. The [university program] then acts as a connection point between the community and students and faculty at the university and other higher education resources, who work on selected projects.
In 2020, the local Pulaski County [university program] Executive Committee decided to address their failing downtown. They participated in [university information retracted for blind review]’s Renaissance Program, with huge community buy-in and 400+ surveys on what community members wished to see their community become in the future. They also participated in a design charette collaboration through the [university information retracted] to visualize what several blighted downtown spaces could be. This process took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which created unusual challenges and identified new best practices. Using these innovated pathways, Hawkinsville has been able to help their downtown thrive again by reimaging the corridor. Several spaces in the charette process have been renovated into new spaces since 2020, and in just five years, the community is seeing positive change in their small, rural townscape.

Overall Description:
In 2020, Hawkinsville, Georgia participated in a design charrette collaboration with the [university information retracted for blind review], to reimagine several blighted downtown spaces. Identifying new best practices during a global pandemic to obtain a diverse array of responses on what types of spaces local citizens desired to see, the charrette process was a success in tackling the challenge of helping citizens see spaces in a new way. Five years later, several spaces have been renovated by local stakeholders and stewards, including a new pocket park, restaurants, lofts, and an anchor park that has become the community’s centerpiece.