How to Create a Compelling Destination

“We mined their private archives for the historical jackets on the walls, sourced vintage pieces at the entry and throughout the store,” says Melissa Gonzalez, Founder of Lionesque Group. A series of orange shadow boxes displays Alpha’s historic styles including the MA-1 and its predecessor the B-150D flight jacket along one wall. In all, visitors can view more than two dozen vintage items throughout.

Healthy Communities are not simply urban spaces with a mix of uses. Putting people first means accounting for multiple needs. For example, how do residential, office, and retail buildings connect? Putting people first instead of the vehicles that carry them means we are considering how pedestrians will use the public realm. How far are they willing to walk between destinations? What amenities are needed along the way for people to feel safe and invited? And how can we insert green space — from pocket parks to robust open spaces — into the environment? Putting people first means offering people choices, providing them with spaces where they feel comfortable pausing, spaces that invite interaction and encourage socialization.

To create Healthy Communities, MG2 has expanded on the traditional live-work-play model, adding the more intangibles of “nourish,” “learn” and “move.” The plans for Crossroads, in Bellevue, is one example. At Crossroads, we intentionally knit residential, retail, and green space into the fabric of the community and improved connections to transit and community hubs for a pedestrian experience throughout and beyond the property.