Placemaking Tactics: Public Realm

Civic Infrastructure

Consistent, quality public realm design is an essential foundation for a long-term placemaking framework. Public streets, sidewalks, open spaces, and multimodel transportation infrastructure can convey a sense of care and catalyze private investment. Downtown Largo’s civic infrastructure can take advantage of the opportunity for melding greenery and urbanism and support its identity as a place where life, health, and wellness come together.

Streetscape And Open Space Features

Downtown Largo’s streets and urban spaces can be gracious transitions between the area’s lush green landscape and its urban character. A consistent palette of trees, landscaping, and civic features helps establish a sense of public purpose, provide shade, and add ever-changing color. The materials, colors and design elements found in the civic features in Town Center Park, such as sitting areas, paths, and pavilions, provide a cohesive visual language that successfully bridges the natural and urban environments. These elements can extended into the design of streetscapes, new public spaces, and other civic features elsewhere in Downtown Largo.

Potential partners: DPW&T, The M-NCPPC

Transit Infrastructure

Downtown Largo is currently served by Metrorail and Metrobus lines. In the future, a downtown circulator could be organized to transport people between Metro and Downtown Largo’s various destination centers. Local transit stops and vehicles will have to stand out in the landscape so that people are encouraged to access the network. Eye-catching artistic features spark interest, promote ridership and inform users about their transit options.

Potential partners: DPW&T, TheBus

MULTI-USE TRAIL INFRASTRUCTURE

One of the goals of Downtown Largo is to be more bike and pedestrian friendly. Largo will be a key destination on the Central Avenue Connector Trail, a major trail (or “spine” facility) within a comprehensive countywide trail network. This network should include wayfinding features that make it easier for everyone to get around and features that support bicycle use, such as bike racks and bike repair stations.

Potential partners: PGCRA, EDC, DPW&T, M-NCPPC

Wayfinding Features

A comprehensive wayfinding system is a key component of civic infrastructure. While Largo’s wayfinding system will have its own hierarchy of signs, many of the other long-term civic infrastructure investments recommended here will reinforce people’s understanding of street hierarchies, common routes and key destinations.

Potential partners: PGCRA, EDC, DPW&T

Bridge Enhancements

There are several proposals to improve pedestrian and bicycle connections over the Beltway. One proposal is widening the Medical Center Drive bridge to improve the pedestrian environment. Another proposal is creating a new bridge to carry the Central Avenue Connector Trail from the Morgan Boulevard Metro station area to the Downtown Largo Metro station area. Both bridge projects are opportunities to create innovative, iconic design features that can make an impression on Beltway drivers and people using the new bridges.

Potential partners: DPW&T, MDOT