THE GEORGIA DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE FELLOWSHIP

A component of the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Partnership, the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Fellowship pairs emerging design professionals from the University of Georgia College of Environment + Design with local governments to enhance downtown development in communities across Georgia.

Following a competitive selection process, graduatelevel student fellows are selected for their design and communication skills as well as overall commitment to community design. Throughout the 12-week program, Renaissance Fellows work directly with their partner city, producing renderings and plans collaboratively in a studio environment at UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Fellows hone their designs and planning expertise under the direction of five full-time design and planning staff. With backgrounds ranging from historic preservation and landscape architecture to graphic design, these experts help guide the creation of professional-level plans and renderings produced by student fellows during the program.

Since 2013, the Georgia Downtown Renaissance Fellows have assisted 28 communities throughout the state. With the assistance of the Georgia Municipal Association and the Georgia Cities Foundation, the City of Baxley was selected as one of two communities to take part in the 2023 Georgia Downtown Renaissance Fellowship. Partner cities are selected based on the criteria of strong local leadership, community commitment, and fiscal readiness to act on projects.

Garrison Taylor, a graduate student studying landscape architecture at UGA’s College of Environment + Design, worked directly with Baxley city manager Keri Orvin and the Baxley Downtown Development Authority to address specific design opportunities in Baxley. Taylor incorporated local priorities to create design solutions and develop a vision for several key locations downtown. This project emerged from Baxley’s participation in the Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership (PROPEL) program, which provides rural communities with resources to create systems necessary to support their own economic and workforce development strategies. The two-year program is operated by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and funded by a grant from USDA Rural Development.

The primary goals of this project were (1) to enhance walkability in downtown Baxley by improving the city’s streets, sidewalks, and public spaces; (2) to provide design options to local property owners rejuvenating downtown buildings and parcels; and (3) to show how improvements to Baxley’s parks and public spaces can mitigate heat and drainage issues in the area.