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42 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2021 ELEMENTS Outdoor Design Looking to the Future: What’s Next in Outdoor Design R ecent events have given all of us a dif- ferent perspective and prompted new ways of thinking. In response, DTJ chal- lenged its entire team – from lead designers to support staff – to contemplate a different view- point that considers the futurehealthand livability of their home, neighborhood and community. That request led to more than 250 different ideas about howwe design for the future and what’s next in de- sign. We believe our solutions always should adapt to both current and future conditions. So, we asked our team not only to express a new idea, but also to think critically about the immediate design solution. We are thinking differently not only about our homes, neigh- borhoods and community amenities, but also streets- capes, parks and open space, entertainment venues and technology. Here are ourmost popular ideas: • Community amenities. Future amenity design should consider dispersed neighborhood amenities in- steadof largeclubhousesandsingle-useplaygrounds. A varietyof outdoor spaces disperseuses that are flexible and invite unstructured resident participation. These amenities can be either fully private or commercially operated. Consider that amid COVID-19, a neighbor- hood hangout adapted froma full, sit-down restaurant toa catering company that offeredgrab-and-gocuisine, coffee and weekend food trucks. Its business model flourished! We must program and design for greater flexibility of our commonamenity facilities. Young professionals, parents and entrepreneurs have struggled to retrofit smaller homes to conduct business. There is an abun- dance of good solutions of malleable floor plans. Don’t forget about spaces within community buildings that are convertible to divisible workspaces for web meet- ings and businesses/startups, or to serve as child care or learning spaces. With an ever-increasing demand for local food, more farmers are growing crops on what traditionally has been considered unusable space: utility easements, flood plains, future development parcels and rooftops. Rooftop farms are an excellent local food source, espe- cially for urban areas. They enhance the urban land- scape, bring communities together and offer a sustain- able amenity. With reduced travel, there is a desire to vacation at home, oftenofferingresort-styleamenities. Resort-style design organizes the space in smaller, more intimate enclaves for privacy. Community amenities should consider expanded programming such as fire pits, small amphitheaters, cornhole/bocce game areas, in- door-outdoor dining and resort-style pools tomeet this expectation. • Our streets. Streets are integral to communities but are also significant portion of their land use. More emphasis on multimodal and complete streets pro- vides convenient, safe, and comfortable travel and rec- reation for users of all ages and abilities. What about the way we use local streets? More people are walking, playing ball and hanging out in the street, similar to European neighborhoods. Local streets should no longer be single-use areas occupying Chris Moore Principal and CEO, DTJ Design Resort-style design organizes the space in smaller, more intimate enclaves for privacy. Parks, nature preserves and trail systems create valuable opportunities for exercise and interaction.