Morristown needed a strong, implementable strategy in order to thrive as a walkable community in a region built for cars.
Topology principals Daniel Hernandez and Phil Abramson led the master planning process in Morristown, aiming to address the Town’s unique challenges as a regional center. One of Morristown’s greatest assets is its strategic location within the region, which is also one of its chief challenges. Morristown is located at the crossroads of major regional transportation corridors, including an interstate highway, significant state and county roadways, and commuter rail to New York City. These networks are at the core of the Town’s economic and social potential for success, but they have also facilitated unsustainable, auto-centric development patterns that, if left unchecked, will serve to undermine its small town urban character.
The Mobility and Community Form planning framework, developed by NJDOT, recognizes that land use and transportation planning are inextricably linked, making it well-suited to analyze and design smart, feasible strategies to promote responsible development and growth, while preserving and strengthening the Town’s existing neighborhoods. The Plan was developed as part of a robust public process that reached a broad spectrum of residents, with a priority on ensuring full transparency in all decision making processes.
During the public input and engagement process, collaborating with townspeople we developed a vision for Morristown as a welcoming, resilient, and sustainable place to live, work, and play. As part of that vision, we produced strategies to revitalize places and corridors at the heart of Morristown, including the Train Station District. We devised specific strategies to promote the development of a walkable transit-oriented community around the Morristown rail station, including redevelopment of surface lots and auto-oriented uses, and planning and implementation of pedestrian, bicycle and roadway enhancements.
Insight: To be useful and effective, long-term master plans should be designed around available implementation mechanisms and likely funding sources.
Project Partners
Funders: North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) & Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Mobility: Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB)
Urban Design: Common Ground Design + Group Melvin Design
Outreach: FHI Studio + Social Impact Studios
Community: Morris Arts + Sustainable Morristown
Location
Role
Project Director / Town Planner
Project Category
Municipal Master Plan
Public Engagement