Downtown champaign existing conditions report
Roughly bounded by Westside Park and State Street to the west, Columbia Street to the north, First Street to the east, and Green Street to the south, Downtown and Midtown Champaign make up the historic and commercial core of the City of Champaign. It is in these spaces where the foundations of the City of Champaign first materialized. Downtown Champaign has evolved and adapted over centuries from the beginnings of a railroad town, to a bustling commercial core, and from decline during urban renewal and suburbanization. In the past two decades, public and private reinvestment has transformed Downtown Champaign into a vibrant and attractive urban center that has ushered in new residential, mixed-use, and commercial developments. The stunning transformation of Downtown Champaign from a declining center to a lively and resilient urban core has made it a model for revitalization for other downtowns across the region. This report will help shape the new Downtown Plan in which aims to provide a collective vision for an inclusive and economically prosperous Downtown for next-generation residents, patrons, and small businesses.
During the summer of 2023, I helped conduct a comprehensive assessment of Downtown Champaign’s existing conditions. I spent extensive time in the field documenting key details for hundreds of parcels and buildings, including physical condition, zoning, land use, assessed value, and residential unit counts. This on-the-ground research provided a thorough dataset to support the city’s planning efforts.
After gathering the data, we used GIS and Adobe Illustrator to create a series of maps illustrating the spatial distribution and patterns of various factors across downtown. These visualizations revealed important trends and relationships within the built environment. We concluded the project by presenting our findings to the Planning Commission, helping them gain a deeper, data-driven understanding of the area’s current conditions.
Presenting findings to the Champaign Plan Commission.