1. Scott T. Ulrich, CNU-A
CommUNiTy PlANNer | UrbAN DeSigNer
Work Samples
Airport Area Framework Plan | Abu Dhabi, UAE
muncie Action Plan | Muncie, Indiana
Short North Design guidelines | Columbus, Ohio
North Cassady Avenue redevelopment Plan | Bexley, Ohio

2. Growth Mitigation and Coordination in the Middle East
AirPorT AreA FrAmeWork PlAN | ABU DhABI, UAE
overview Land Use + Transport Framework
The study area of this plan is centered on Abu Dhabi
International Airport and is the area of the city where
extensive new growth and development is expected. The
purpose of the Airport Area Framework Plan is to ensure that
the area grows according to the principles of Plan Abu Dhabi
2030 (PAD 2030) and other planning policies. In addition to
building on existing regional policies, this Area Framework
Plan also provides insight into how land use, transport,
market, and other forces are changing the planning area, in
some cases differently than envisioned in PAD 2030.
integrated land Use & Transportation Planning
The multitude of proposed planned developments may have
been well-designed individually, but projections indicated
that key locations along the transport system will become Retail hierarchy Office hierarchy
congested unless mitigation measures are implemented. This
plan provides a framework for integrating them into the
connected region envisioned in PAD 2030.
The vision for the area’s future transport structure is one
that provides a variety of transport options including motor
vehicles, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian access. The land
use element of the Plan provides a pattern of the location of
development and applies timing mechanisms (such as land-
Combined Commercial hierarchy
banking, see map above) that phase development around
transit improvements to maximize the efficiency of the
transportation network.
Hierarchy of Centers
This plan also recommends a “hierarchy” of connected
commercial centers to serve as focal points within the region
and as places around which communities can be organized.
Three center types are identified, including neighborhood
centers, district centers, and regional centers. Each center type
is mapped and accompanied by a description of the mix of
uses, the range of building area, and the range of population to
be served by each type.
This hierarchy is designed to implement the PAD 2030
principle of connected centers throughout the region that
are also—most importantly—supported by population and Schools Police & Fire healthcare
market demand.
Community Facilities
PAD 2030 emphasizes the importance of providing adequate
and well-located community facilities in order to create more
livable communities. In keeping with this vision, this plan
provides level of service standards and proposed geographic Mosques Cultural Open Space
distribution of schools, mosques, parks, recreational, civic,
cultural, healthcare, and civil defense facilities. Geographic
proximity, population catchment areas, and service areas are
identified for each type of facility.

3. A New Path for a Shrinking City
mUNCie ACTioN PlAN | MUNCIE, INDIANA
overview
The Action Plan is a strategic guide that expresses the values
and aspirations of the community. It is based on inclusive
input from anyone in the community that cares about the
future of the place they live, work or study. These aspirations
are integrated with solid technical analysis of conditions and
trends to create a compelling action agenda for the future.
The motivation The Conceptual Development Framework Map illustrates graphically the principles for
The City of Muncie—like many communities in the Midwest— development and shows where these concepts generally apply throughout the city.
faces significant challenges in creating a prosperous and
sustainable future:
• A shrinking, aging population
• Major disinvestment, declining prosperity, and fiscal stress
• Inefficient use of land and resources
However, key community leaders came together to chart a
course for the future based on the inclusive MAP process.
Not coincidentally, the city was entering an exciting time of
continued collaboration between local government, not-for-
profits, business and community leaders, and educational
institutions. The Muncie Action Plan capitalized on this
collaboration to bring all of these components and past
planning efforts together to create a new vision for the city as it
continues to move forward.
The Public Process
The Muncie Action Plan process included three rounds of
public involvement:
Idea Workshops: Interactive brainstorming workshop with
“Strong Places, Weak Places” mapping activity.
Community Choices: Merging ideas with technical research
and evaluating goals for the future and necessary action steps.
Open House: Prioritizing actions and gathering interest in
implementation steps.
Structure of the Action Plan
The Muncie Action Plan was built upon the ideas and values
of those who live and work in Muncie. These ideas were
distilled into aspirations, principles and actions.
Aspirations. Ten goals express, in simple terms, the
community’s aspirations for the future.
The priority actions were organized into five initiative areas:
Principles. Twelve principles describe the community values
related to land development. These value statements address 1. Linking Learning, health, and Prosperity
“how” and “where” the community should develop in the 2. Fostering Collaboration
future.
3. Strengthening Pride and Image
Actions. The Vision included 47 programs, policies or projects
that support one or more of the goals. 4. Creating Attractive and Desirable Places
5. Managing Community Resources

4. 3-Dimensional Modeling & Research
SHorT NorTH DeSigN gUiDeliNeS | COLUMBUS, OhIO
overview Bird’s eye view of district
The Short North is a unique, arts-focused historic business
corridor along High Street in Columbus, Ohio. It literally
straddles the boundary of two architectural review
commissions, each working with their own set of design
guidelines for its respective side of High Street.
The Columbus Planning Divison initiated a project to create
a single set of unified design guidelines for the Short North
district, and enlisted City and Regional Planning students to
establish a complete baseline of information and analysis to
inform the development of the guidelines.
baseline model
Example of the district’s long, intact historic blocks
This three-dimensional computerized model of the existing
planning area was created to serve as a baseline to understand
the development pattern and character, on a lot-by-lot
basis. Our findings could be broken into five categories of
development types in the district:
Long, intact historic blocks
Smaller historic clusters
Isolated extremes (towers & drive-throughs)
Suburban-style, strip-style retail
“Bulky” newer development
Visualizing impacts
Once the model was built, building heights were compared hypothetical new development with shielded parking structure
in order to identify inconsistencies and buildings which are
incompatible with the Short North design aesthetic.
In addition, currently vacant or underutilized sites in the
district were used to investigate the potential effects of different
guidelines and standards by visualizing hypothetical future
developments within the context of the existing environment.
This analysis led to the following recommendations to the
Columbus Planning Division:
• A three-story minimum building height.
• Street-fronting parking lots should be avoided or mitigated
with short walls and/or shrubs.
• Parking structures should be “nestled” behind liner
buildings, or at least have first-floor street-fronting retail.
• New development that is significantly taller than Visualization of actual proposed “Ibiza” development under review by commission
surrounding buildings should use techniques such as
transparent materials and tiered “step-backs” to mitigate the
effects of excessive heights.
• Façade ornamentation should be used to provide vertical
variation of continuous building fronts.
• Changes in colors, textures, and/or window designs
should be used to provide horizontal variation to mitigate
monolithic, continuous building fronts above the first floor.

5. Retrofitting a Suburban/Strip Corridor
NorTH CASSADy AVeNUe reDeVeloPmeNT PlAN | BExLEy, OhIO
Redevelopment Site Plan
overview
The North Cassady Avenue corridor in the inner-ring
Columbus suburb of Bexley, Ohio was studied as part of a
real estate development studio class. Graduate students from
the City & Regional Planning and MBA programs teamed
together to propose solutions to retrofit the deteriorating
strip-style corridor within a traditional neighborhood.
This proposal creates a more context-sensitive mixed-use
neighborhood center that uses land more efficiently and better
meets the needs of an aging, family-focused local market.
Challenges
• Obsolete buildings
• Fractured parcel ownership
• Railroad noise
• Shallow lots
opportunities
• High traffic count, low speed
• Recent nearby City investment (new Police station)
• Strong community identity and attachment
• Wide range of ages, incomes, ethnicity
Plan goals & Design Concepts
Maximize walkability
• Buildings up to the sidewalk
• Parking in rear and on-street
• Widened sidewalks
Respect context
• 1-3 stories
• Long, continuous frontages
Create vitality
• Retail on bottom floors
• Mutually supportive uses
Incremental approach
• Three-phase clustered build-out plan
• Begins with most underutilized parcels
• Preserves currently viable businesses
Conceptual examples of proposed development types & features
land Use efficiency
Existing Proposed
Residential: 12,616 SF 18,600 SF
Retail/Service: 15,520 SF 20,050 SF
Medical Office: 3,118 SF 14,000 SF
Office: 1,395 SF 10,750 SF
Total: 32,649 SF 63,400 SF