Vivian Park is a 7-acre park in Provo Canyon, owned and managed by Utah County. FFKR worked with Utah County Public Works on a master plan for updating and improving the park experience. FFKR gathered community input on desired improvements and amenities and merged these ideas with an evaluation of the needs and priorities of the County. With a combination of social media and yard signs for noticing efforts, FFKR helped reach a wide range and diversity of participants. FFKR utilized various online methods to solicit input, including live polling surveys, dynamic idea boards, and video conferencing town hall meetings.
FFKR outlined rough costs and potential phasing over five years to allow Public Works to structure budget requests for park improvements—completed in December 2022.
Study of Relationships
With planning and design, many relationships must be evaluated and understood to arrive at a final solution. For example, in designing a solution for parking, we examine the relationships of traffic flow onto and around the site; pedestrian flow to and within the area; the geography of the site; balanced with optimum use. Added to these factors are maintenance, operations, schedule, and budgets.
Evaluating Ideas
The process of idea-generating allows the team to explore almost anything, but it must be tempered by the reality of budget, program, and schedule. The evaluation process allows the team to look at potential solutions and determine their overall feasibility objectively.
Getting the Word Out
While social media is a great resource for getting the word out to the community about the planning process and opportunities for input, FFKR looked for strategies to capture people’s attention and engage them “in the moment.”
Using yard signs with links and QR codes —to an online survey, idea board, and town hall-style meetings— placed both around the park itself and at key areas in the County led to participation numbers nearly 20-fold higher than the in-person opportunities.
