Market Study for the City of Fort Lauderdale, FL
Yolanda Takesian
Principal planner, Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
Fabian De La Espriella
Senior Planner, Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
“We thought we could complete this task through a partnership with another firm that reassured they could identify the need. But you are implementation-oriented as well as need-based. You were able to discover what was happening within the education sector of the Fort Lauderdale planning area, could identify the gaps and suggest viable options. It was a really good experience working with you.”
By Yolanda Takesian, Principal Planner, and Fabian De La Espriella, Senior Planner,
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
Connor Associates: The Education Expert for a Market Study for the City of Fort Lauderdale
Kittelson & Associates, Inc. is a research and design firm, focusing on transportation planning, and engineering, and was hired by the city of Fort Lauderdale to develop a multimodal community planning study, which included an economic assessment of the planning area in three market analysis areas: education, housing, and commercial retail.
With 26 offices and over 250 professionals across the US and as part of our multi-disciplinary approach, Kittelson tackles land use and transportation through multimodal planning studies that bring a synergy of skills that come together through the planning process. In this way, Kittelson can then provide recommendations to communities addressing the most critical needs and challenges identified through the discovery process.
For this project, an expert was needed for the educational needs analysis.
We originally considered teaming with a large multidisciplinary firm for the education element of the market analysis, but our team wanted to be sure the firm had the depth of knowledge, the ability to work well with complementary teaming partners using similar datasets and a comprehensive approach to frame the connection between education and the economic viability of the planning area. Fortunately, we were able to find Connor Associates.
Unchartered Territory Conquered
Even though this was unchartered territory for both of us, we imagined there would be synergy between the education and the housing analysis components. We appreciate that you were able to coordinate early with the team’s housing experts. When we started discussions with city leaders and local stakeholders, you got more into the business side and the real economics of the place, and you understood the holistic picture.
Your willingness to make time for us — because we know you’re busy! — and embrace the task in an experimental way was important and ultimately benefited the project.
Kittelson understands local decision-making related to transportation policy, planning and implementation, and we know that education is funded differently and has a different sort of bureaucracy outside the normal county and city politics. We understand how education sometimes can be its own space. So, to have someone like Connor Associates, which complemented our team make up, was an asset to the Fort Lauderdale project.
And We Thought We Were Passionate!
You were so enthusiastic about the work, and we consider ourselves passionate about our work. It was also helpful that you could work with our resources and blend them with yours. Having you participate in the stakeholder discussions at the front end of the study was valuable for us, as we were able to get your perspective.
You were proactive to make sure you were adding value. You understood the local sensitivities related to growth and new development. You checked-in on those matters throughout the project, and that was important to us given the work you were doing.
The experience that Connor Associates brought to the project was key to the needs assessment and gap analysis. You were also quick to understand the client’s needs. And we think your initial perceptions were accurate, and then supported with sound data and analysis. Coming up with telling conclusions on the educational front at the front-end while we were doing the stakeholder workshop was good information to carry through from that point on. You stayed on top of your scope which was valuable to us.
A Personable Relationship
We had such a personable relationship and access with President Mike Connor. It’s much better than dealing with a larger firm where you’re dealing with several people, especially when you’re trying to manage a large project team
Working with you was enlightening. Connor Associates is not only research-oriented but is strong on implementation. You quickly understood what was happening with both private and public schools in the City, identified gaps, and made sound recommendations on educational options for consideration.
It was a really good experience, because a lot of time we work on the demand side with our economics team, which you did quite well. But you also supported the supply side. Because of your energy and expertise, it was a personal and professional pleasure working with you, and we’d look forward to working together again.