Greensboro Comprehensive Plan

community planningeconomic developmentengagement

Sep 28

Thinking outside the box and inspiring with innovative methods of growth and change

APA National Daniel Burnham Award & APA North Carolina Marvin Collins Outstanding Planning Award

When the City of Greensboro, North Carolina, set out to update its Comprehensive Plan, it chose to lead the effort in house. To support that approach, the City brought in Teska as technical adviser and an extension of its Long Range Planning staff. Teska's relationship with Greensboro spans two decades and dozens of planning projects, giving the team a deep understanding of the City's neighborhoods, business districts, and opportunities for growth.

That familiarity shaped how Teska worked alongside City staff throughout GSO 2040. Teska led staff workshops to organize and conceptualize the plan, helping the team define its structure and direction early on. As the process moved forward, Teska supported staff across multiple chapters, drafting content and formatting elements of the document while City planners guided the work and kept it rooted in local priorities.

Community input drove the plan at every stage. What emerged from the multi-phase outreach strategy are the plan's "Six Big Ideas," a framework that guides how the City and its partners will address challenges and pursue shared goals through 2040. To keep the vision visible and accessible, the final plan includes a dedicated website that presents the community's vision, goals, themes, and strategies in a format residents can easily explore.

- Technical adviser and staff support to City planners
- Staff workshops to organize and conceptualize the plan
- Multi-phase outreach with public meetings, pop-ups, and surveys
- "Six Big Ideas" guiding the next 20 years
- Interactive plan website
- 20 years of partnership with the City