If it weren’t for Pittsburgh-based urban design consultant Ray Gindroz, Norfolk’s celebrated revitalization might never have materialized.
"Since Norfolk hired his firm 16 years ago, Gindroz has shaped both the broad outlines and the pointilist details of the city's revitalization. During a one-day visit last month, he offered advice on controversial, big-picture, master planning issues like the $260 million Old Dominion University Village and the residential development near the Harrison Opera House. But he also made suggestions about details like the color of brick for condominiums in Freemason Harbor and whether an unsightly elevator ought to be removed from Selden Arcade, where he enthusiastically endorsed plans for an artists' colony. ... In the city, Gindroz has an enthusiastic partner. 'Norfolk has understood for some time that good design is not simply to make things nice,' Gindroz said. 'It is actually a tool for economic growth and development. That's the key.'"
Thanks to Laurence Aurbach
Read the full story: Getting Gindrozed
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