The development of the Cooper Health System Master Plan was a two step process beginning with a thorough review of all relevant prior studies and reports; project identification, which included the definition of project boundaries; an analysis of land-use, existing codes/zoning, and market conditions; a pedestrian and bicycle needs assessment; signage analysis; and parking infrastructure and automobile circulation analysis; among others deemed relevant through the project identification.
The second step was a public visioning process, where a consensus vision was generated by the community through a Visual Preference SurveyTM. A workshop followed the visual survey where the visual preferences was translated into physical design concepts. Identifying the visual characteristics that the community desires prior to the workshop where the community identifies spatial and physical characteristics worked most effectively. The ANA Team translated these concepts into a consensus Smart Future, Master Plan for Cooper Health Systems and the adjacent neighborhood. It included perspective simulations, 3D plans, computer-generated preferred streetscapes and architectural design details.
The ANA Team utilized our consensus Visioning and Design Process including professional synthesis and evaluation, Stakeholder Interviews, Visual Preference SurveyTM and Demographic and Policy Questionnaire, and Vision Translation Workshop. Anton Nelessen, an expert community facilitator and the principal of ANA, led all public meetings and oversaw all design considerations. The ANA Team partnered with Cooper Health System, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, the Camden County Improvement Authority, the NJ Economic Development Authority, and the City of Camden stakeholders in order to facilitate a public, interactive forum process that is specifically designed to identify, evaluate, and develop solutions to the land use, revitalization, and design challenges affecting the future Health Science Campus at Cooper. ANA partnered with the architectural firm of Dean Marchetto Associates (now MHS Architects of Hoboken) to prepare the concept architectural renderings and the over all plan. A CD was prepared of the plan and was extensively distributed with a forward by George Norcross and Kelly Ripa.
Most of this plan has been implemented generated a vibrant new district in Camden.
