While obtaining regulatory approvals are a service The Planning Studio can assist clients with and is pleased to offer to clients, because the majority of our work is international in nature, we seldom get involved in project approvals and local regulations. But, we did have one project that was a master planning project, but it was also all about …
Nirwana Bali Resort – Heaven on Earth
One of my favorite places on this amazing earth of ours is the idyllic island of Bali in Indonesia. In the past 25 years, I have been lucky enough to visit Bali approximately 50 times and have done probably six planning projects there. One of my all-time favorite projects was Nirwana Bali Resort. Back in the early 1990’s Bali was …
The Development Process Explained
As land planners, we deal mostly, if not always with clients who are developers. They usually have a piece or pieces of land which they either own or are considering buying and have a vision for how they would like to develop a particular project. These projects can be large or small. We have dealt with all sorts of pieces …
Johnston Atoll Base Beautification Plan – My Most Bizarre Planning Project…ever!
Background In the late 1980’s when I was working for Helber, Hastert, Van Horn and Kimura in Honolulu we undertook the most bizarre project of my career. At the time, the office did a lot of military planning work for the U.S. Navy. I wasn’t involved in very much of it as I specialized in tourism, resort and residential projects. …
DESARU INTERNATIONAL RESORT – An incredible vision, project and experience
In 1987, I was a planner/designer for a company in Honolulu named Helber, Hastert, Van Horn and Kimura Planners. One day, an Indian fellow from Cleveland, Ohio came into our office for a meeting. He brought with him a large stack of topographic maps. He told us of his incredible plans to build a “mega resort” on the coast of …
DOWNTOWN DUBAI – A Dream Project
In early 2003, about 2 years into the history of The Planning Studio, I received a call from a friend of mine, Dave Klages. Dave had been my strongest competitor when I was in Singapore with Helber Hastert and Young, Planners. We had finally met and become very good friends. So, in March of 2003 Dave called me and asked …
What we do and how we do it – The Planning Workshop or Charette
At The Planning Studio, we believe in being very hands on in our approach to your planning project. Which is one of the reasons that when we start a new project, especially a medium to large project, we almost always do it with a Planning Workshop or what is often called in the design professions as a “Charette”. This several …