As true with many communities, the city of Branson’s downtown district is characterized by a rich history and distinct characteristics. This project focused on capitalizing on the physical, social and cultural assets of the area, while expanding multi-modal transportation and promoting economic development.

Branson is a popular tourist destination, with over 7.8 million people visiting its musical theaters and other attractions each year. Crawford, Murphy & Tilly (CMT) was commissioned by the city to lead comprehensive master planning and engineering for a $12 million, six-block historic downtown streetscape revitalization. The goal of the master plan is to create sustainable “complete streets” that will improve vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle and multi-modal transportation; increase economic viability; efficiently manage stormwater; identify green solutions and create inviting places for pedestrians. CMT led a team of landscape architects, urban planners and engineers to develop a comprehensive multi-year program to achieve these objectives.

A component of this project is connecting guests at Branson Landing and Lake Taneycomo to the downtown area – a five minute walk to the west. The comprehensive master plan also includes new park, recreation and flex spaces throughout the downtown area. The project also hopes to maximize the potential of the downtown area to meet the wants and needs of the community, business owners and residents.

The project involved a highly-productive public engagement program involving a wide range of stakeholders, especially downtown business owners. To facilitate this efforts CMT established a downtown design studio to encourage ongoing input and feedback. The project was successful in bringing diverse interests together and generating community-wide enthusiasm.

CMT has subsequently served as design engineer on various phases of design for this multi-year program.