Eric Pate
By Diane Dorney
Eric Pate, a student in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program at the University of New Orleans with a focus in transportation planning and urban design, is working with the Seaside Institute this summer.
Born in Pensacola, Fla., and raised in Tallahassee, Pate has acquired an interest in the growth and development of northwestern Florida. His strong interest in traditionally designed communities throughout north Florida began while a student at Florida State University. As an advocate of traditional urban design as a means to address a wide variety of the negative side effects of automobile-dependent growth, Pate is excited to be assisting the Seaside Institute in pursuing its mission of promoting New Urbanism through documenting the development of Seaside and fostering the education of students and professionals.
One of the first projects Pate is working on is the design of a walking tour map for Seaside — one that tourists, students and homeowners can take on their own, if they like. Bits and pieces of Seaside’s history will be woven through the tour with architectural and planning highlights that should not be missed. The institute plans to have the map available in print and electronic formats.
Since Pate’s field of study relates specifically to transportation planning and urban design, he is analyzing recent transit investments and work done by other consultants for Seaside, as well as conducting research on other strategies that may be considered in the future. Traffic speeds will be documented along 30A in order to develop a better understanding of traffic behavior in the area.
In addition, Pate is studying the civic areas of Seaside and presenting ideas for streetscape improvements through use of Photoshop, Google SketchUp, illustrative sketches and a variety of methods. He is staying in the recently completed Academic Village for the course of his internship. We look forward to sharing his work with the community.
Diane Dorney is the executive director of the Seaside Institute.
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