Crandall Arambula is a team of seasoned experts with experience, knowledge, and political savvy to deliver a high-quality project on time and on budget.

• The firm typically serves as the prime consultant and has extensive experience collaborating with engineering, architecture, economic, environmental, and planning sub-consultant firms.

• As a prime consultant, we provide project management, public involvement, urban design, land use planning, complete streets planning, architectural design, implementation zoning updates, design standards and design guidelines, and redevelopment plan phasing and project financing strategy services.

• No project is too big or small for us. We have led projects with million-dollar budgets for major metropolitan area downtowns and multi-modal transportation corridors and have prepared regional-serving plans and studies that include multiple city and county jurisdictions. Moreover, we have also provided services for small towns and rural communities with modest budgets for small study areas or sites.

• We walk the talk. Crandall Arambula staff members are all committed urbanists who are actively involved in civic activities and advocate for initiatives that address climate change and reduce our carbon footprint through land use and transportation strategies that we offer to each of our clients. Most notably, all members of our staff are fortunate enough to live within walkable mixed-use districts or neighborhoods. All staff members commute to work via transit, walking, or by bicycle.  

Every community regardless of size, demographic, or economic condition faces the challenges of managing growth. Crandall Arambula provides solutions that integrate land use and all modes of transportation in planning and designing cities and towns that balance environmental responsibility, economic vitality, and community character.

Crandall Arambula has repeatedly demonstrated why they are indeed one of the best urban planning firms in America.”

Ellen Buchannan
Director
Missoula Redevelopment Agency

Fixing Your City
In his groundbreaking book, Fixing Your City, urban architect George Crandall reveals how to produce city plans that mitigate climate change and create healthy places to live, work, and play.

This is not a theoretical book about cities--it is a practical book based on Crandall's wide experience transforming cities in the U.S. and Canada over the last 40 years.

GEORGE CRANDALL

For over 40 years George Crandall has been involved in the life of cities as an architect and urban designer as well as a passionate and dedicated citizen activist. In 1998 he co-founded the consulting firm Crandall Arambula, which specializes in working with cities of all sizes that seek to embark on a process of urban transformation. Many of the firm’s transformation projects have received awards for their innovative and effective solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Prior to establishing Crandall Arambula, Crandall worked as a design architect and urban designer with the Portland, Oregon office of the international architectural and engineering firm: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and later as a Partner with the architectural firm Fletcher Farr Ayotte. During those years, he served as the lead architect on many noteworthy projects in downtown Portland: including the 40-story US Bancorp Headquarters Complex, the 30-story PacWest Center, and the renovation of the historic Multnomah County Central Library. Because of his extensive experience designing for the retail, commercial, housing, and transportation sectors, he acquired a unique set of skills and insights that enabled him to create highly credible urban designs that attract major private investment.

Throughout his career, he has provided leadership and service to numerous professional and civic organizations. He served as President of the Architectural Foundation of Oregon, Board President for 1000 Friends of Oregon, President of the Portland Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Chair of the Portland AIA Urban Design Committee, and Chair of the Oregon Governor’s Energy Conservation Board. He has a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Arizona.

Current Professional Associations

• Fellow, American Institute of Architects

• Registered Architect, Oregon

• Member, American Planning Association

Crandall stays engaged with planning professionals and interested citizens around the country through the firm’s Revitalizing Cities Series newsletter. Every three to four months Crandall leads the creation of one-page newsletters, which summarize innovative planning concepts to over 4,000 planning professionals and elected officials. To date, 24 newsletters have been published.

Over the past 20 years, Crandall has made presentations to over 35,000 people in 30 cities as part of his professional consulting practice specializing in city revitalization. In addition, in response to frequent requests, he speaks and makes presentations on a variety of topics at conferences and interest groups.

DON ARAMBULA

A co-founder of Crandall Arambula in 1998, Don Arambula has over 35 years of experience, leading the design and project management of all of the firm’s award-winning urban planning and urban design projects.

Don Arambula is a recognized innovator in integrating transportation and land use needs to create pedestrian-friendly, vibrant urban and rural downtowns, districts, and neighborhoods. He develops realistic and innovative land use and transportation solutions that meet the unique housing, retail, office, entertainment, civic, and open space needs of each community. Moreover, Don has also led multi-disciplinary teams for numerous complete streetscape plans, transit corridors, and station area plans. His experience ranges from suburban arterial roadway, downtown main street, BRT, and LRT projects. All of these planning and urban design efforts have incorporated active transportation design features that significantly increase bicycle and transit ridership and reduce auto dependency. His plans not only address fundamental technical transportation requirements, but also create sustainable, vibrant, and attractive places.

Don has a remarkable track record of creating implementation strategies that have led to billions of dollars of investment that have revitalized communities economically and improved the quality of life for residents. He focuses on key public strategies, projects, and actions that catalyze private development. Don has prepared redevelopment plans, zoning code updates, objective design standards, architectural design guidelines, and complete street standards. Don is currently developing objective design standards for multiple communities in California, including Glendale and Newport Beach that will result in an accelerated ministerial review of multi-family affordable housing projects that will provide much-needed housing to solve the statewide affordable housing crisis.

Don leads all of the firm’s public engagement efforts. His outreach efforts focus on traditional and non-traditional techniques to inclusively engage all members of the community, especially those who do not typically participate in planning efforts. He has extensive experience leading large public presentations and workshops, design charrettes, stakeholder focus groups, and steering committee meetings. For most of his projects, he has led adoption processes with planning commissions and city councils.

Don’s experience gives him the capacity to deliver products on time and on-budget. He has effectively collaborated with public sector planning, engineering, and redevelopment agencies; and non-profit and private sector clients. He has led small large project teams of consultants, coordinated schedules, and provided high-quality deliverables for projects with modest budgets to projects with consultant fees over a million dollars.

Car-free
Don has been a long-term bicycle transportation advocate. He has commuted to work by bicycle for more than 15 years and can be found riding the hills and valleys of the Pacific Northwest on his road or gravel bike when he’s not designing Mobility Oriented Districts and world-class protected bike lanes. Follow him on Strava, Zwift, or Ride with GPS and share your best routes and rides. Ride on!

Animal Advocacy
Jonathan is committed to improving his neighborhood and the lives of rabbits. When not involved with architecture, he volunteers with rescue animal organizations, educating future adopters and sharing the joys of living with pets.

JONATHAN KONKOL

Jonathan has over 15 years of experience practicing planning, architecture, and urban design. He is a detailed and highly professional project coordinator. His strong communication and organizational abilities ensure high-quality and on-time deliverables and workshop experiences. Jonathan is a seasoned planner and an emerging architect with experience in community plans and sustainable urban design. He is committed to improving the vitality of communities through designing and developing integrated land use and transportation planning and has experience in the development of neighborhood design guidelines. His unique ability to translate design and research concepts into a clear understanding of the possibilities inspires communities to build solutions.

DOWNTOWN LAKE STEVENS SUB-AREA PLAN
Governor’s Smart Projects Award, Washington State Department of Commerce

GILBERT HERITAGE DISTRICT MASTER PLAN AND REDEVELOPMENT PLAN UPDATE
Downtown Achievement Pinnacle Award, International Downtown Association, Great Public Place Arizona, Arizona APA Award

CENTRAL ALBANY LAND USE (DOWNTOWN) PLAN
Downtown Excellence, Oregon Downtown Development Association

MISSOULA DOWNTOWN PLAN (Heart of Missoula)
Great Places in America Award, American Planning Association

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE (Gay Street)
Great Places in America Award, American Planning Association

DOWNTOWN OREGON CITY (Two Way Main Street Reconfiguration)
Great American Main Street Award

GRAND BOULEVARD STREETSCAPE PLAN, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
Planning and Analysis Merit Award: ASLA, Prairie Gateway Chapter (with BNIM)

TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES, EDMONTON, ALBERTA
Edmonton Urban Design Awards, Award of Merit

BEL-RED CORRIDOR STUDY, BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON
Vision 2040 Award, Puget Sound Regional Council, Recipient—City of Bellevue, Washington

MIDDLEFORD COMMONS, MEDFORD, OREGON
Professional Achievement in Planning Certificate of Merit, APA Award, Oregon Chapter

UNION STREET UNDERPASS, THE DALLES, OREGON
Reconnection & Renaissance Award, Oregon Downtown Development Association

INTERSTATE MAX REVITALIZATION STRATEGY, PORTLAND, OREGON
National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design: AIA
Professional Achievement in Planning: APA Award, Oregon Chapter

MILWAUKIE DOWNTOWN AND RIVERFRONT PLAN, MILWAUKIE, OREGON
Small Community Professional Achievement in Planning: APA Award, Oregon Chapter

CLATSOP COLLEGE CAMPUS PLAN, ASTORIA, OREGON
Ahwahnee Merit Award: AIA/Local Government Commission/APA, California Chapter
Professional Achievement in Planning: APA Award, Oregon Chapter

DOWNTOWN RACINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, RACINE, WISCONSIN
National Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design: AIA
Special Achievement Award: International Downtown Association
Urban Design Award: ASLA, Oregon Chapter
Recognition for Smart Growth: Sierra Club

MULTNOMAH COUNTY CENTRAL LIBRARY, PORTLAND, OREGON
National Award of Excellence: AIA/ALA Library Buildings Awards
Architecture + Energy Award: AIA Portland Chapter
Project of the Year: APWA
Interior Design Merit Award: AIA and IIDA Portland Chapters

ORENCO STATION, HILLSBORO, OREGON
Community/Town Plan, Merit Award: Gold Nugget Awards
First Place, Livable Communities Transit Design
Ahwahnee Award Local Government Commission
Master Planned Community of the Year

“A very thoughtful planning process has achieved a clear, flexible and realistic vision and has generated a high level of public confidence that will overcome any difficulties in implementation.”

Jury Comments
AIA National Honor Award for Regional
and Urban Design
Racine Downtown Development Plan