One of the most popular events at our annual Designing Cities Conference, the Meet the Cities poster session gives every NACTO member agency the opportunity to share their projects, successes, and works-in-progress with their peers. Orlando prepared the content below for its 2025 Meet the Cities poster.
A long-term redesign of northeast Orlando’s Virginia Drive-Corrine Drive corridor is overdue. The 1960s-era roadways were designed to carry heavy vehicles for the adjacent military base, lumberyard, and citrus groves. They’re now an economic hub lined with homes, beloved bars, Michelin-starred restaurants, schools, and botanical gardens—and they’re still redeveloping.
The Transportation Department faces specific challenges in reshaping relatively unchanged industrial streets into a context-appropriate, lower-speed corridor at a manageable cost.
Count Your Spaces: Strategic Parking
Tucked between residences with limited space for expansion, the Harry P. Leu Gardens faced parking concerns during events and wanted to build a garage. Our parking study revealed that day-to-day operations didn’t reach capacity, and temporary congestion during events could be better managed in the time being without adding a structure. The study showed that our perceptions often cloud reality. Solutions may include:
- Outreach
- Dynamic Message Boards
- Paid parking
- Agreements with surrounding businesses
- Better shuttle services
While improved infrastructure may not change transportation modes for some visitors, it offers nearby residents alternative options, allowing for the expansion of large-scale events while keeping the Gardens accessible to those nearby.
Offer a Preview: Pilot Path
Following two successful pop-up events for Bike and Roll to School Day 2022 and 2023, the City installed a two-way path on the north side of Corrine Drive between Maplewood Drive and Winter Park Road. As a short-term, low-cost installation, the pilot path has served as a proof of concept, allowing the City to gather data, test the durability and maintenance needs of new materials, develop partnerships, and garner support within the community.
Impact:
- 16% reduction in vehicles traveling over the speed limit adjacent to the path
- Identified demand-based crossing locations, site line issues, and signal tweaks needed
- Troubleshooting for businesses for the final build-out
This pilot project will directly inform the final design project. By estimated construction date, the Corrine Drive Path will have been operational for 4 years.
Check out all of the posters from Meet the Cities 2025.
