The City of St. Augustine’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) partnered with Inspire to transform a 2,000‑foot stretch of Cordova Street —one of the city’s most historic and culturally rich corridors. The project aimed to shift Cordova from a utilitarian roadway into a people‑centered street that reconnects neighborhoods and celebrates the legacy of the historic Rosario Line.  From Cathedral Place to the Visitor’s Information Center, the conceptual design for Cordova Street is based on a key premise: that streets should support people, strengthen ecosystems, and sustain local economies.

The team studied Cordova through this lens to understand how it functions as both a historic route and a daily connector for residents, businesses, and visitors. Because conditions and the width of the right-of-way vary along its length, the street was divided into segments. This allowed design solutions to respond directly to local uses, such as education, living, working, shopping, and celebrating local history.

As part of the robust community engagement process, Inspire presented and evaluated a range of traffic-calming options to improve frequently reported safety concerns. The final design incorporates a combination of narrower travel lanes, landscaped chicanes, and strategic material transitions to define clear, appropriately scaled paths for pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.

Reinforcing Cordova’s historic identity, the design calls for durable, context-sensitive materials like coquina stone and brick.  Integrated stormwater systems and permeable paving support climate resilience, while shaded sidewalks, street furniture, and defined nodes turn the corridor into an inviting public space.

Notably, this effort continues Inspire’s multi-year partnership with the City of St. Augustine to advance mobility and placemaking. Previous projects include a strategic Mobility Framework Plan, comprehensive citywide analyses, and the Complete King Street Master Plan. Together, these initiatives have laid a strong foundation for transformative street design across the nation’s oldest city.