The Parkway is a 469 mile lifeline for numerous gateway communities that dot its path. Recognizing the immense potential of these communities, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation engaged DbD to develop this regional two-state plan, which involved extensive meeting facilitation and detailed communication with over 600 participants throughout the region.
The Summit and The Strategy
Our public engagement process culminated with the Blue Ridge Rising Summit that united leaders and stakeholders across the two-state region. The summit offered an opportunity to provide a discourse around the action plan, ensuring community voices are heard and integrated.
The final action plan includes a custom Resilience Ranking Index for the Blue Ridge Rising region— a tool that will help prioritize and allocate funding and support where it’s needed most. Additionally, the action plan will include recommendations to enhance the 6 key areas of marketing, visitor experience, education, natural resource protection, advocacy and capacity building.
Content
Creation
Success for this project centered on maximizing community engagement. To ensure this, our team focused on creating engaging and diverse content, including two videos, a website, and ultimately a planning document filled with stunning images. Our team took multiple trips up and down one of the most scenic stretches of pavement on the East Coast to capture the parkway in all of its glory.
Brand
Identity
Blue Ridge Rising isn’t just about boosting tourism—it’s about fostering a shared identity. Our branding efforts focus on developing a strong, cohesive regional voice that transcends state and county borders. We’re creating a future where the Blue Ridge Parkway not only connects people to nature but also serves as a gateway to vibrant, thriving communities.
Our bold, three-color design, highlights the area’s mountainous features while letting the orange sunrise pop out of the page. The fonts are a nod to the timeless identity of the National Park Service. Together the elements come together to rise from the page just as the Parkway itself seems to rise above the valley’s high on a ridge.
Website
Complete with a project website, plan brand, outreach video, and extensive public engagement, Blue Ridge Rising demonstrates an elevated commitment to client and community-centric development.
Community Engagement
The heart of this project focuses on gathering the aspirations and concerns of gateway community leaders to establish a unified regional vision and voice. This involved a year-long Parkway road trip, facilitating 30 community meetings and 7 regional meetings in the heart of the communities themselves.
Our team, alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, has been fully immersed in this initiative, traveling the Parkway’s length and breadth. These meetings have been critical in capturing the dreams and concerns of the locals, setting the stage for a united regional vision.
