Toole Design Group featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine!
The Landscape Architecture November 2007 issue features Toole Design Group in the firm focus piece, “Pedaling a Vision for Biking and Walking”, written by Joshua Gray. The article recognizes the accomplishments that the firm has achieved in multi-modal transportation planning both locally and nationally. Specifically, the article highlights projects that the firm has completed in Seattle, WA, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Gray praises the firm, saying “Toole’s team members immerse themselves in their project more deeply than is typical”. He also describes Toole Design Group’s commuter incentive program, which pays employees to ride public transportation, bicycle or walk to work. An excerpt of the article is available at: http://www.asla.org/lamag/lam07/november/Firm_Focus.htmlTDG welcomes Carol Kachadoorian!
Toole Design Group is pleased to announce that Carol Kachadoorian has joined our staff as a Senior Planner.Carol comes to Toole Design Group with over twenty-five years of experience in local government and transportation operations. Carol's passion for pedestrian and bicycle transportation began early, when as Village Administrator, she created a bikeway for Riverwoods, Illinois. Her unique blend of interests and abilities are a result of most recent work at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and in prior 'lives' with the City of Alexandria and at Georgetown University. The 11 years she spent at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority provided her with skills in non-motorized transit access planning, transportation for customers with disabilities, communications, marketing and government relations. She initiated a series of regional pedestrian and bicycle access to transit workshop s that brought together local, state and federal bicycle and pedestrian planners, and advocacy groups. These workshops positioned Metro to respond to the increasing demand for transit services in the past year. Carol created and ran the Office of Customer Access Programs that combined existing pedestrian and bicycle-related programs at Metro into a single place, and wrote Metro's first pedestrian and bicycle strategic plan.
Metrorail's new signage system is the result of her work with the Project for Public Spaces on a projectaimed at improving the customer's experience with the rail system. The new signage design standards were also used when re-building the Pentagon Bus Station. Carol's hand is evident at this bus facility, as she wrote the customer service requirements that included access for customers with disabilities based on universal design principals and sophisticated way-finding.
Carol was part of the team that established Alexandria, Virginia's DASH bus system and the City's first paratransit service, prior to the passage of ADA. She pursued transportation projects as the Business Manager for Student Affairs at Georgetown University, where she managed several student-focused shuttle buses.
Carol is a certified Complete Streets Policy and Implementation trainer. An active bicyclists, walker and transit user, Carol believes her toughest challenge is educating her two daughters about the benefits of a non-car centric life.