A 4-hour drive from Atlanta takes us to Savannah, a time capsule of southern charm and hospitality. The city has beautifully preserved its historic buildings and green areas, and most interestingly has also been transformed by the presence of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The involvement of young artists and designers in this historic city creates an unusual mix of old and new narratives.

SCAD is a creative education empire established in 1978 that now counts four campuses in three different countries and over 9000 students. Walking around in Savannah, one can only notice the overwhelming presence of SCAD and the instrumental role it has played in restoring the historic districts. The School of Fibers is located in a building from 1906 that used to serve as a military hospital during the Civil War. SCAD’s main auditorium is located in a former high school building built in 1920. A former warehouse built in 1956 houses the industrial design department. The School of Film is located in an old power station originally built in 1894.

SCAD turned historic Savannah into a energetic platform for the young generation. Its dominating presence in the city has caused a few stirs however the benefits brought by the school have most certainly helped save many failing buildings and neighborhoods.

Modern Atlanta is most commonly known as the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr, the home of soft drinks giant Coca-Cola and the headquarters of the 24-hour news channel CNN. The city may also remind some of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games with its remnant sites still in the downtown area.

Despite recent additions such as The World of Coca-Cola, the Aquarium and the transition of Georgia State University to a full time campus, some feel the city could still benefit from innovative urban transformations. Last May, the 18th Congress for the New Urbanism took place in the city and brought together experts in the field of urban planning, government policy, and community development to discuss tangible solutions that can support the city in its transition toward more livable environments.

Atlanta, with its rapid growth, has followed a classic American urban model built up around suburban developments and highway systems. One notable presentation from the conference was on “Retrofitting Suburbia” by local academic Ellen Dunham Jones of Georgia Tech.  In her speech she proposes solutions that could change the social and environmental patterns of unsustainable suburban environments such as those that currently dot the Atlanta region.

Today, media corporations and film studios employ a large number of designers and have created a solid motion graphic design industry in the area. Throughout the years, the city has grown around the field of media and television which places the city as a serious contender alongside New York and Los Angeles. During our visit we spoke with Doug Grimmett from Primal Screen, a multidisciplinary design studio that works for clients such as ABC, CNN, PBS and HBO amongst others, and quizzed him about his city and its future.

It was clear from our interview that the presence of important corporations and media outlets are enough to draw designers to the city of Atlanta. As will the expansion of the activities of the Museum of Design. Yet it will be interesting to see how designers will continue to play a role in the regeneration of their city and how local culture and history can be more successfully integrated into the urban fabric.

Augusta and Gill Holland wanted something innovative and ambitious for Louisville so they took a 110 year-old masonry structure in the heart of the city’s arts district and decided to turn it into the first commercial building with a LEED platinum certification.

The Green Building is a model of architectural preservation with a modern core: an authentic masonry structure, natural lighting, eco-friendly materials, renewable energy systems, solar panels, geothermal wells and most original of all, a recycled denim insulation. This marvel of green architecture was conceived by Doug Pierson from FER Studios.

With 15,000 square foot of mixed-use space, the building houses a restaurant that serves food from local farms (732 Social), an art gallery, event and office spaces. It also boasts an indoor-outdoor courtyard, an urban farm, and a green wall vertical garden.

Philadelphia is a centerpiece of American History, the place where the American constitution was drafted in the late 18th century. It is a city with a strong physical heritage that sometimes strikingly resembles the streets and architecture of Europe. Today, Philadelphia is in the process of reinventing itself and following the effects of a post-industrial decline, it is now harnessing its creative potential to redevelop itself. With a new brand “With Love Philadelphia XoXo” and events like Design Philadelphia, the city is looking to reflect a younger image and perhaps attract crowds from neighboring cities like New York City and Washington, DC. With the fourth largest GDP in the United States (after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) Philadelphia has the economic resources to invest in its creative industries to boost its profile to an international scale.

Philadelphia is one of America’s most cultural cities with countless museums, performing arts centers and historic sites. The city also has a unique mural arts program that encourages individuals to collaborate with their communities and together transform public spaces. As the former center for the American textiles industry, Philadelphia continues to promote that heritage through the Fabric Workshop and Museum that includes an artist-in-residence program dedicated to experimentations with fibers. Following the same theme but moving much beyond textiles, Fabric Row is a neighborhood that gathers independent retailers and has become one of the creative districts of the city.

The Design Center at Philadelphia University boasts an impressive fashion archive and stunning gallery spaces exhibiting past and present design works. The center’s mission is to show that design participates and shapes everyday life. Its collection is often used by design students and scholarly research but is also appreciated by design connoisseurs and aficionados.

Pittsburgh is the birthplace of Andy Warhol, home to Carnegie Mellon University and Heinz tomato ketchup. The triangle-shaped downtown area is situated at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers that form the beginning of the Ohio River. Bridges and hill views make this city rather unique. Unlike other American cities, Pittsburgh has kept a very strong sense of authenticity that is reflected in its vintage storefronts, diners, and industrial buildings.

The presence of Carnegie Mellon is a competitive advantage for the city in the fields of science and culture. The university’s School of Design offers an innovative program that blends science, technology and the arts and is one of the few American institutions that offers a Ph.D in design research.

As the former base of Richard Florida (author of The Rise of the Creative Class and former Carnegie Mellon Professor), Pittsburgh is today still pursuing and working towards neighborhood redevelopment projects that are based on quality of life and local creative skills that can generate unique retail and dining experience. Lawrenceville is an example of a mixed-use district that seeks to attract young creative entrepreneurs by offering affordable work/live spaces.

The Box Office is the first commercial building of its kind in the United States. Conceived by architect Joe Haskett from Distill Studio, this project takes 32 cargo containers and combines them into a 10,000-square-foot office building located in a gentrifying neighborhood on the Providence’s west side. This project initiated by green developer Peter Gill Case is a reflection of Providence’s growing trend toward green innovation and social entrepreneurship. The Box Office will be a model of a small, energy-efficient building, using 25% less energy than a conventional new office building. This building will be “all-electric” with no direct use of fossil fuels. All heating and cooling will be with small, decentralized, high efficiency air-to-air heat pumps.

Completion of the project is anticipated in March 2010.

By reconnecting people to the notion of craftsmanship and the processes through which objects are made, new possibilities emerge and stronger communities are formed. It was with those intentions in mind that  The Steel Yard was founded by Nick Bauta and Clay Rockefeller in 2001. This former steel and iron industrial site serves as a catalyst for urban regeneration and community growth through creative approaches.

The Steel Yard initially started off as a shop where metalworkers could use welding or foundry equipment. It later expanded to become an educational and multidisciplinary arts facility where individuals from different backgrounds can learn and work together. Additionally, some of the spaces are used for open houses, workshops, demonstrations, exhibits, and performances. Outside the main building, smaller spaces have been restored or added as small business incubators.

Some locals in Omaha think that their city is of one of America’s best kept secrets and want to keep it that way. Others wish that more people stopped in Omaha (instead of just flying over it) because there is more to the city than Mutual of Omaha, Omaha Steaks and Warren Buffett: Omaha is also a creative incubator and the Silicon Prairie of the region.

Omaha is a small city made of contrasted districts in the downtown area. The real surprise for us was to discover the Old Market District after a long drive from Colorado. The Old Market is authentic and delivers an old Western charm that can no longer be found in a majority of American cities.

Omaha seeks to bring its population back on the streets and revive the city center. Inspired dining venues such as M’s Pub or The Boiler Room are local favorites in the area and prove that restaurants that blend design with fine food are an integral part of a city’s appeal. A number of affordable urban living developments surrounding the market are attractive alternatives to suburban neighborhoods.

The world renowned Bemis artist-in-residence center (pictured above), set up by Ree Kaneko in the early eighties has had considerable influence on the creative character of Omaha and helps to diversify the local population (we spotted a couple of young Japanese artists struggling to order steaks at M’s Pub). The recently opened Kaneko Center is another initiative that explores new creative possibilities for Omaha (see our blog post and video), and we heard that a new design school may also be seeing the light of day in a few years time.