Fred N. Jones, AICP, has joined Haskell's new Planning + Design Collaborative as Director. Jones brings more than 20 years’ experience in transportation planning, complete streets, urban design, placemaking, transit accessibility and public engagement to the new role.
“Having Fred join our team only exemplifies Haskell’s commitment to diverse service offerings,” said Chris Flagg, Vice President of A&E Operations. “Fred’s expertise instantly elevates our planning and design initiatives as we continue to expand our company’s passion for design excellence.”
Jones has worked in professional planning and project management since 2002. He sits on multiple committees, such as the National Complete Streets Coalition Steering Committee, and he is the past chairman of Jacksonville’s Downtown Development Review Board. Most recently, Jones served as Vice Mayor of Neptune Beach, which was recognized as having one of the best Complete Streets Policies of 2018.
Jones launched his career after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of South Florida and a Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Jones directly links his education to his work in planning, asserting that “urban planning is anthropology” in the way that “human beings develop strategies to respond to their environment.” He brings an encouraging, empathetic and equitable perspective to urban planning, quoting Jane Jacobs, author of “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” to say: “There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them…that we must fit our plans.”
With this new Collaborative, Jones will expand Haskell’s image as a design-build pioneer and leader, targeting client work ahead of the final design and construction phase to initiate opportunities around planning, policy, equity and technology. This demonstrates that Haskell’s capabilities extend beyond design and construction to include thinking, strategizing, resolving community and infrastructure challenges and taking action to create lasting spaces and places.
“When I look at projects and communities, it’s about connecting people, places and ideas to create wonderful addresses — human-scaled, safe, diverse, walkable and memorable,” he said.
For Jones, planning means listening, learning and providing solutions that optimize the intersection of transportation, housing and the environment. The mission of Haskell’s Planning + Design Collaborative is to help communities discover, explore and inspire their potential.
During his 20 years of industry experience, Jones has held a variety of roles and responsibilities, but when speaking of his ambitions at Haskell, he quotes the company’s signature tagline, “We create things that matter.”
“Haskell builds trust-filled client relationships, delivers high-quality projects and leaves behind a great legacy,” he said. “I look forward to applying this ethos, this passion for “things that matter,” to the design and planning space to envision ‘streets as lasting places.’”
