Victor Dover

mikael coville-anderson

Victor Dover


Victor is principal and co-founder of town planning firm Dover, Kohl & Partners, and speaks Internationally on the topics of livable   communities, sustainable development and how to fix cities, neighborhoods and towns. With 25 years of experience implementing plans for livable, walkable and sustainable communities Victor’s work includes a wide range of environments across 22 states and five continents. Victor’s work includes new neighborhoods, revitalizing traditional downtowns, transit-oriented development, retrofitting suburbia, and comprehensive city and regional plans.

Designing the Comeback of a Great American Small City

For decades prior to the 2018 landfall of Hurricane Michael, downtown Panama City and its waterfront had already suffered an epic economic storm; the effects of disinvestment, relocation of businesses to the suburban strip, neglect of historic properties, and unraveling of the town’s physical fabric for faster motoring and more parking were all made worse by the hurricane. Yet new hope has emerged, as grassroots advocates had already organized, calling for citizen-driven re-planning. Small builders and property owners have begun the task of incremental rebuilding, despite the obstacles; the historic preservation movement is undergoing a reboot; and New Urbanist corporate developers have renewed their interest in the waterfront. In 2019, the post-Michael recovery program organized by the city and public/private reinvestment led to an unprecedented opportunity to plan and grow the downtown its citizens really want.