Our Mission
HOMETOWN Planning and Design (HPD) builds community with citizens, towns, schools, non-profit groups, and government agencies through public involvement, environmental stewardship and thoughtful use of the land.
HPD specializes in community planning, public participation, heritage conservation & tourism, organizational development, environmental education and earth-, pet-, and family-friendly landscape design.
HPD founder, Joy Wright Abbott, holds Masters Degrees in Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has worked for local government and non-profit community organizations in both rural and urban settings in Western Massachusetts and Southwestern PA. She also worked for nearly a decade in the human services field where she provided group counseling, case management, vocational rehabilitation, and therapeutic recreation services for adults with mental illness.
In her personal and professional life, Ms. Abbott has witnessed time and again the power of community - both human and ecological - to uplift the spirit. She strives to instill this sense of wonder and appreciation in all her work whether it involves creating a home garden, developing a community project, or ensuring that the public has a voice in the process of community change.
