David Sargent received a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Brown University and a Master of Architecture degree from Rice University. He is a registered architect in the state of California and a charter member of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Mr. Sargent has been practicing architecture and town planning in California since 1981, leading design teams on architectural projects of all types, including residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Since 1991 he has focused on the design of pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods and districts, including form-based development codes and specific plans for projects which range from 20 to 1,000 acres. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Sargent and Moule & Polyzoides collaborated on numerous projects, including Ventura Harbor, Downtown Ventura and the Hercules Waterfront District, a 167-acre transit-oriented urban district which is currently under construction.

Mr. Sargent’s current and recent projects—ranging in scale from multiple neighborhoods to entire cities—include the Hercules Waterfront District Master Plan—the first form-based code adopted by a municipality in California—a new form-based development code for the City of Ventura, the King City Downtown Addition Specific Plan, the Paso Robles Uptown and Downtown Specific Plan, the Santa Paula East Area One Specific Plan, a new General Plan for Tehachapi, California, and the River North Master Plan for the expansion of downtown San Antonio, Texas. Selected projects from Mr. Sargent’s additional experience includes the preparation of form-based codes and “town architect” design review and urban design consulting services for the City of Ventura, several specific plans for private clients in Ventura and Oxnard, a master plan for a new town for the Enoch Cree First Nation outside Edmonton, Alberta, and beachfront neighborhood restoration planning for Gulfport, Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Sargent also recently provided urban design consulting services to the California Coastal Conservancy relative to the coastal/urban interface design for the Ormond Beach Restoration project in Oxnard, California.

A long-time advocate for high quality neighborhood design and architecture in California, Mr. Sargent has organized a number of conferences and presentations on urbanism and is a frequent speaker throughout the state. In 2004 he coauthored a white paper on smart growth in California for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research which proved instrumental in the passage of legislation enabling cities to use form-based codes in lieu of conventional use-based zoning codes.

Mr. Sargent was a seven-year member of Ventura’s Architectural Review Board (now the Design Review Committee), co-chair of the Downtown Specific Plan Steering Committee and he provided pro bono consultation to the on drafting the Art in Public Places policy and the original community design element of the General Plan.