Oscar Harris, FAIA

Turner Associates

Considered to be one of Atlanta's most influential businessmen and also recognized as one of the area's most successful small business owners, Oscar Harris has been leading Turner Associates since 1977. Soon after joining the firm, he purchased the Atlanta branch of the firm in 1977; purchasing all of Turner's operations and became one of Atlanta's leading architectural and planning firms. The firm has been involved in the conceptualization, planning, design, and project management of the new Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Expansion and the MARTA System in Atlanta. His thesis, A Methodology for Developing Security Criteria for Transit" (Carnegie Mellon 1971) brought him to Atlanta to work on the MARTA system. Since that time Turner Associates has designed and planned numerous transit stations in Atlanta, Cleveland and Florida. The firm is also involved in numerous Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) in Atlanta. In addition to transit, Turner Associates designed the Centennial Olympic Park architecture that has become an iconic symbol for the City of Atlanta. His ability to work with community organizations and clients to form consensus of vision through "visioning" workshops has allowed Turner Associates to become a premier expert in TODs and transit integration into communities. As Senior Trustee of the Urban Land Institute Oscar, is also contributing author for ULI's "Ten Principles for Successful Developments Around Transit."