our
projects

Liberty City Historic Survey Project Type: Historic Resources Survey Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2022 - June 2024 Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust The purpose of this project is to document an architecturally significant neighborhood that has never been comprehensively surveyed. Liberty City holds a prominent place in Miami's heritage, reflecting the history and evolution of the African American community in the city. Established in 1922, Liberty City became a beacon of hope for Black families seeking freedom from the oppressive restrictions of Miami's racially segregated neighborhoods. The area was envisioned as a safe haven, promising liberty and better living conditions compared to the overcrowded and underserved Colored Town (now Overtown). This community rapidly grew, driven by Black families' aspirations for home ownership and business opportunities, marking the golden years of Liberty City from 1936 to 1968. During this period, Liberty City thrived with vibrant Black-owned businesses, active churches, and schools, becoming a symbol of Black prosperity and resilience . The development of Liberty Square, a public housing project built between 1936 and 1938 under President Roosevelt's New Deal, significantly boosted the community's growth. Liberty Square offered modern amenities and better living conditions than those in Overtown, attracting many Black families. This housing project not only provided necessary housing but also became a community hub, fostering a sense of pride and stability. Prominent Black millionaires built homes in the vicinity, further establishing the neighborhood's status. The impact of Liberty Square on Liberty City was profound, creating a model community that stood in stark contrast to the segregation and discrimination prevalent in other parts of Miami . However, the late 1960s brought significant challenges with the construction of the I-95 and I-395 interchanges, displacing thousands of Black residents from Overtown to Liberty City. This influx strained the resources and altered the community dynamics. Despite these challenges, Liberty City remained a focal point for Black culture and activism, playing a critical role in the civil rights movement. Over the years, the neighborhood has faced economic hardships and social unrest, yet it continues to be a testament to the enduring spirit and cultural heritage of Miami's African American community. The recent redevelopment efforts and historical recognition initiatives aim to preserve and celebrate Liberty City's rich history, ensuring its legacy continues to inspire future generations .

Overtown Reinvestment Master Plan Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Completed Completed: October 2023 Site Area: 413 AC Team: Plusurbia Design (Lead), Hood Design Studio, Studio Roberto Rovira, Watson+Co, Streetsense Client: Terra Group, City of Miami   The Overtown Revitalization Master Plan recognizes this neighborhood’s deeply inspiring and unique history as a cornerstone of Greater Miami’s celebrated historical legacy. Built around a strong foundation for innovative planning and development, the plan draws on the community’s original cultural identity, current residents, and surrounding communities. Thoughtfully blending these elements together, this project strives to revitalize one of Miami’s most celebrated Black neighborhoods through this methodical planning approach, reawakening the neighborhood to unbridled excellence by incorporating displacement mitigation tools, affordability provisions, and other inclusive redevelopment measures. It aims to create a bustling and better-connected district by empowering existing stakeholders in partnership with local agencies and non-profits, restoring the once-prominent destination for residents, visitors, and culture-seekers. The heart of Overtown's revitalization master plan is creating a narrative that aligns with its history. This strategy examines Overtown over the years, analyzing its past and present to plan for a successful future. The following goals have been carefully curated in response to Overtown’s full story and aim to provide positive changes and opportunities while remaining true to the neighborhood’s origins. Our main goals include: Mitigating displacement and protecting the neighborhood's character to empower and secure Overtown’s present and future residents. For a successful revitalization plan to be implemented in Overtown, it is essential to prioritize the community's current needs and the preservation of the neighborhood’s cultural character. By implementing this as the baseline goal for the project, residents will maintain ownership of their neighborhood, and the unique qualities of their community will be respected. Providing public infrastructure that serves and reflects Overtown’s vibrant community to create a dependable neighborhood fabric. This includes accessible sidewalks, bike lanes, amenities, and opportunities to highlight existing examples of Historic Overtown within the built environment. Establishing a planting strategy throughout the neighborhood to protect and enhance Overtown’s sense of identity while promoting a healthier community. Large flora can quickly provide health benefits to a neighborhood, such as drastically reducing the effects of urban heat, increasing air and water quality, and boosting mental health. Moreover, with careful planning, planting strategies can become part of a place’s identity and serve as a living local landmark. Developing stronger connections between East and West Overtown to lessen the neighborhood’s interruption by highway structures. Addressing the many underpasses that serve as portals from one side of the community to the other may provide opportunities for improved connectivity and possible transformative spaces. In addition, establishing a cohesive design palette for the public realm will also help create visual connectivity throughout the neighborhood. Enhancing pathways to existing transit stations to support Overtown’s influence as a major transit hub in the city. With the recent development of impactful transit projects in the neighborhood, it is important to consider future transit development in the area and how it can best serve both local residents and the city at large.

Hialeah 2050 - Citywide Master Plan Project Type: City Wide Long Term Master Plan Project Status: On-going Site Area: 22.8 square miles Team: PlusUrbia Design (Lead) + EXP + Corradino Group + Urbe Studio + Cure Penabad Client: City of Hialeah The City of Hialeah has embarked on an ambitious journey with its Hialeah 2050 Master Plan, setting a forward-looking vision for the next 25 years to elevate the City’s infrastructure, livability, and overall quality of life for its residents. This comprehensive project entails a thorough analysis of current conditions, addressing infrastructure needs, regulatory gaps, multimodal transportation needs and managing development pressures. With a steadfast commitment to unveiling a revitalized vision in time for Hialeah's centennial celebration in 2025, the City aims to propel itself into a positive, dynamic future. Central to the Hialeah 2050 Master Plan is the aim to cultivate a vibrant, sustainable, and interconnected community that resonates with the aspirations of its residents. Through meticulous planning and community engagement initiatives, including open houses, bilingual platforms, surveys, workshops, and immersive involvement in local events, the project team is dedicated to shaping a prosperous roadmap for the City's evolution. The initial phase of Discovery and Evaluation underscores the significance of understanding the community's pulse, allowing the consultant team to collect valuable insights into the community's needs and preferences, paving the way for a transformative future for the City of Hialeah. The current status of this on-going project can be found at www.hialeah2050.com

Brevard Architectural Standards Project Type: Architectural Standards + Urban Design Project Status: In-progress Dates: 2024-Ongoing Site Area: City-wide Team: Plusurbia Design Plusurbia Design is currently working on Brevard, NC's Architectural Standards. The effort epitomizes the integration of innovative urban planning and the City's architectural excellence to enhance local community character and identity. This initiative is focused on creating a set of guidelines born from public engagement and analysis shaping the future development of Brevard, ensuring that new constructions and renovations align with the town's unique character and priorities. Through planning and community engagement, Plusurbia Design aims to foster sustainable growth, preserve Brevard's unique character, natural beauty, and cultural heritage, and accommodate modern architectural building systems. This project aligns with Plusurbia's commitment to blending aesthetic appeal with functional urban design, contributing to the creation of vibrant, livable spaces that resonate with the values and aspirations of the City of Brevard's residents. Find out more at https://www.brevard-archstandards.com/

Little River RAD Project Type: Urban Design, Planning, TOD Project Status: In-progress Dates: 2024-Ongoing Site Area:65 AC Team: Plusurbia Design (Planning, Street and Urban Design), ARQ (Architecture) The Little River Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project embodies a groundbreaking shift towards affordable urban living in Miami's Little River neighborhood. Designed holistically, this project seamlessly integrates a diverse mix of uses, ensuring inclusivity and providing much-needed access to amenities, jobs, and retail previously scarce in the area. It aims to rejuvenate the neighborhood with a variety of housing options—including market-rate, affordable, and workforce units—while avoiding displacement of existing residents. By thoughtfully replacing outdated 1940s public housing with new, sustainable alternatives, it preserves the neighborhood's cultural significance and integrity. At the core of this ambitious vision, which includes over 5,000 units, is a strong focus on transit, mobility, and accessibility. The introduction of a new train station at the heart of Little River TOD is set to transform resident lifestyles, offering viable alternatives to the prevalent urban car-centric culture. This development is a referent for a shift towards public transit, walking, and biking, dramatically decreasing car dependency and nurturing a more sustainable, interconnected community fabric. More than just enhancing living conditions through superior housing, the project is dedicated to crafting a cohesive urban mobility experience. As such, the Little River TOD emerges as a model of inclusive, sustainable urban development, presenting integrated solutions to climate, housing, and mobility challenges with a comprehensive and inclusive strategy.

Halissee Gate Pocket Park Project Type: Public Open Space Project Status: Completed Dates: April 2023 Site Area: 0.16 AC Team: Plusurbia Design  Located in the western corner of Overtown, the historic entrance of John Sewell’s grand home is marked by two limestone columns, often referred to as Halissee Gate. Today, Halissee Gate stands as a forgotten relic of old Florida, separated from the home by blocks of infill development and the Dolphin Expressway. The Sewell Pocket Park project seeks to re-establish a virtual connection between Halissee Gate and Sewell’s home by creating a new pocket park that showcases the area's history and lost urban framework. Plusurbia Design prepared a design and concept feasibility to encourage the City of Miami to revitalize this empty lot where Halissee Gate columns still stand as a passive public open space to be enjoyed by the local Overtown community. The project was completed in April 2023 and includes various features, such as seating areas, shade structures, native landscape, artistic elements, and informational plaques, all intended to educate and enrich the life of the community. The project also includes improvements to the adjacent right-of-way surrounding Halissee Gate, creating a safer pedestrian environment. The Pocket Park project is part of Plusurbia Design's effort to build stronger urban connections in Overtown and provide the community with safe, vibrant public spaces for gathering and recreation. The park serves as a lasting reminder of the neighborhood's rich heritage and commitment to creating a brighter future. In addition to the Pocket Park, Plusurbia Design has partnered with other local organizations to develop additional public spaces throughout The City. From plazas that reflect Miami's rich history and vibrant culture to pocket parks and playgrounds that give children a safe place to play, Plusurbia Design is committed to creating meaningful and lasting public spaces for locals.

Panama Mobility Project Type: Mobility Assessment Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2023 Site Area: N/A Team: Plusurbia Design + WeArchitects + Colectivo 270 Client: IDB - InterAmerican Development Bank Integrating e-mobility and Transportation Infrastructure Resilience for Panama City.  Plusurbia Design, along with WeArchitects and Colectivo 270 were invited to conduct a mobility assessment for the InterAmerican Development Bank in Panama City. This project is focused on researching how e-mobility can be integrated into the current transportation infrastructure and increase its resilience. The team conducted field visits, research workshops, and stakeholder meetings in 2023, and concluded the project with a comprehensive report that outlines recommendations for the use of e-mobility as part of urban resilience in Panama City. These recommendations include changes in vehicular circulation, design standards, policy, and a variety of infrastructure investments. The team plans to prepare an implementation plan based on these suggestions that will serve as further guidance for the IDB's efforts to improve urban mobility in Panama, as a second phase. The team's research was focused on identifying key trends and opportunities related to pedestrian access and e-mobility in Panama City, including safe access for pedestrians, bikes and electric vehicles (EVs), charging infrastructure, public transport integration, and more. The findings were used to design a series of action steps to promote and incentivize the adoption of electric vehicles, expand charging infrastructure, and leverage technology to improve urban mobility.  

Little Santo Domingo Historic Survey Project Type: Historic Resources Survey Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2023 – August 2024 Team: Plusurbia Design with Diaspora & Development Foundation Client: The Allapattah Collaborative CDC The story of Miami's Little Santo Domingo is the story of the American Dream.    It is the story of how working class people of all different races, ethnicities and languages have come to make a better life for themselves and their families.  It is a layered history of settlement – from Native American to German-Creole, from a racially diverse farming community to a segregated all-white working class neighborhood, from a tri-ethnic community to a place where Hispanics of color can feel comfortable, and since the 1980s, a distinctly Dominican diaspora community. It is a story of how an immigrant community and a community of color revived a commercial district that had been abandoned in the wake of the 1980s McDuffie protests.  Throughout history, the story of Little Santo Domingo in Miami's Allapattah neighborhood is a story of resilience, grit, hard work and determination. This history of economic opportunity is made possible by the historic neighborhood settlement patterns, the small farms that evolved organically into small subdivisions, with modest commercial buildings fronting the street. On 17th Avenue, the design of the street has historically supported small business activity with on-street parking, wide sidewalks, and vital shade trees – mature mahogany trees, the national tree of the Dominican Republic. Today, Little Santo Domingo is threatened.  Communities of color in Miami and across the United States face a pattern of erasure, of histories lost because their stories were not recorded, and because their communities have been continually displaced. Little Santo Domingo is experiencing this today.   The non-profit group The Allapattah Collaborative CDC is working tirelessly to prevent this erasure. Through their efforts, Little Santo Domingo was recognized as a Main Street community in 2021.  Little Santo Domingo gained the national spotlight when it was identified by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the United States’ “11 Most Endangered Historic Places” in 2023. Clearly, local and national organizations alike have recognized that there is something special that has taken place on this unique Allapattah street, and it is something worth protecting. In 2024, Plusurbia completed a comprehensive historic resources survey of Little Santo Domingo on behalf of The Allapattah Collaborative.  This project included a complete historical documentation of the area. The report included a focus on the Dominican diaspora culture in the neighborhood, in collaboration with Rudolfo Pou of the Diaspora & Development Foundation.  The Allapattah Collaborative, together with Plusurbia and other local, state and national partners, are actively using this historical resources survey as a blueprint to combat gentrification, displacement and cultural erasure in Little Santo Domingo.

Bayamón Riverfront Smart District Project Type: Economic Revitalization, Urban Design, and Transportation Planning Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2023 Site Area: approx. 52 acres Team: Plusurbia Design The City of Bayamon is one of few Puerto Rico cities with all the necessary ingredients for reinvestment to translate into remarkable transformation already taking place. With visionary leadership, Bayamon has revitalized its downtown historic architecture by restoring its architecture and integrating art through a captivating facade improvement program featuring vibrant murals. In addition, the city has prioritized reinvestment in its infrastructure, enhancing streets, expanding sidewalks, and improving accessibility to the metro station. The Tren Urbano, an elevated metro line, seamlessly connects Bayamon to the vibrant San Juan Metropolitan area, creating the possibility for a car-free lifestyle only possible in a few places, making this municipality a genuinely enviable place to live, work and play. Plusurbia Design was commissioned to envision the revitalization of Bayamon's Riverfront. An area currently underutilized and in need of redevelopment.  The proposed vision is for a vibrant space that seamlessly blends natural and man-made elements. The urban infill plan includes a variety of complimentary uses to bring life back to the area. Those uses are largely connected through a series of  pedestrian friendly spaces, emphasizing public amenities along the riverfront, increasing access to the waterfront, and more importantly creating an identity for the district. Our studio believes that sustainability should be the cornerstone of all its projects. Sustainable strategies, such as stormwater management, green infrastructure and energy conservation and generation are incorporated into the design.  This project serves as an example of how sustainable urban design can help create meaningful public spaces and encourage positive environmental, economic and social change. With the goal of creating a vibrant district that encourages interactions between people, businesses, the waterfront and nature through thoughtful design and planning, the plan proposes a variety of uses including residential housing, commercial/retail, and public open space. The plan also puts forth a vision for greening the district with a strong emphasis on urban agriculture. Community gardens, edible landscaping, green roofs and food hubs are all proposed as ways to foster social interaction while increasing access to challenging food deserts. Additionally, this type of programming encourages environmental stewardship by reducing water usage through rainwater collection and energy conservation through the use of renewable energy sources.

LaBelle Town Center Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Completed Dates: March 2023 Site Area: 237 AC Team: Plusurbia Design The City of La Belle faces the challenge of balancing the demands of a dynamic market with the preservation of its historic downtown character. In this delicate balance, the allocation of land for growth becomes a pivotal consideration. Plusurbia was commissioned to develop a master plan and propose a phased growth strategy that accommodates organic expansion beyond the urban core. The Master Plan successfully implements a gradual growth strategy by extending residential, commercial, and open spaces within the designated 237 acres. It enhances pedestrian and bike connectivity through a network of open spaces that interconnect various housing options with the town center. Designed as a hybrid Town Center, this innovative concept allows established brands to meet their visibility requirements while seamlessly transitioning into a Main Street that connects with the surrounding neighborhood.

Lattice - A new approach to Comprehensive Planning Project Type: Planning Platform | Code Project Status: Ongoing Dates: November 2020 - Present Team: Plusurbia Design Lattice enables communities to craft a vision for their future through better comprehensive planning. Plusurbia Design developed a Comprehensive Planning tool called Lattice for planning professionals, elected officials, and regional stakeholders. Visit The Center for Comprehensive Planning. Released as a free online tool, Lattice is part of a not-for-profit effort to help communities rapidly develop a planning framework that uses current best practices to address a specific area's economic, environmental, and social challenges. Lattice provides a step-by-step approach to comprehensive planning through an interactive prompt algorithm. The Lattice Planning Engine: Through an interactive questionnaire, Lattice dynamically generates a plan template that aims to meet the needs and achieve the goals of the planning region. The answer to each question prompts Lattice to generate the ideal plan structure and automatically includes general language for elements, goals, and policies tuned to user input. Lattice is the product of years of research by planners eager to develop a better way to create comprehensive plans, especially new ones or those needing significant updates to incorporate best practices. Plusurbia Design is committed to improving planning beyond its practice through The Center for Comprehensive Planning.  The Center provides resources, including guidance documents and interactive tools, to equip communities with the information they need to envision and create new, calibrated regulatory frameworks.

Miami Beach Resilient Development Code Project Type: Form-Based and Resiliency Code Project Status: Ongoing Dates: November 2020 - Present Site Area: Citywide (9,740 AC) Team: Plusurbia + Perkins+Will (lead) Client: City of Miami Beach, FL Plusurbia was part of a multi-disciplinary team that included architects, engineers, and scientists capable of transforming the existing and outdated Code into a new document that established guidelines for new construction for the next fifty years. The team spent months meeting with community groups, architects, developers, and a number of Public Citizen Boards and the City’s Planning Department to lead them into a new and visionary Code that would address many of the issues and possible remedies to the devastating effects of sea-water rise. This project consisted of drafting a new form-based style resiliency code, tailored specifically to Miami Beach and focusing on resilience adaptation and mitigation strategies. This code simplifies use requirements, focusing on building orientation, scale, context, and building frontages. This code will provide City staff, developers, and the community with clear and consistent rules and regulations to which new development must conform. This form-based style resiliency code enables the City to formulate a strategic plan that will continue to promote and protect the historic character of the distinct neighborhoods, while identifying areas for sustainable growth and development.

City Terrace Community Development Corporation Project Type: Transportation Planning & Urban Design Project Status: Ongoing Dates: June 2022 - present Site Area: approx. 6 acres Team: Plusurbia Design + BusinessFlare Client: Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation Inc. The premise of this project is to provide General Planning and Economic Development Strategy Services to provide a holistic development vision, strategies, and recommendations for the future development of the Opa-Locka CDC  properties as part of a larger special district. This planning exercise consisted of a dual-scoped approach. It included a high-level analysis and suggestions for Opa-locka’s downtown and surroundings, as well as a more detailed master plan and recommendations for a transit-oriented development (TOD) area. This TOD area is proposed to be located between the city’s Tri-Rail station and downtown, capitalizing on these assets and the properties owned or considered for ownership by the Opa Locka Community Development Corporation (OLCDC), reflecting their pivotal role in the area’s more extensive redevelopment. Specifically, the goals of the project are to: Create a walkable TOD destination for the City of Opa-Locka that helps reposition their place brand from unsafe and unpredictable to the next Miami transformation story and a place of opportunity. Maximize the development potential of the OLCDC properties as part of a larger strategy to leverage revitalization (commercial and residential) by applying Urban Core and TOD principles to the area and identifying market potential that supports financially feasible new development Create a phasing and acquisition strategy that maximizes leverage, ROI, and future opportunities for OLCDC and their partners, including the County, CRA, and City.

The Village of El Portal Historic Survey Project Type: Historic Resources Survey Project Status: Completed Dates: September 2023 – March 2024 Site Area: 256 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust Miami-Dade County’s Village of El Portal, spanning barely a square mile, is a secluded modern-day Garden of Eden nestled within the vibrant landscape of Florida. This picturesque enclave serves as a haven for both its residents and the local wildlife, with its status as a tree city and bird sanctuary, while also providing refuge to the endangered manatees that call the Little River Canal home. One of the village’s most cherished landmarks is The Indian Mound, a testament to the rich history of the area. This ancient Tequesta burial mound stands as an emblem of the village’s deep roots and cultural significance. Designated as a historic landmark by Miami-Dade County in the 1920s, The Indian Mound holds the distinction of being the first archeological site in the County to receive this honor. Embracing its natural surroundings and historical heritage, the beautiful Village of El Portal prides itself on its diversity and peaceful ambiance. However, like many communities, El Portal faces its own set of challenges, including the increasing risks of flooding and losing its Village-feel with new development that is not consistent with the historical architectural character. As El Portal looks to the future, it seeks support in overcoming these challenges. With a commitment to preserving its values and connection to the past, the village is poised to thrive, embracing growth and prosperity while staying true to the essence that makes El Portal a truly special place. Understanding the importance of documenting the Village of El Portal, the preservation non-profit Dade Heritage Trust applied for and was awarded a Small Matching Grant by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources to conduct a comprehensive survey.  Plusurbia Design was selected as the lead preservation consultant for the survey and the project was completed in collaboration with Iris Guzman Kolaya of 305 Historian and Advanced Archaeology.

Sunbeam SAP Project Type: Special Area Plan Project Status: Completed | October 2022 Dates: January 2022 - October 2022 Site Area: 12 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Sunbeam Development Inc. Sunbeam Special Area Plan (SAP) is a vision for the project to create a new “Iconic” destination at the heart of North Bay Village sitting on the prow of Broadcast Key with vibrant mixed-use project consisting of multi-family residential, a hotel, office, restaurants, entertainment, retail, a marina and a small production studio, with civic space, public open space and the island walk. The project at the inflection point where the land meets the water will be where the people of North Bay Village, Miami and tourists can connect with the Bay. It is set to become a model of resiliency and sustainability, not just for the buildings but also for The Village Project. One of the most important goals is to provide a beneficial impact on the adjacent waters of Biscayne Bay while defending Broadcast Key from the corrosive and erosive action of those same waters.

Park West Master Plan Project Type: Master Plan Project Status: Completed | May 2021 Dates: March 2021 - May 2021 Site Area: 10 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Simkins The Project consists of a Master Plan Zoning Package of the Innovation District that considers changes to the site's existing regulations that affect this district and supports a legal rezoning application from T6-60-A to T6-60-B. The cohesive Master Plan Zoning Report served as a tool to communicate with stakeholders, elected officials, City and County Staff the development parameters of the Project. The document established development strategies as part of a Master Plan for the Project Area. The goals of the Plan are to achieve a cohesive and well-designed development that serves as a guide for responsible growth and development within this District.

Hialeah 49th Street Corridor Project Type: Urban Design and Master Planning Project Status: Completed | June 2021 Dates: March 2021 - June 2021 Site Area: 38 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: City of Hialeah This study is a zoning and development analysis of east 49th street between east 4th and east 8th avenues in Hialeah. Further, this project provides a vision and development recommendations for properties fronting the street. The premise is to assess the potential of the corridor as it develops into a mixed-use environment incentivizing future development based on new land-use conditions, city-making, and demand while respecting and improving the residential context around it. Therefore, the study considers properties north and south of the corridor, beyond those fronting it, to understand the impact future development may have on the neighborhoods and districts.

West Grove Affordable Housing Blueprint Project Type: Affordable Housing Project Status: Completed | June 2022 Dates: July 2021 - June 2022 Site Area: 960 acres Team: Plusurbia Design, BusinessFlare, The Corradino Group Client: City of Miami Creating the right conditions for Affordable Housing in a neighborhood requires a carefully calibrated combination of factors to be considered carefully. Variables are often difficult to estimate and predict and differ greatly, including development costs, market conditions, and land availability. Others can be managed through policy, regulation, administrative processes, and financial assistance to increase opportunities and the likelihood of Affordable Housing being built in any given area. This Blueprint for Affordable Housing provides a guide to make policy and legislative modifications to the current conditions in the West Grove to incentivize its Affordable Housing component. It also includes case studies where this has been achieved and proposes Assistance Programs to mitigate the displacement of its residents. The proposed recommendations are intended to improve the tangible, implementable, and predictable factors based on current conditions to create Affordable Housing in the West Grove. Regular calibrations and modifications to these recommendations will be necessary to keep up with changing local and regional socio-economic conditions. This will ensure that, over time, families in West Grove can remain in their homes and not be cost-burdened by it, giving them upward economic mobility within the neighborhood.

Poinciana Station TOD Project Type: Transit-Oriented Development Project Status: Completed | June 2021 Dates: October 2021 - December 2021 Site Area: 14.5 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: 79th Street Corridor Neighborhood Initiative Miami faces a challenge in supplying affordable housing and creating location-efficient places. Transit Oriented Developments (TODs) are walkable, mixed-use development patterns located near transit; TOD studies are conducted to transform communities into places that provide safe mobility, housing opportunities, and neighborhood amenities. High-performing TODs must be specially tailored to the context of existing communities and provide optimal intensity and density within a quarter-mile of transit, gradually decreasing as distance from the transit core increases. The Poinciana Station Transit Shed has the potential to become a true transit-oriented commuter district, given that a great percentage of the surrounding land is primed for redevelopment. The potential for future transit-oriented development in the project site, in addition to the land identified for investment, will certainly bring many positive changes to the neighborhood.

Downtown Lake Wales Historical Resources Survey Project Type: Historic Preservation Project Status: Completed | July 2022 Dates: September 2021 - July 2022 Site Area: Downtown Lake Wales Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Lakes Wales Main Street Lake Wales is a rare gem in plain sight, a historic small-town Main Street in the geographic center of Florida. Downtown Lake Wales is unique as a well-planned, significantly built-out small-town commercial district from the first half of the 20th Century. In 2021, Lake Wales Main Street, Inc. applied for and was awarded a Small Matching Grant by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources to conduct a historical resources survey of the Downtown. The project's scope is to complete a historical resources survey of all structures within the CRA-1 boundaries built before 1972 and revisit and update the survey that formed the basis of the 1990 National Register “Lake Wales Commercial Historic District.” This project will enable Lake Wales Main Street Inc., Downtown property owners and stakeholders, and City officials to make informed decisions regarding the impact of development and other publicly and privately funded projects on Lake Wales’ historic and cultural resources in the Downtown area, and to set priorities for the protection and use of these resources.

Anna Maria Island Historical Resources Survey Project Type: Historic Preservation Project Status: Completed | April 2022 Dates: November 2021 - April 2022 Site Area: 360 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: City of Anna Maria Island Anna Maria Island is a barrier island in Manatee County, west of the City of Bradenton. It is located in the Gulf of Mexico and at the entrance to Tampa Bay. Anna Maria Island is made up of three small municipalities. The oldest municipality, established in 1923, is the City of Anna Maria, and it is located on the northern end of the Island at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The first homestead on Anna Maria was established in 1893, and the first subdivision, Anna Maria Beach, was platted in 1911. The Anna Maria community has long acknowledged its heritage and tried to collect historic artifacts and tell the island's history. The Anna Maria Island Historical Society was formed in 1990 for the express purpose of collecting, researching, preserving, and exhibiting materials relating to the early days of Anna Maria Island. From 1990 to 2018, the Historical Society was the primary force behind historic preservation activities in Anna Maria Island, including the relocation and restoration of Belle Haven cottage and the completion of over thirty (30) Florida Master Site Files for the records of the State Division of Historical Resources.

Playa de Ponce Segment - Borinquen Trail Project Type: Mobility Plan Project Status: Completed Dates: February 2023 Site Area: 6 miles Team: Plusurbia Design This rails-to-trails study proposes a network of paths and first-phase interventions in Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico. This vision report was developed in conjunction with community leaders, non-profits, and government stakeholders in Playa de Ponce, a historically underserved urban center on the South coast of Puerto Rico. Plusurbia Design proposed to carry out a study for Borinquen Trail for Para la Naturaleza’s cultural projects grant. Plusurbia Design carried out this study of Borinquen Trail for Para la Naturaleza’s cultural projects grant. The study mapped the existing conditions of Playa de Ponce’s mobility and public spaces, proposed a multi-modal implementation plan for walking, biking, and transit, and developed creative placemaking strategies. The results from this study will help guide the growth of Playa de Ponce by connecting its neighborhoods with cultural heritage sites and the rest of Ponce. The plan proposed to build a continuous ‘complete street approach’ along the route with bicycle routes and amenities, such as street trees, cultural centers, parks, bioswales, wayfinding signage, and historic property markers. The development of this new trail would create better streets and public spaces in Playa de Ponce while also improving access to jobs and opportunities. Furthermore, the plan included recommendations for implementing climate resilience, stormwater management, microgrids, storm surge defense, and historic preservation strategies. The city council is currently considering measures to implement the recommendations in the study. If approved, residents can look forward to a continuous bicycle route between Playa and the city center and a continuous path along the Southern coast connecting with communities along the former railroad. Ultimately, these proposed changes will lead to a more livable and sustainable Playa de Ponce. By providing residents with reliable and accessible transit options, the city can move towards achieving its goal of a greener future.

East Gateway District Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Completed | October 2022 Dates: August - October 2022 Site Area: 170 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: East Gateway Coalition Greenville, South Carolina is known for the story of its downtown revitalization and embrace of planning to reinvent itself into one of the most vibrant, fastest-growing cities in the country. However, its most popular entrance, providing visitors with their first impressions of the city, must reflect this modern reality. Instead, the Gateway Area contains a series of disconnected development patterns that have evolved independently over the last 200 years, including a National Register-listed Historic Neighborhood, the city’s Arena, and the county’s Law Enforcement Center. The Community Vision Plan embraces the neighborhood’s assets and introduces strategies to weave the built environment back together, better establishing physical and psychological connections to the adjacent downtown. The project began by reimagining the central corridor as a multimodal boulevard flanked by mixed-use, urban-style development. From there, introducing a transition zone offers a way to preserve the neighborhood's historic character, while allowing the corridor to reach its ideal density. Furthermore, exploring additional infill development opportunities around the arena reveals the potential for a new entertainment district that will continue to build on Greenville's legacy of great placemaking.

Allapattah 17th Avenue Survey Project Type: Historic Preservation Project Status: Completed Dates: December 2019 - October 2021 Site Area: 17th Avenue between NW 20th Street and NW 36th Street Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust Dade Heritage Trust partnered with the Allapattah Collaborative to bring attention to the unique character of this thriving Dominican neighborhood of Allapattah and to support the small, locally-owned businesses along 17th Avenue. Through their efforts, 17th Avenue was designated as a National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street program. In support of Allapattah’s Main Street initiative, Dade Heritage Trust commissioned Plusurbia Design to create a building inventory study of NW 17th Avenue between NW 20th Street and NW 36th Street. This study provides a snapshot of history for each property along 17th Avenue, including a historic photo, a current photo, and a history of the various businesses that were located on the site from the 1920s until the 1970s. This picture in time provides information for property owners and neighborhood stakeholders to make informed decisions about the future, based on a better understanding of the history of Allapattah’s “Main Street.” This investigation into Allapattah’s history revealed the hard-working, industrial character of 17th Avenue throughout the 20th Century, and the cultural transformation of the neighborhood as waves of Dominican immigrants arrived in the neighborhood by way of the Miami River.

Arsht Center Thomson Plaza for the Arts Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Completed Dates: April 2019 - August 2019 Site Area: 0.56 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County Plusurbia provided general urban design consulting services to address the needs of the Arsht Center's Thomson Square mobility and safety improvements. These Services included a conceptual design of pedestrian protection barriers on the edge of Biscayne Boulevard that also mitigate sound originating from moving traffic.

The Underline Special District Plan Project Type: Urban Planning and Design Project Status: Completed Dates: April 2019 - February 2020 Site Area: 10+ mile Corridor Team: Plusurbia Design + Tindale Oliver (Benesch) Client: Friends of the Underline, Inc. The Underline, a 10+ mile green corridor along the Miami-Dade Metro Rail, has the potential to impact its surrounding areas through careful planning and zoning positively. Inversely, the corridor will significantly benefit by assuring that surrounding areas are protected, that stakeholders are provided safe and pleasant access to the corridor, and that any potential future development is appropriate to its context and its privileged Transit Oriented location. This study calibrates through planning and zoning the future development and mobility improvements along the length of the corridor spanning five municipalities. To maximize the corridor’s positive impact and balance changes resulting from the creation of this Green Corridor, the study proposes mid-scale development that transitions from denser and more intense transit-oriented areas to single-family residential neighborhoods. Future development and infrastructure improvements are supported through financing strategies outlined in the study to allow the corridor's evolution to be incremental. Recommendations are necessary to understand this balance and propose improvements to development standards and value capture mechanisms to capitalize on the value created to build and maintain the Corridor’s positive impact.

TPO SMART Plan - North Corridor Visualization Project Type: Planning & Design of Generic Station Areas Project Status: Completed Dates: 7 acres Site Area: 207 acres Team: Plusurbia Design, The Corradino Group (lead) Client: Miami Dade TPO (Transportation Planning Organization) Planning and design for the TPO SMART Plan North Corridor. The SMART Plan is a comprehensive approach to creating six rapid transit corridors. The studio, as consultants for The Corradino Group, is providing its planning, design, and graphics expertise in defining a suitable location to use as a base for the design of the stations along the North Corridor, creating 3D volumetrics of the development around the stations and completing renderings to visualize the design for three station area plans: community station, neighborhood station, and regional station.

Silver Bluff Historic Survey Project Type: Historic Resources Survey Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2020 - July 2021 Site Area: 214 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust The purpose of this project is to document an architecturally significant neighborhood that has never been comprehensively surveyed. Silver Bluff is a unique Boom-era neighborhood in the City of Miami that was built in three successive waves in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s and almost entirely built out by 1955. It is located in close proximity to Downtown, Brickell, and Biscayne Bay and continues to have strong historic integrity. Silver Bluff is best known today for its abundance of well-built, beautifully designed, 1930s-era small homes. Understanding the importance of documenting Silver Bluff, Miami-Dade County’s leading preservation non-profit, Dade Heritage Trust, applied for and was awarded a Small Matching Grant by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources to conduct a comprehensive survey. The current survey effort focused on all historic resources that are 50 years or older within the study area. Resources for consideration included buildings, structures, districts, and landscapes that possess architecture of historical significance. The completed report meets the requirements of Chapter 1A-46 of the Florida Administrative Code: Archaeological and Historical Report Standards and Guidelines.

Downtown Rockledge Master Plan Project Type: Urban Planning and Design Project Status: Completed Dates: June 2020 - October 2021 Site Area: 30 acres Team: Plusurbia Design + BusinessFlare Client: City of Rockledge Downtown Rockledge is primed to be a magnet for revitalization that enables quality of life improvements for the City of Rockledge. The plan will serve as a basis for future development within the district and will help reinforce existing public and private investments. The main purpose of this master plan is to create a vision for a downtown that enhances the Civic Hub while expanding opportunities for development and improved connections. It endeavors to establish a vision centered on Main Street as a destination, through improvements to mobility, public safety, and entrepreneurial offerings. Mobility enhancements consist of improving walkability and comfort through complete streets, strengthening connectivity with adjacent destinations, highlighting proximity to Lake Betsi, and supporting businesses with public spaces and mix of uses. Public safety can be nurtured by increasing opportunities for people to stick around in the town center area, including through creation of landmarks, developing vacant lots, a pedestrian safety plan, and establishment of recreational trails through downtown. Landscaping will play a crucial role in enhancing comfort with shade trees and structures. 

Dolphin Station TOD Project Type: Transit-Oriented Development, Master Planning Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2019 - February 2020 Site Area: 70 acres Team: Plusurbia Design + Arquitectonica Client: Terra Group The 70-acre Dolphin TOD project - most of which fits into the 1/2 mile radius boundary from the proposed transit center - will serve a wide range of residents, commuters, and visitors alike. Its proximity to such large servicing job centers like Telemundo and shopping destinations like the Dolphin Mall makes it the perfect candidate for building transit-oriented development connecting people to place. Currently, only under 2% of the surrounding 1-mile radius of the potential station uses public transit to commute to work. Introducing a BRT system and train station could completely overhaul car dependency and encourage multi-modal mobility, making the surrounding Dolphin area more desirable, accessible, and convenient. This transit center also holds the unique opportunity to use its strengths of mobility and connectivity as a means to create supportive programming within it, solidifying its sense of identity and establishing it as an ideal destination to live, work, and play.

Haitang Bay Sports Town Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Completed Dates: August 2018 - November 2018 Site Area: 56 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Vanke Haitang Bay is a Master Planned Community that reconstructs the unique beauty of the natural environment back to its original state, creating a destination where the built and natural environments coexist. Located at the mouth of the Queen Bay, connecting with the freshwater Tielugang lake, at the outskirts of Sanya, Hainan Island’s newest community resort and Sports Town will be the destination of marine tourism, the home of the National Sailing Team and the destination of nature addicts. It provides several beach resort hotels, one of the island’s largest marinas, and a residential and shopping district that will make it one of Hainan’s most unique waterfront destinations. The planned resort rebuilds mangrove islands to protect them from tidal currents and filter ocean + river water to safeguard the ecosystem. It re-establishes the original tree canopy to mitigate typhoon-force winds and raises the built elevation to address the rising sea level. New waterways created through the development improve water movement and offer additional frontage.

HART TODs Pilot Project Project Type: Streetcar and Bus Rapid Transit, Transit-Oriented Development Pilot Project Project Status: Completed Dates: February 2020 - October 2022 Site Area: 10-mile corridor Team: Plusurbia Design + HDR (Lead) Client: Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority The HART TOD Pilot Project is focused on the future of communities along the planned routes for HART’s Arterial Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service and the City of Tampa’s Streetcar Extension project. The project study area extends from Downtown Tampa to the University of South Florida (USF) along Florida and Fowler Avenues. HDR is working with local stakeholders to explore the potential for infill, redevelopment, and retrofit along the project corridor to increase levels of transit supportiveness, improve community livability and competitiveness, and increase access to regional employment and educational destinations. The project will result in policy and regulatory strategies and economic incentives to guide public and private investment, promote equitable infill and redevelopment, conserve and protect corridor communities, improve walkability and transit accessibility, and build demand for enhanced transit service. Recommendations will also be designed for application along other corridors planned for enhanced transit across the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County.

West Grove CRA Project Type: Redevelopment Plan Project Status: Completed Dates: October 2020 - February 2021 Site Area: approx. 960 acres Team: Plusurbia Design + BusinessFlare Client: City of Miami District 2 Commissioner’s Office The West Grove Community Redevelopment Plan is the culmination of decades of community desires, public outreach, and requests to preserve and restore a vital residential and commercial district founded by Bahamian settlers in the early 1800s. The drafting and adoption of the Plan is a critical step for creating the West Grove Community Redevelopment Agency, as the Plan, including Funding Projections, is required by Florida Statute before making the Redevelopment Trust Fund. The concept of this redevelopment plan will guide the Agency’s goals and objectives, which will be implemented through realistic initiatives that are part of an overall funding strategy. This document is organized to allow the reader to follow and understand the evolution and development of this plan. The Redevelopment Plan is designed to identify the main strategies, key and catalytic projects, and programs recommended to be implemented within a newly expanded area in West Coconut Grove. We must emphasize that this area’s redevelopment plan aims to strengthen the West Grove neighborhood and its residents, add vitality to its commercial corridors, reinvigorate its aging structures, and personify the strong sense of pride in this historic community.

North Avenue Railroad District Project Type: Urban Planning and Design Project Status: Completed Dates: November 2019 - March 2022 Site Area: 43 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: NDT Development The project comprises a master plan and proposed regulatory framework of the Nora District in West Palm Beach. The vision must support the implementation of a new compatible zoning overlay district for the study area. The project includes a narrative and exhibits intended to serve as guidelines for a new regulatory framework of the site. The project also consists of a comprehensive review of land use, zoning, and development potentials. This regulatory framework provided the guidelines for a change in zoning and other improvements as part of an overlay district carefully calibrated with the planning department. The design team developed a unique vision for the District based on three guiding principles: Urban Development, Urban Connections, and Vibrant Places. These principles inform the creation of an attractive urban environment that connects people with places.

Grove Park National Register Project Type: National Register Nomination Project Status: Ongoing Dates: July 2020 - Present Site Area: 46 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust As the decades unfolded, many of Miami’s most prominent citizens called the subdivision home. While the neighborhood remained insulated from the quickening pace of life in Miami, its location across from the storied Orange Bowl stadium for seventy-five years brought excitement, with the rich array of sporting and other events hosted there. An ill-advised decision in the 1960s to build the right of way of the Florida State Road 836 Expressway thru the neighborhood led to the demolition of many homes in the northern portions of Grove Park and effectively bifurcated the community. Surprisingly, few homes other than those in the expressway's path have been razed. While the subdivision experienced a malaise after droves of residents moved to the new suburbs ringing the county in the expansive decades following World War II, today’s Grove Park is again a coveted neighborhood owing to its central location, its elegant homes, a surfeit of foliage, and quiet streets.

Biscayne Green Pedestrian Promenade Project Type: Transportation Planning & Urban Design Project Status: Ongoing Dates: March 2021 - May 2021 Site Area: 7.20 acres Team: Plusurbia Design + T.Y. Lin (Lead) Client: City of Miami Biscayne Green will redesign Biscayne Boulevard into a pedestrian promenade, enhancing pedestrian safety and connectivity. The intent is to minimize the barrier effect of Biscayne Boulevard and to improve the connections to Bayfront Park and the Biscayne to make downtown a more walkable, accessible, and connected place. The project vision narrows Biscayne Boulevard between SE 1st NE 6th streets from 8 lanes to 4. The repurposed corridor will meet the needs of all street users safely and comfortably. The new configuration for the Boulevard will narrow pedestrian crossing distances and provide safer bicycle and pedestrian connections from the downtown core outward in all directions. Biscayne Green aims to minimize the barrier effect of Biscayne Boulevard and the surface parking lots between its north and south lanes. The project will enhance connections to Bayfront Park and Biscayne Bay to open up those resources downtown, adding thousands of residents each year. Biscayne Green will serve a more densely-developed downtown by making it a more walkable, accessible, and connected place.

North Springs District - Heron Bay Project Type: Zoning and Development Analysis Project Status: Completed Dates: March 2021 - May 2021 Site Area: 69 acres Team: Plusurbia Client: Upper Buenavista Management, LLC Emporium is a Master Plan created in response to The North Springs Improvement District and the Cities of Parkland and Coral Springs. The design was selected among several submissions for its innovative approaches to Golf Course retrofit and its approach to improving accessibility and services for their residents. The Committee selected the proposal as a three-part project that includes health, design, arts, and entertainment in a village-like environment surrounded by nature reserves. The proposal incorporates distinctive landscape architecture mimicking organic and natural forms and visually and physically connects the buildings with the canals and preserve. Brownfield mitigation was achieved through a thorough commitment to sustainable design from the inside out – creating land formations, encouraging active uses by providing healthier spaces and energy-efficient structures, and minimizing the broader environmental impact. The 150-acre preserve is part of a more extensive drainage system ensuring multiple connection points between the proposed development and the Preserve’s trail system.

Borinquen Trail - Rails 2 Trails Project Type: Mobility Project Status: Ongoing Dates: September 2020 - Present Site Area: Islandwide Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Internal - Pro Bono Borinquen Trail is a proposal in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Historic Building Drawings Society to reuse the former railroad right-of-way. The vision is the transformation of Puerto Rico’s former railroad right-of-way repurposed as an off-road path network for sustainable and low-speed transportation, integrating community initiatives through an islandwide framework. The project traverses coastal communities along 680 Kilometers, passing along tropical beaches, forests, and urban centers. The Borinquen Trail plans to connect cultural and historic destinations (such as old sugar mills, former rail infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels, and miles of coastal areas) and economic hubs such as traditional town centers and recreational / sports facilities, including national parks. Rail-to-trails are multi-purpose public paths created from former railroad corridors. They are often flat or follow a gentle grade as they traverse urban, suburban, and rural communities in America. Throughout the extension of this corridor, an educational program will provide context to the historical use of the corridor, including the role railroads played in Puerto Rico’s 19th and early 20th-century economy, as its route extends along the coast and links to former sugar mills in the mountains. Most former railroad right-of-way runs along public lands, making the public sector a key partner. Learn more and show your support at the following link: http://rutaborinquen.org

Project Type: Master Planning and Conceptual Design Project Status: Completed Dates: February 2020 - May 2020 Site Area: 590.75 acres Team: Castillo Arquitectos (lead) + Plusurbia Design + Leon Sol arquitectos consultores + Zanetta Illustration Client: JOR., S.A. El Encanto District Master Plan was carried out during a Design Workshop called a "Charrette." This was carried out at the El Encanto facilities in February 2020. During an intensive work session of 5 consecutive days, the designers collaborated with the client to define the project's objectives, generate consensus regarding its vision, and represent a strategy for strategic projects to be developed in different stages of intervention in El Encanto. The Charrette began with an extensive reconnaissance visit to both Phase 1, the Huizúcar area, and the 68 blocks in San José Villanueva. The resulting Master Plan that was developed responds to the needs of El Encanto and its stakeholders, providing a holistic approach to the District's urban design. It features four strategic pillars: 1) Mobility, 2) Public Space & Infrastructure, 3) Housing, and 4) Landscape & Ecology. These four pillars address the various challenges faced by El Encanto. It defines the necessary strategies to improve mobility and connectivity, as well as an overall urban development plan; it proposes a mix of housing types and suggests ways to promote climate-resilient and green housing; finally, the Master Plan promotes a comprehensive approach to landscape design, with an emphasis on restoring natural areas and creating recreational spaces. In all, El Encanto’s Master Plan is designed to help the city become a more livable, vibrant, and sustainable place for locals.

Brandon Town Center Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Under Construction Dates: September 2018 - February 2019 Site Area: 56 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Rotunda Land Development The Brandon Town Center is a mixed-use, walkable downtown environment planned for Brandon, a primarily suburban community located east of Tampa in Hillsborough County. The project includes a variety of uses, including commercial, entertainment & recreational space; multi-family residential; single-family homes; civic & government services; parks; and public art. The project's goal was to create a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented downtown environment that would provide an amenity to the community while providing a positive return on investment for our client. The plan features a main street with mixed-use buildings flanked on either side by attached single-family houses (row houses). There is a stormwater and recreational pond and a food hall that anchors the central green space and looks out onto the pond. The design also includes public open spaces for recreation, seating, shade trees for cooling, and play structures. Innovative stormwater managing techniques will be deployed, including green infrastructure such as rain gardens, permeable pavements, and bioswales to manage stormwater runoff. Each area is designed according to the wants and needs of the community, with special consideration given to the existing landscape and ecological systems. A vehicle-free street type is used in the master plan to provide enhanced pedestrian connectivity, safety, and comfort. The streets are designed to be naturally traffic-calmed, with on-street parking, wide sidewalks, street trees, and textured crosswalks.  These streets aim to create a pedestrian-friendly environment that can host various activities, such as outdoor markets, performances, and promenades.

Village of El Portal Design Guidelines Project Type: Planning Project Status: Completed Completion Date: October 2020 Site Area: 256 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Village of El Portal The Village of El Portal Council unanimously adopted the first El Portal Design Guidelines on October 27, 2020. The guidelines were developed after the Village Mayor Claudia V. Cubillos and Village Council directed the Planning Consultant to develop Architectural guidelines; these guidelines aim to preserve and enhance the Village of El Portal's unique character while allowing for change through new development. The El Portal Design Guidelines articulate design principles that guide architects, developers, and property owners in creating a built environment compatible with existing structures, open spaces, and the public realm. They intend to provide a framework for the successful execution of quality urban design and architecture in El Portal, addressing building composition, scale, and articulation to establish a measure of architectural harmony that accommodates diverse styles and uses and addresses landscaping and site design elements. The guidelines also facilitate the review process by clarifying the architectural expectations of the community. These standards aim to achieve street-friendly buildings, authenticity, climate responsiveness, and contextuality. This document sets general guidelines concerning its purposes and contents and are not meant to be regulatory.

Project Type: Corridor Analysis and Design of Multimodal Alternatives Project Status: Completed | August 2020 Site Area: 3.5 mi Team: Plusurbia Design + The Corradino Group (lead) Client: City of Fort Lauderdale Las Olas Boulevard is a vital link for multimodal traffic. It is a strategic part of the roadway network and the most direct east-west route for people walking and cycling. Our project vision is to connect residents and visitors of Fort Lauderdale through the enhancement of this iconic boulevard representing our history and future. As the major thoroughfare connecting downtown Fort Lauderdale and Central Beach, Las Olas Boulevard must balance moving people efficiently through a balance of transportation needs inclusive of pedestrian, bicycling, vehicular, and transit modes, with space programmed to safely accommodate other alternative modes, such as scooters, when they arrive. Las Olas is the most direct route between Downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach. Its centrality also places it within reach of transit, first response, and park facilities. The goal is to reimagine the 3.5-mile length of Las Olas Boulevard from Downtown through The Isles. Las Olas Boulevard is considered the critical identity street for Fort Lauderdale, and our challenge is to build on the strengths already in place to create a memorable image; a world-class street. Las Olas Boulevard today has four distinct characters: Downtown, The Shops, Colee Hammock, and The Isles. Several variables comprise the makeup of each street segment: 1- Pedestrian areas, bicycle, and scooter lanes, asphalt for cars and vehicles, all things that move and are in motion; 2- Amenities throughout, such as landscaping, street furniture, signage, and lighting. These elements are static and have different purposes in different street parts. These elements are the basis of the visual identity for each street segment; 3- Different roles during the day and at nighttime; and 4- The street also differs from Weekday, Weeknight, Weekend, and Event operations. The design of Las Olas Boulevard strives to create a street that achieves the following for residents and visitors: • Promote quality of life through context-sensitive design • Efficient use of the road network to allow for a variety of uses, such as open streets • Safe, comfortable, and direct routes for nonmotorized modes of travel such as bicycles and scooters

Hialeah Heights Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Completed Completion Date: April 2020 Site Area: 33 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: City of Hialeah Emerald Bay is a Conceptual Master Plan created in collaboration with the property owners, their consultants, and the City of Hialeah’s Planning Department to encourage a mixed-use, connected walkable development. The initial research and stakeholder meetings of the existing municipal regulatory conditions and a review of existing site plans in the area showed great potential to create a traditional neighborhood-style site planning and development framework. This project aims to provide a well-knit neighborhood lifestyle in a walkable environment. It offers several green spaces and amenities such as a clubhouse, pool, dog park, fitness center, and water features. It also considers a multimodal approach by providing walkable and bikeable streets that can connect to adjacent future projects. The design is divided into two properties with current industrial use that are designed similarly and function independently. This proposed multi-family design, within the City’s annexed area named “Hialeah Heights” at the northwest of the City’s boundaries, is planned to provide an urban framework that can expand to adjacent properties connecting to the proposed streets and block structure. It proposes 900 medium-income rental multifamily units designed in 3-4 story garden-style apartment buildings with 2- and 3-bedroom units. The design creates a traditional neighborhood with diverse building types, creating an exciting and vibrant community that encourages pedestrian movement and social engagement.

Project Type: Neighborhood Revitalization Project Status: Completed | September 2019 Site Area: 207 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design + C-Street Collaborative Client: Wynwood Community Enhancement Association (WCEA) Faced with development pressure from Wynwood Business District to the south, Midtown to the east, and Design District to the north, the Wynwood Norte Neighborhood is at risk of being redeveloped without a clear, holistic vision where a historically cohesive community may lose its current identity and strengths. This, in turn, may affect the future livability of its current neighbors and future residents. This community-led Master Planning exercise surveys the neighborhood, its character, and conditions; it presents a comprehensive Vision Plan integrating what residents, business owners, community leaders, and stakeholders of Wynwood Norte want to see in their community with best planning practices. This plan emphasizes an approach to growth that supports existing residents. This plan recognizes and addresses residents' fear of keeping their homes by introducing measures to mitigate displacement and improve affordability. Proposed strategies help residents reinvest in existing homes and to provide residents with expanded and better-quality housing options within the neighborhood. Proactive steps are taken to preserve the existing residential fabric while introducing incentives to develop or redevelop vacant and/or underutilized sites to meet community needs. It prioritizes public investments in infrastructure, transportation, open spaces, and parks, promoting sustainability and green building practices while providing equitable access to jobs and services.  The plan proposes strategies to create a safe and healthy environment while preserving the unique history and cultural identity of Wynwood Norte. Calibration of planning and zoning is paramount to maximize the neighborhood's assets and guide future development. 

Project Type: Mixed-Use Apartment Building Project Status: Completed | April 2019 Site Area: 5.4 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: North Side Mixed Use LLC This mixed-use project is a development that encompasses retail, residential and a existing storage facility. The scope of work was to prepare a package with visualization, construction documents, and table calculations to be presented to Miami Dade County’s Planning Department for Administrative Review. The 5.4 acre site provided the opportunity to design a mid-rise building with ground-level retail and apartments above. The goal was to bring a living experience that would become part of the fabric of its surrounding neighborhood. The design was inspired by the vibrant culture and typology of the area, providing an inviting connection to the street level for pedestrians.

Shenandoah Historic Survey Project Type: Property Inventory Project Status: Completed | September 2019 Site Area: 220 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust The Shenandoah neighborhood contains one of the most significant, extensive, and complete collections of Vernacular and Revival style architecture in the City of Miami.  In addition, the neighborhood hosts notable examples of nearly every other major architectural style from the 1910s to the 1960s. As a result of the diversity of housing types in Shenandoah, the neighborhood has been one of the most inclusive and diverse in the City of Miami throughout its history. The survey's main objective was to create, for the first time, a comprehensive inventory of historic architectural resources within the oldest sections of the area known as Shenandoah. This inventory can then be used as a tool for the State, the City, and most importantly, Shenandoah stakeholders to make decisions about the future of this historically significant neighborhood.  This effort documents the neighborhood through newly-created FMSF forms, resource photographs, GIS information, historic tax card photographs, and historic tax cards.

Turning a Suburban corridor into a Transit Oriented Neighborhood Node Project Type: Transportation Planning & Urban Design Project Status: Completed Dates: 2018 Site Area: approx. 1/4 mile Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Pro-bono Plusurbia is devoted to spurring and improving development in suburban corridors converting them into transit-oriented developments. These urban centers encourage ridership and promote walkability, mobility, and accessibility for all. The incremental conversion of a former shopping center into a mixed-use development is a simple example of what can be implemented in suburban areas around the country to provide ex-urban communities with the services and access needed to reduce traffic and car dependency. Low to Mid-rise buildings provide a variety of housing and increase the population needed to support transit use. Large swaths of parking lots fronting the street can be replaced with street-level retail with active frontages, promoting walkability and encouraging residents to shop locally, use transportation, and fulfill many of their daily needs on their way to or from their destinations. Pavement reductions and increased tree canopy along the street reduce the heat island effect, creating a more comfortable walking and biking experience. These retrofits can provide an economic engine, convert sprawling suburban shopping centers into compact and vibrant urban centers, encourage the use of public transportation, and promote a better quality of life.

Trailer Parklet Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Completed Site Area: 2 parking spaces Team: Plusurbia Design Client: The Miami Foundation PlusUrbia Design’s vision to create a parklet out of parking spaces in Little Havana has been awarded grant funding via the 2016 Public Space Challenge sponsored by the Miami Foundation. The studio’s proposal for a low-cost, high-impact urban oasis was chosen from more than 400 submissions. Plusurbia’s solution for a low-cost, high-impact urban oasis, The Trailer Parklet, was open to the public on Friday, September 21, on NE 3rd Avenue and NE 1st Street in Downtown Miami for Park(ing) Day Miami. PARK(ing) Day Miami turns metered parking spots into temporary mini-parks and fun public spaces for people. While legislation to regulate parklets in Miami is still being ironed out, the innovative studio brainstormed ways of making a demonstration parklet that didn’t need a permanent location. The studio has designed and built a 70 SF parklet on wheels – a tiny park that fits into no more than two parking spaces. The parklet would be a gift to densely-populated areas, neighborhoods in Miami with one of the country's lowest indexes of open space per capita. For more information about the project and the opportunity to host the parklet, please visit: http://trailerparklet.com/

East Naples Community Development Plan Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Completed Dates: April 2019 - April 2020 Site Area: Countywide Team: PlusUrbia + Tindale Oliver (lead) Client: Collier County Collier County contracted a study in collaboration with the East Naples community to create a Development Plan that focused on several areas to run data and spatial analysis to improve development conditions and  the infrastructure to support it. A 12 mile long corridor study, the US 41 Corridor envisions the implementation of a multimodal strategy to reduce car dependancy for short trips encouraging a mix of uses around its nodes to provide services to underserved communities. The main goals were to:  Establish a community vision Guide future land use and development in the area with the following: Encourage desired uses Evaluate development and redevelopment options to promote desired outcomes Create and build consensus on land use concepts for the area Inventory community assets and services Provide high-level options to promote multiple methods of transportation, such as walking and biking.

North Corridor Visualization - Transportation Corridor Project Type: Planning and Design of Generic Station Areas Project Status: Ongoing Site Area: SMART Plan North Corridor Team: PlusUrbia Client: The Miami-Dade TPO (Transportation Planning Organization). PlusUrbia is providing planning and design for the SMART Plan North Corridor. The TPO SMART Plan is a comprehensive approach to creating six rapid transit corridors. The studio, as consultants for The Corradino Group, is providing its planning, design, and graphics expertise in defining a suitable location to use as a base for the design of the stations along the corridor, creating 3D volumetrics of the development around the stations, and completing renderings to visualize the design for three station area plans: community station, neighborhood station, and regional station. For more information on the SMART Plan, visit http://www.miamidadetpo.org/smartplan.asp For more information on the North Corridor, visit https://www.miamidade.gov/transit/smart-plan-east-west-corridor.asp

Westmoreland Historic District Historic Designation Report Project Type: Historic Designation Project Status: Report completed | June 2019 Site Area: 18 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Dade Heritage Trust The PlusUrbia Historic Preservation team prepared the narrative portion of the Westmoreland Historic District Designation Report on behalf of Dade Heritage Trust and in collaboration with the City of Miami Preservation staff. This completed a crucial survey project previously initiated by the City of Miami Preservation staff. Westmoreland is considered one of Miami's first early suburbs, first platted in 1911.  The neighborhood is now located in the heart of greater Little Havana and hosts Cuban Memorial Boulevard, an important civic landmark for the Miami community and frequently visited by tourists.  The neighborhood is threatened by redevelopment.  Preservation of the early homes and character of the neighborhood is a critical goal of a larger project to preserve the character of Little Havana and its complex layers of culture and history.

Miami Beach Alton Rd. Multimodal Project Type: Multimodal Street re-design and Visualization Project Status: Completed Site Area: 0.8 miles Team: PlusUrbia Design + Marlin Engineering Client: City of Miami Beach Our team was tasked to create communication material to explain the project to elected officials and stakeholders. The studio created a 3-minute video/animation depicting the proposed conceptual design improvements for a shared-use path on Alton Road, Chase Avenue from Alton Road to 34th Street, and on 34th Street from Chase Avenue to Prairie Avenue in the City of Miami Beach. The video depicts two concepts for the portion of Alton Road as provided by the City of Miami Beach on typical sections at the parking lot location and for Alton Road south of Chase Avenue, the intersection plans for Alton Road and Chase Avenue as provided by the City of Miami Beach, and the recommended concept for Chase Avenue/34th Street as provided by Marlin Engi-neering Inc. and the City of Miami Beach.

Miami Transit Oriented Development Guidelines Project Type: Transit-Oriented Development Project Status: Completed Site Area: 1,500 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design + Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council Client: City of Miami & South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) Transit Oriented Development: Downtown + Midtown + 79th Street PlusUrbia created a typology report for future Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in three key locations in the City of Miami. The work for the Downtown, Midtown, and 79th Street stations will impact how communities will be connected by mass transit to major regional job, cultural and activity centers. The TOD guidelines will assist the City in improving conditions around the planned stations by promoting dense, walkable, mixed-use, compact development. They will contribute to future mobility by connecting communities to all significant regional job, cultural and activity centers. Vibrant, 24-hour communities will be anchored by commuter rail connecting to all major regional job, cultural and activity centers. PlusUrbia was selected for its clear and innovative planning guidelines, outreach, and understanding of transportation corridors. The studio partnered with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council to create the report delivered to the City of Miami and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which funded the guidelines.

OMNI Media + Arts Entertainment District Project Type: Planning, Zoning & Urban Design Project Status: Completed Site Area: 16 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design Client: OMNI CRA The Miami Arts and Entertainment District (MAeD) is an urban mixed-use neighborhood within the OMNI CRA just north of Downtown Miami.   The MAeD part of the OMNI CRA is where art, events, restaurants, and technology converge as a new economic hub for South Florida. PlusUrbia completed a pedestrian and zoning study to predict potential build-out, tempered by height limitations to protect the scale of historic buildings on a critical block of North Miami Avenue. Related research created walkable complete streets with streetscapes to support sidewalk cafes and other vibrant urban activities. The MAeD district is bounded by NE 24th Street to the north, I-395 Interstate to the south, the Florida East Coast [FEC] Railway/NE 2nd Avenue to the west, and Biscayne Bay to the east. It is west of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and surrounding development.

Project Type: Urban Design / Street Revitalization Project Status: Selected Completion Date: Ongoing Site Area: 45+ acres Team: Archer Western + The de Moya Group and others. Client: Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) PlusUrbia is the Planner and Urban Designer on the Design-Build team for the signature I-395 bridge and open space, collaborating with Ron Frazier and Associates. The studio’s role is to provide planning and design to reconnect the city’s fabric through innovative design that will bring cohesion to Overtown's physically segregated and historic neighborhood while simultaneously integrating with Downtown Miami by providing a new urban linear park to the Downtown's northern boundary.  

Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization's  E-W Corridor Project Type: Mobility and Land Use Designation Project Status: Ongoing Site Area: East-West Corridor from Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) to Florida International University (FIU) Team: Atkins + PlusUrbia Client: Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) PlusUrbia provides urban design and land use planning for the SMART Plan, a comprehensive approach to creating six rapid transit corridors. As part of the Atkins team, the studio held multiple workshops and worked with the Study Advisory Group to get stakeholder input on transportation solutions and land use. One of the project's major goals is to create more dense and intense land uses along the East-West transit corridor that will link the Miami Intermodal Center at Miami International Airport with Florida International University’s main campus in west Miami-Dade. The Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners has contemplated a Tax Increment Financing District along the corridor to contribute significant funding for rapid transit. A TIF, incorporating a mile on each side of the corridor, could capture property values increased by Transit Oriented Development and proximity to rapid transit. For more information on the SMART Plan, visit http://www.miamidadetpo.org/smartplan.asp For more information on the East-West Corridor, visit https://www.miamidade.gov/transit/smart-plan-east-west-corridor.asp

Westdale Wynwood - Mixed-Use Planning and Zoning Project Type: Planning & Zoning Project Status: Completed Site Area: 273 acres Team: PlusUrbia Client: Westdale Wynwood Westdale Wynwood's concept follows directly in line with the transitions called for in Miami 21. East, West, North + South. The neighborhood has been referred to as Little San Juan, a name reflecting the Puerto Rican population that moved into this neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s, many of whom worked in the garment district to the south of NW 29th Street in Wynwood. Many of the institutions in the neighborhood still retain and carry the influence of the Puerto Rican community – the De Hostos Senior Center on NW 2nd Avenue to the south of the block, the Mission San Juan Bautista and Roberto Clemente Park further north along NW 2nd Avenue. The Westdale Wynwood Block is uniquely located between several civic uses and large buildings to the east and south, and west, and the duplex typology that exists in the residential neighborhood immediately to the north, which supports the proposed change in zoning and redevelopment for multifamily housing of 3-5 stories. Namely, to the east is existing T5 (5-story) zoning along NW 2nd Avenue; across NW 2nd Avenue is the All Boys School; to the south, across NW 30th Street is the MDC De Hostos Senior Center, AT&T utility building, and the expansive Hartner Elementary School campus, to the west is a 4-story senior living facility.

Interamerican Campus Plaza Project Type: Urban Design & Land Use Planning Project Status: Completed Site Area: 4 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Miami-Dade College The plaza will create a community gathering place worthy of the most extensive bilingual learning environment in higher education. The amenity-filled open space will re-stitch the community, connecting the Miami-Dade College Eduardo J. Padrón Campus’ 7,000 students, faculty, and staff with the vibrant Little Havana neighborhood around it. An active central space will transform lanes of unsafe traffic into a dynamic, pedestrian-oriented hub. The plaza creates a grand civic space for events and opportunities for the MDC Eduardo J. Padrón Campus to share its wealth of assets with the diverse community that it anchors. Just as Little Havana has evolved with the unique history of Miami, the plaza is designed to develop and grow as an unrivaled center of the community. The civic space can be built in phases as urban furniture, nature, lighting, a mural, a dramatic gateway feature, an amphitheater, and other elements are added. The transformative plaza will build a bond between the Miami-Dade College Eduardo J. Padrón Campus and the community the day it opens.

Complete Streets - Puerto Rico Project Type: Street Improvements Project Status: Ongoing Site: Intersection in front of the entrance at Walmart in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico Team: PlusUrbia Community engagement and volunteer service are means to promote road safety in Puerto Rico. One of these examples was Roberto H. Todd Avenue in Santurce, part of San Juan’s downtown areas. In conjunction with Walmart Puerto Rico, alternatives were presented to Puerto Rico’s Department of Transportation and Public Works for a road diet with bike lanes. To see more, please visit https://plusurbia.com/taking-matters-into-your-own-hands/

Next Stop Fort Lauderdale Project Type: Transit-Oriented Development Study Project Status:  Completed Site Area:  1,800 acres Team:  PlusUrbia Design + Kittleson & Associates (lead) Client:  City of Fort Lauderdale, FL Fort Lauderdale wants to be a place where people can get around easily. It hired a team to help meet this goal by studying Transit Oriented Development (TOD), which creates walkable communities. TOD supports a vibrant live, work, and play environment featuring easy-to-navigate neighborhoods. The project achieves the city's twin goals of being an urban center and a major vacation destination sustained by an accessible, resilient, and connected community. Fort Lauderdale's top infrastructure goal is to become pedestrian-friendly; Building communities that are easy to access and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities are central to meeting this goal. Premium transit service is an essential element that determines the success of these places. PlusUrbia Design is part of the team that reviewed best practices for creating healthy communities built around transit as part of its TOD urban design services under the prime firm Kittelson & Associates. The study developed a zoning code to support TOD. Please click on the following link for more information about the project:  https://www.nextstopftl.com/

Complete Districts Project Type: Design Guidelines Project Status: Ongoing Completion Date: Ongoing Site Area: n/a Team: PlusUrbia Client: In-house Study Complete Districts create holistic connectivity through a hierarchy of street design. Complete Streets are a growing concept for multimodal mobility – but a plan with isolated complete streets fails to sew all the urban fabric together with a seamless system. Complete Districts acknowledge that not all modes of transportation are proper for all streets. Bicycles do not belong on a highway. Transit does not belong on a low-density single-family street. Complete Districts establish the appropriate design hierarchy to deliver complete connectivity. Complete Districts do not try to force bike lanes onto every street, for example. Instead, they place them on routes that are best suited for cyclists. This way, a person can bike from home to work along a safe, dedicated route within the network. Using a logical hierarchy, the concept provides total multimodal connectivity most efficiently. APA Florida 2017 Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning category (as part of Hialeah TOD). For more information on Complete Districts, please visit completedistricts.com .

Beijing 3rd Ring Tech-Town Project Type: Master Planning Project Status: Planned Completion Date: November 2016 Team: PlusUrbia Client: Vanke The Master Plan has evolved from the desire to create safe, healthy and educated communities with improved lifestyles that engage the surrounding landscape. The inspiration for the Master Plan is to create an exemplary community that enhances the natural beauty of Mengwu, setting new benchmarks for design excellence and sustainability, in harmony with the environment. The Master Planned Community is proposed as a world class community that embraces the harmonious entwining of a sustainable habitat for humans, flora and fauna alike. The ultimate measure of this endeavor’s success is the conveyance of an improved quality of life for its residents, a healthful, secure, cultured and agreeable lifestyle where the elusive hope for sensible living can finally be fulfilled.  

Hialeah Transit-Oriented Development | Guidelines and Zoning Amendments Project Type: Transit-Oriented Development Project Status: Completed Completion Date: October 2016 Site Area: 313 acres Team: PlusUrbia Client: City of Hialeah A 1925 suburb’s transformation from car dependency to 21st-century commuter rail connectivity The Hialeah Transit Oriented Development Plan (TOD) will transition two of the city’s car-dependent suburban, underutilized warehouse districts into vibrant, mixed-use, compact communities served by premium commuter rail.  The fully-adopted zoning will create 313 acres of walkable, urban development in a working-class community that has not benefited from significant economic growth in decades. For the first time in the city’s 90-year history, it will create dense, walkable, 24-hour mixed-use districts linked to some of the best fixed rail commuter transit in South Florida. The enacted legislation creates two compact districts to address Hialeah’s need for workforce housing, adaptive reuse, job creation, civic space, complete streets, and dense urban living. Hialeah, Florida, was incorporated in 1925 and was best known for the Hialeah Race Track in its early years.  The city grew rapidly after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, becoming a popular destination for Cuban exiles who began transforming the city into a working-class community. The pair of large TODs will transform Hialeah from the typical, nearly 100 percent car-dependent American suburb into a prime example of urban living. Complete Streets Guidelines, adopted in parallel with the two TODs, will transform suburbia into complete districts with pedestrian, bicycle, and transit mobility networks. Compact urban development created by the TOD districts is within walking distance of three rail nodes that provide direct rail links to regional job centers and three international airports. The city’s leadership in creating two major TODs will unlock the potential of primarily underused existing train stations. TOD will introduce more equitable, affordable, sustainable, and healthy communities to Hialeah. Transit Oriented Development regulations are a significant step toward reducing the cost of living for Miami-Dade County’s second-largest municipality. WalletHub ranked Hialeah as the second worst city in America regarding income gap applied to housing affordability, where “nearly one out of three tenants in Hialeah spends at least 50 percent of their net monthly income on rent, dwarfing the 35 percent maximum recommended global standard.” TOD zoning requires one space for each one-bedroom unit, generally under 650 square feet, and 1.5 spaces for larger units. Developers can reduce the parking requirement by a half-space per unit by paying into a parking fund that will pay for centralized garages, increasing walkability. Relieved of the expense of building excessive parking, developers can offer units at a more affordable price. The cost of living is further reduced by proximity to rail, eliminating the high cost of car ownership. Millennials searching for housing have been largely priced out of greater Miami. In Hialeah, the sixth most populous city in Florida, Market Station, and Transfer Station TODs will provide mixed-use districts with micro units connected by rail to all the region’s activity centers. A wide range of price points will serve empty nesters and young families seeking workforce housing. Increased density promotes arts, restaurants, and shops. All buildings must have ground-floor retail to activate the street. Market Station District is a continuation of the nearby existing LEAH Arts District. TOD zoning encourages adaptive reuse of existing warehouse structures.  Complete Streets promote healthy living options for mobility beyond the car. Their design is considered parallel to the uses they serve and incentivizes civic life. In Market Station, a high-rise allows 125 units per acre and up to 12 stories via a bonus program to get three additional stories. Mid-rise areas are zoned for 125 units per acre and up to eight stories by adding three stories via bonus. Low-rise areas are zoned for up to 36 units per acre at a maximum of four stories. High densities in lower buildings promote smaller, more affordable dwelling units. Transfer Station has the same density, with high-rise capped at eight stories, mid-rise at six, and low-rise at three. Bonus development rights can be attained by providing benefits such as affordable / workforce housing, public park / open space, LEED certification, adaptive reuse of legacy structures, and cash contributions to a public benefits fund. The benefits fund can be used to acquire, create, maintain, and restore green and open spaces. Market Station TOD encourages historic preservation by restoring the 1926 Seaboard Air Line Railroad depot, which was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1995. APA Florida 2017 Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning category

Little Havana 'Me Importa' Revitalization Master Plan Project Type: Neighborhood Revitalization Project Status: Completed Site Area: 1,700 acres Team: PlusUrbia Design + National Trust for Historic Preservation + Dade Heritage Trust + Urban Health Partnerships + Live Healthy Little Havana + City of Miami Client: Health Foundation of South Florida Plusurbia led the team in the partnership, preserving the authenticity of Little Havana while creating design guidelines for proper growth and development and setting the stage for zoning recommendations. The unprecedented project was in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which named Little Havana a “National Treasure.” The effort also focused on healthy urban living, a goal of project partner Live Healthy Little Havana. Dade Heritage Trust and Urban Health Partnerships were also partners in this initiative to retain character, density, scale, and affordability in Little Havana. This is an outgrowth of PlusUrbia’s advocacy for a complete streets approach to the pending FDOT redesign of the Calle Ocho corridor (SW 7 and SW 8 streets between SW 27 and Brickell avenue). Images were created of a 21st-century Calle Ocho with multimodal transportation alternatives such as dedicated bike and transit lanes, comfortable wide sidewalks, and additional safe crosswalks in a vibrant urban setting. Dade Heritage Trust 2017 Annual Preservation Award Making Cities Livable Conference - Honor Award for Excellence - A Healthy City for All 2019 APA Florida 2019 Award of Excellence in the Grassroots Initiative category APA Florida Gold Coast Chapter 2019 Award of Excellence for Best Plan, Report, or Study         

Gables WaterWay Residential Planning, Zoning, and Concept Architecture Project Type: Feasibility Study Project Status: Planned Completion Date: January 2014 Site Area: 4.8 acres Team: PlusUrbia Client: Bankers International Realty Feasibility study for an area on the south side of South Dixie Highway (US1), across the street from the University of Miami. The task consisted of a preliminary zoning study of each parcel. It also provided a volumetric study, analysis and renders of the properties combined, maximizing the permitted development under the current code. PlusUrbia worked on this project for a private developer to determine the best way to take advantage of this iconic site and unlock its full potential. The design for the buildings in the development fits with the site's surrounding context and the characteristic Architecture unique to Coral Gables.

Wynwood Steps Mixed-Use Concept Architecture Project Type: Concept Architecture Project Status: Completed Dates: April 2016 Site Area: 1.75 AC Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Goldman Plusurbia was tasked to create an innovative way to intertwine public and private space in a mixed-use project for one of the most prominent sites in the Wynwood Arts District. The Project combines the street-level pedestrian experience, creative office, and retail space through a seamless circulation strategy. It created an outdoor amphitheater-stepped seating space using a recessed gran stair overlooking the street combined with native landscaping. The design also considered pedestrians' circulation to access public and private areas. The result is a beautiful and vibrant place that perfectly complements the surrounding district while providing a safe, comfortable, and inviting experience to all who visit. Given its location and the civic space provided, the project has an iconic identity, showing that urban design can be both aesthetically and functionally successful when thoughtfully designed. This project is also a great example of how sustainability can be integrated into design through landscape, featuring native species and drought-tolerant plants requiring minimal maintenance. The design indicates how urban design can bring communities together, create beauty in the cityscape, and positively impact the environment. It is an inspiring example of how responsible urban planning and design can make our cities more livable, sustainable, and enjoyable. Plusurbia is committed to creating resilient cities with projects like this one that demonstrate how thoughtful design can promote social inclusion and environmental stewardship.

Coconut Grove Master Plan Project Type: Visioning & Master Implementation Plan Project Status: Completed Site Area: +/- 150 acres - study area Team: PlusUrbia + Perkins+Will Client: Coconut Grove Business Improvement District (BID) Created from extensive stakeholder input, the plan is a comprehensive overview and specific action roadmap to guide proper growth that positively impacts economic development and quality of life. The results-oriented plan provides the tools to improve the identity and character, open space, mobility, land use and form, community, and resiliency of Coconut Grove’s Village Core. These tools are organized into six building blocks essential to maintaining the Grove’s history of lush greenery, idyllic waterfront, unique restaurants/retail, and a one-of-a-kind village vibe.  The goal is to create a vibrant Village Core while protecting the tranquil and livable adjacent residential neighborhoods that make Coconut Grove Miami’s unique Garden District. The master plan contains decisive action steps that empower the BID to re-energize the heart of the Village Core and have a clear long-term roadmap for the years to come.  It establishes the BID as the central coordinating body to ensure that great ideas become fully-implemented physical improvements. With this document, Grovites, elected officials, and municipal departments will have a comprehensive tool to deliver the combined synthesized goals established by the BID, the Village Council, the Grove 2030, government agencies, and other previous plans and studies. APA Florida 2019 Award of Merit in the Neighborhood Planning category APA Florida - Gold Coast - 2019 Award of Merit Implementation Award

Hospital Gade - Revitalization Master Plan Project Type: Community-Based Redevelopment Project Status: Planned Completion Date: November 2016 Site Area: 15 acres Team: PlusUrbia + Coastal Systems Client: Government of St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands A three-day charrette gathered stakeholder input on the different scenarios that would reprogram a 15-acre former hospital grounds in a coastal area into a resilient, sustainable, and community-based redevelopment anchored by a sports facility and community center. The team made a baseline assessment of the current uses. Then it developed recommendations for implementing and phasing a baseball stadium, community center, public plaza, play, and recreation areas, fish markets, and tourist information centers. The plan also supports the adaptive reuse of former medical buildings into a vocational school.

RS Mixed-Use Building Site Planning and Design Project Type: Urban Design/Zoning & Concept Architecture Project Status: Completed Site Area: 2.5 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Confidential Plusurbia Design was tasked to investigate potential zoning changes to assembled properties totaling approximately 2.5 Acres and provide design concepts to explore the development of a future mixed-use building in Miami's Design District vicinity. The design proposes a high-rise above an active horizontal podium detailed with a juxtaposition of vertical facade details that tear down from the top floors. A publicly accessible amenity is envisioned above the podium, creating a food and beverage destination for the district.

Town Center Park - Miami's Gateway Project Type: Urban & Landscape Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: January 2016 Site Area: 10 acres Team: PlusUrbia Client: Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation Master planning, open space design, and general planning services for the neighborhood anchored by the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. The design creates dynamic open space strategies and parking solutions. Flexible space can be used for surface parking and active park space when not needed for event parking. The park plaza creates an outdoor lobby for the Arsht Center, Downtown, the Bayfront, Omni, and Overtown. It takes one of the worst dead zones in Miami and turns it into a vibrant gateway between the performing arts to the north and museums to the south. The new urban space embraces Miami's multicultural heritage, breaking down long-standing barriers between communities that can now come together as one.

Papagayo Vistas Master Plan Project Type: Residential Development Project Status: Planned Completion Date: September 2016 Site Area: 166 acres Team: PlusUrbia Costa Rica is the ecotourism destination of the Americas. It has incredible and well-preserved natural beauty, hospitable people, distinctive culture, and a friendly and safe reputation. It has brought about a sustained increase in the number of tourists and second–residence seekers it welcomes yearly. Guanacaste combines tranquil beaches, spectacular shoreline views, interior tropical jungle, mountainous terrain and trekking, wildlife habitats, and access to Costa Rica’s famous national parks. All while within reach of new hospital facilities, such as the CIMA Hospital, and nearby towns with services, shopping, and restaurant and entertainment options, such as Playas del Coco, Flamingo, or Conchal. The site is located in elevated terrain to the south of the village of Playa Panama, overlooking the waters of Bahía Culebra, 3km south of Playa Panamá Beach. The site is 67 hectares (166 acres), roughly rectangular in size, and dominated by two long parallel ridges and a third ridge that peaks at one of the highest points in the area (160 m / 525 ft). The site’s topography provides good views of Bahía Culebra and the Gulf of Papagayo and inland toward the Sardinal plateau and the Tempisque river banks.

Wynwood Neighborhood Revitalization District Project Type: Planning & Zoning Project Status: Completed Completion Date: August 2015 Site Area: 273 acres Team: PlusUrbia Client: Wynwood Business Improvement District The Wynwood NRD enhances pedestrian experiences, promotes diverse housing, and funds open space and centralized parking in a mixed-use, 24-hour neighborhood. The APA award-winning plan preserves unique street art and industrial characteristics while creating a dense, walkable urban development framework with new housing, retail, and open space in an arts district. It supports creative industries with walkable streets, transit corridors, and green space. The NRD creates more residential development, allowing smaller units to serve millennials and artists with affordable apartments and live-work units. A Transfer of Development Rights program enables warehouse owners to sell the development rights to their buildings – so development pressures do not eliminate legacy structures. APA National 2017 Economic Development Award APA Florida 2016 Award of Excellence APA Gold Coast Chapter 2015 Best Plan Award APA National 2015 American's Great Places Award

Wynwood Steps Mixed-Use Concept Architecture Project Type: Concept Architecture Project Status: Completed Dates: 2017 Site Area: 2 AC Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Goldman Plusurbia was tasked to create a sustainable design for a new mixed-use building in the heart of the Wynwood Arts District.  To maximize the potential of this unique site as an anchor to the world-famous Wynwood Walls, we embraced the existing character. We developed an innovative concept focused on breaking down and re-configuring space and facade into a series of layered lattices. The result is a building that grows from an inviting street frontage and park, seamlessly integrating into its surroundings, breaking down its scale through the layering of materials and recessed planes. This design provides an energy-efficient and visually stimulating environment for its street-level occupants and visitors.

Coconut Grove Grand Avenue Revitalization Project Type: Corridor Vision and LandUse + Architecture Project Status: Completed | July 2017 Site Area: 27 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Client: Confidential The team created a Master Plan to inspire revitalization via urban infill for an area of Main Street. The design was tasked with addressing: retail, residential, circulation, walkability, open space, height, and parking. The goal was to integrate with the existing mixed-use development, which is undergoing a significant renovation to better meet the 21st-century needs of the popular neighborhood that has seen its retail go through a long decline until recently. The contextual design includes mixed-use buildings that will produce an excellent return on investment and re-stitch and improve the urban fabric of the main corridor.

Nuevo Palermo Master Plan Project Type: Master Plan Competition Project Status: Planned Completion Date: March 2013 Site Area: 26.5 acres Team: Plusurbia Design + GSH studio + OSKI studio + Elefante-Arquitectos Client: Sociedad Central de Arquitectos Located along the Palermo Railway tracks in Buenos Aires, the site of Nuevo Palermo is bisected by an active railroad and flanked by two socially. Typologically distinct neighborhoods, Palermo Hollywood and Palermo Soho, whose only shared characteristic is a lack of green space. This proposal for the Palermo Railway Tracks Development Master Plan Competition is an ecologically and culturally aimed project that will create a destination Park, occupying 65 percent of the land, and commercial space on the remaining expanse that will employ green roofs and other open spaces that add to nearly 90 percent of the site as a green space. Inspired by the Humid Pampa ecosystem, the Park’s landscape would feature prairies, retaining ponds, grass meadows, and isolated forests strategically arranged for social use, aiming to buffer the train line while strategically allowing for open views to buildings and the adjacent neighborhoods.

Miami's Pocket Parks Project Type: Planning & Zoning Project Status: Ongoing Completion Date: Ongoing Site Area: n/a Team: PlusUrbia Client: City of Miami - Pro bono work Everyone can agree that Miami is a city with an evident lack of green public spaces. A 2015 report by The Trust for Public Land, City Park Facts, found that within the city limits, out of 22,957 land acres, only 1,442 are park acres in Miami or 6.3%. That equates to only 3.5 park acres for every 1,000 residents. The challenge is finding suitable and affordable locations for parks accessible to citizens. One of the solutions is pocket parks. Several of these smaller spaces, usually located in vacant lots within the urban fabric, serve people who live in their vicinity. With a pocket park nearby, people don’t have to rely on making their way to a big city park to take their kids to play, read under a tree, walk their dogs, or enjoy being outside. A pocket park should be accessible by a short walk for all residents in a neighborhood. This is already an incentive to get people to walk and exercise. A pocket park also increases social interaction, thereby fostering a stronger community. This, in turn, plays a role in reducing crime in the neighborhood. With all of the benefits of pocket parks, the properties surrounding them are expected to increase in value dramatically. Because of all of the positive outcomes they bring, PlusUrbia proposes designs for pocket parks to replace the many vacant lots in Little Havana. As the densest neighborhood in Miami, Little Havana goes through blocks on end without any green public spaces. Converting vacant lots into pocket parks throughout the neighborhood can create a connection of spaces that will help continue transforming Little Havana into a more walkable, enjoyable, and safe place for its residents.

San Antonio Downtown Visioning Plan Project Type: Urban design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: June 2012 Site Area: 1,000 acres Team: PlusUrbia + OSKI studio + GSH studio Client: Weston Center The plan uses a form-based code as the guideline for residential and commercial infill development in San Antonio’s urban core.  The plan uses a necklace of green space, calmed traffic and pedestrian-friendly spaces to connect an underutilized part of downtown to the vibrancy of the River Walk. The Master Plan focuses on a water network that ties existing rivers seamlessly into water features in the streetscape and reclaimed streams and lagoons. A main road is redesigned as a shared street that becomes a pedestrian spine running parallel to the San Antonio River and the linear park to the west. The plan addresses the relationship between building facades and the public realm, the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another, and the scale and types of streets and blocks.

AlKhuwair Center Project Type: Architectural design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: June 2012 Site Area: 4.07 acres Team: PlusUrbia + studio LFA + Gerardo Valle P. Arquitectos Asociados Client: Mr. Ali Daoud (National Beverages Ltd.) Nested in a revitalizing district on the outskirts of Muscat, Oman, Al Khuwair Mixed Use Center is envisioned to set a new standard for future development in the area. The project is a pragmatic mix between residences and commercial uses. This proposal seeks to reaffirm an architecture of distinctive Middle Eastern character with the creation of four different buildings connected on the top floors to create a courtyard. Shade elements and ample breezeways allow for a free flow of breezes. The stylized mixed-use complex will have a movie theatre, high-end stores, offices, apartments, and a 5-star hotel with rooftop amenities for the residents and hotel guests, such as a spa, pool & sun deck, clubhouses, gyms, and lounge areas.

City of Curridabat Master Plan Project Type: Master Plan & Form-Based Code Project Status: Approved Completion Date: December 2010 Site Area: 2300 acres Team: PlusUrbia + Castillo Arquitectos (lead) + Dover Kohl & Partners Client: Municipalidad de Curridabat In December 2011, a group of designers from PlusUrbia and Dover, Kohl & Partners traveled to Curridabat, Costa Rica, under the direction of Eduardo Castillo of Castillo Arquitectos, Guatemala. The workshop entailed a week-long, hands-on visualization of different areas of the city where neighbors, municipal staff, and stakeholders participated in various activities and meetings with the group of designers. The plan humanizes the city with wider sidewalks, parallel parking, planting strips, and urban furniture. A form-based code creates a properly-scaled built environment to sustain the pedestrian-friendly city. The plan structures future development by ensuring smart growth and providing a safe and innovative environment for its citizens. The project, the first comprehensive plan to be implemented in Central America, was created under the direction of Eduardo Castillo of Castillo Arquitectos, Guatemala. It was honored as “Best City Plan” by the Congress for New Urbanism 2014.  The plan resulted from a week-long, hands-on visualization of different areas of the city where neighbors, municipal staff, and stakeholders participated in various activities and meetings with the group of designers. This report is the base for a Form-Based-Code for the municipality of Curridabat (the first implemented comprehensive plan in Central America) to structure future development, ensuring healthy growth and providing a safe and forward-looking environment for the municipality's citizens. It was honored as “Best City Plan” by the Congress for New Urbanism 2014. CNU XXII Charter Awards - 2014 Best City Plan

PortSide Miami Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: December 2012 Site Area: 33 acres Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + studio LFA + GSH studio + OSKI studio Client: World Trade Center Miami PortSide’s development standards, created to match its prime location, will make it the newest and finest of Miami’s waterfront districts. It is designed to fit the Miami World Trade Center's goals of attracting tourists with a range of hotel options while creating a new trade and service district. PlusUrbia Design’s plan for dense urban development emphasizes connectivity to the mainland. This urban design provides a range of transportation options, which are crucial to the district’s success. Collaborative design positions the project as the ideal upscale destination for residents and visitors alike. Retail, office, and hotels will provide round-the-clock activity. The dynamic neighborhood is designed within the framework of the Miami 21, the first citywide form-based code adopted by a major American city.

Songhua Lake Ski Resort Project Type: Urban & Architectural Design Project Status: Built Completion Date: May 2014 Site Area: 1,730 acres (7 square kilometers) Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + Brillhart Architecture + Gerardo Valle P. Arquitectos Client: China Vanke Lake Songhua Resort features a thriving mixed-use town center, with ground-floor retail and housing above. PlusUrbia created the master plan and architectural design of the town center that serves as the nucleus of the large resort. Located near Jilin in Northern China, the town center’s grand opening was held in early 2015.  The Deputy Secretary General of the China Ski Association praised the resort for having the best infrastructure and highest service standards of any ski resort in China. The town center features pedestrian-lined streets along a cluster of seven buildings. Condominium and hotel space occupies the upper floors of each building.  The main building houses the ski rental center, clubhouse, restaurant, and VIP room on its ground floor. The architectural style features a rustic look with wood, stone, and pitched roofs. 10th Annual KINPAN National Award, China, 2015

Santa Bárbara Project Type: Master Plan & Form-Based Code Project Status: Under Review Completion Date: February 2015 Site Area: 315 acres Team: PlusUrbia + Castillo Arquitectos + GSH studio Client: Archdiocese of Los Altos Quetzaltenango Totonicapan Santa Bárbara is a site that belongs to the Archdiocese of Los Altos, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second-largest city. The Archdiocese needed to develop a land management plan to develop the property comprehensively while allowing the land to continue serving the church. This is the first time the Catholic church has sponsored a comprehensive, vision-oriented plan for urbanization in the recent history of Latin America. The church will serve as a steward of the land and the project,  where the institution itself does not become the developer but chooses one to join the vision to build together a prosperous, integrated community that will provide much-needed housing opportunities, jobs, and educational spaces for a rapidly growing population. *Rendered perspective views by Castillo Arquitectos.

Dalian Harbour City Project Type: Urban design Project Status: Under construction Completion Date: December 2010 Site Area: 42.6 acres (Phase 1) Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + studio LFA + Revuelta Architecture International + ACO Design Client: China Vanke Located in the new Puwan Economic Development area, Harbour City will be the first development design as the reference for the rest of the region. The project covers an area of 104 Ha divided into 5 phases with a range of densities between 1.65 and 3.0 FAR. This allows for various building typologies such as townhomes, garden apartments, and 9-30 story high-rises. With careful consideration of the visual impact that such development will have on the immediate landscape, PlusUrbia and its consultants carefully laid out the building volumes and the block structure to consistently respect the natural systems that are currently in place. With that premise, the design implements an overlay of built form that continues nature and the visual richness of the hills rising in the background juxtaposed to the horizontal waterfront by utilizing a layered building system. In the inner harbor of the new Puwan Development Area, Vanke's Dalian Harbour City rises from the shores of a regional park, becoming a residential and commercial center of reference in the area.

Qingdao 360 Project Type: Urban & Architectural Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: October 2012 Site Area: 83.4 acres Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + OSKI studio + GSH studio + Revuelta Architecture International Client: Vanke This proposal seeks to create a new art district: Q360 will be the heart of Qingdao’s creative pulse. The warehouses will attract local artists drawn to the open spaces, high ceilings, and abundant natural light. The simplicity of the architecture becomes the stage around which  “life happens,”  where artists will use Q360 as an inspirational workspace, giving performances, creating graffiti artwork, showcasing sculptures and street installations, and leaving their distinctive mark on the structures themselves. Q360 will become an emerging art community filled with galleries, studios, restaurants, shops, offices, and residential towers. Like their Chinese predecessors, 798 Art Community in Beijing, and M50 in Shanghai, Q360 will become a blossoming arts district in the center of Qingdao’s art scene.

DongJiang Gang Master Plan Project Type: Urban & Architectural Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: February 2012 Site Area: 17.3 acres Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + studio LFA+ LopezJaimes + Walter Chatham Client: Vanke Tianjin DongJiangGang, located on newly reclaimed land on the waterfront of the Bohai Bay in Tianjin, China, creates a new paradigm as a livable community in the region being in harmony with its environment, embedding sustainable and inherent site elements in a built and natural twine that results in a jiving environmental concert. A careful study of northern-European waterfront city-making traditions in similar climatic conditions to those of DongJiangGang led the design of DJG to become highly conscientious in its design intentions and results that promote discourse ­­between its built and unbuilt dichotomies, from the desire to create safe, healthy, and educated communities that evolve into resident-oriented and environment-friendly master plans, design results in the culmination of well-stitched patch-work between commercial centers, residential units, and waterfronts providing open water views to all residents and visitors from both public and private locations. Therefore, the wharf becomes a superb setting for this romantic idea of shared spaces and commonwealth, where people can enjoy ocean views indoors and varied outdoor areas. The master plan promotes this common-wealth idea by providing ‘shared’ views of the water maximized by willing the buildings into v-shapes that, enhanced with height, hierarchy, and variation in residential typologies, create a homogeneous array of unit types that encourage social interaction. Careful attention has been given to the shoreline design that becomes the central community amenity. This continuous linear open space makes a unique recreational space for residents and visitors alike. It protects and promotes the area's natural beauty while standing as a unifying edge that transitions from “life-by-the-water’s-edge” to a rational interpretation of traditional waterfront living. The language of the architecture attempts to bridge a contemporary paradigm of the historical precept on newly reclaimed (man-made) land. Un-served by immediate stylistic or historical context. Simplicity and elegance are paramount to creating a backdrop to the site's natural beauty, engaging the sun, water, and site edges without whimsically applying paradigms that contradict or dictate new forms or discourse. In respect to this dialogue between nature and unique form that detaches and engages the site conditions, DJG employs simple shapes and colors that are disposed and utilized following pragmatic precepts: i.e., openings to provide views, volumes to orient and terminate vistas, so architecture creates backdrops and responds to their civic duty of creating and enhancing spaces subdued by the human scale and proportion laws.

Lujiao – Antler Town Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: October 2011 Site Area: 673 acres Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + studio LFA Client: Vanke Chongqing Antler Town is designed to set new benchmarks in senior living and sustainability while harmoniously integrating the surrounding landscape and built form.  PlusUrbia Design master planned this development to become an exemplary community that enhances the natural beauty of Chongqing, China’s mountainous landscape.  Located near Chongqing’s City Center, the site is served by several metro trains and buses that connect it to the rest of the region. The advantage of mass transit is fully integrated into the design of a regional commercial center and hospital. The hospital acts as a hub for a continuum of healthcare facilities. The range of wellness and healthcare facilities creates a world-class design for aging in place. A careful programmatic strategy, harmonized with the natural amenities, enhances residents' daily experience.

Playa Inca Project Type: Urban Design Study Project Status: Planned Completion Date: July 2012 Site Area: 60 acres Team: PlusUrbia Client: In-house study We seldom find land planning projects that incorporate the artistry of the ultra-modern-chic-stylized-look of “starchitects” with the pragmatic, modest, yet skillful layouts derived from traditional precepts and principles. Surveying the strata of contemporary designs, “starchitects” sometimes lack and often purposely dismiss realism, sacrificing the creation of livable places instead of visually impacting images that seek to call attention to themselves and nothing more – these are projects that are made for publication and not for living. On the other hand, traditional design methods follow the principle of systematically sacrificing vision and often relegating interventions to “another Traditional Neighborhood Development” (TOD). In these cases, we often find livable communities that create “a sense of place,” disregarding the identity inherent in every site where they intervene. The imposition of a new “Genius Loci” (spirit of place) at the expense of losing each site's historical/social/etymological value. Playa Inca is the first of a series of studies to find common ground between artistry and traditional principles by using locally identifiable patterns that become the crux of design, introducing proven principles and techniques from traditional land planning. Located near a Peruvian oceanfront town, Playa Inca derives its form from the legacy of Incan construction methods. Its thoroughfare network, open space system, and lot division are extrapolated from the joints created in Incan walls. These forms are morphed into the land, following the terrain and respecting existing streams, topography, and beach dunes. Embedded within its framework, a central all-purpose building faces one of the open space and provides some civic and commercial uses to the project. *This design series is intended for research and education, not construction.

Klaksvik City Center Project Type: Master Plan Competition Project Status: Planned Completion Date: April 2012 Site Area: 60 acres Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + Castillo Arquitectos Client: Klaksvik Municipality KLAKSVIK – CURRENT CONDITIONS: Klaksvik – a town rich in cultural heritage, natural resources, and history - is experiencing an increasing need for a center that re-defines Klaksvik as an important enclave true to its history and culture, while enhancing its seafaring legacy and rebranding itself as a forward-thinking town that becomes an iconic anchor for the Faroe Islands. INTERVENTION – THE FUTURE: Nexus building – the natural evolution. CRUX This proposal seamlessly extends the existing fabric of Klaksvik while introducing new building typologies based on those found in other Faroese cities. The intervention creates a well-defined urban center that incorporates the highest values and enhances community life. Creating a well-choreographed sequence of spaces and buildings weaves civic, residential, and commercial uses into a rich assembly designed to house various venues: from the casual visit to music and movie festivals. CLIMATE + ENVIRONMENT The design responds to climatic and environmental concerns in order to maintain the center active throughout the year. Site and climate-responsive building frontages, streets and courts are planned as intimate public spaces that can be enjoyed during the summer months. In addition, a secondary mobility system of continuous enclosed galleries and operable arcades is intended to provide a sheltered, walkable environment during the wintertime. Building volumes and heights are designed to enhance views and maximize sunlight exposure based on the low sun angles. Similarly, the interlocking building blocks’ orientation and placement shelters the intervention from prevailing winds by interrupting their natural path, thus protecting the center from strong, direct ocean winds. PROPOSAL New Klaksvik Center becomes the new nexus of the city that makes use of the natural placement, commercial uses and civic venues to create a vibrant enclave organized around the main element that makes Faroese culture, life and history special: a continuous and direct relationship to water and to the surrounding landscape. KEY CONCEPTS + DESIGN PROCESS         Compactedness | Densification | Tradition | Water Ways | Diversity + Interest | Choreographed Views | Memorable Places | Wind-Walls | Summer/Winter Mobility In collaboration with Castillo Arquitectos.

Project Type: Master Plan Competition Project Status: Planned Completion Date: March 2010 Site Area: 17.3 acres Team: PlusUrbia (lead) + Studio LFA + LopezJaimes Client: Vanke The site’s advantageous zoning and planning directives have resulted in a design closely related to the best traditions of Northern European Harbours such as Haffen City, Borneo in Amsterdam, and Malmo in Sweden while creating a new Chinese architectural paradigm. The design considers all the conditions conveyed to us during our visit to Tianjin and builds upon its relationship to the Harbor by not only being inspired by it but actually reusing shipping containers and learning from their dimensions to define the design’s form. The Wetlands have provided a very romantic story for this project where the port can disintegrate into ruins, “a memory of place” similar to the writings of J.B. Jackson. The port is therefore reused artistically within the project's architecture, both in its units and as monuments at key points. They become gateways into nature and, finally, part of nature itself, an economical and environmental way to construct architecture and the landscape - two very important aspects of any project these days. Above all, and even though this type of architecture has been attempted before, very few whose use of recycled elements is inherent in the history of the actual site, a port, and waterfront where nature intrudes and creeps into the architecture such as here.

Huxindao Master Plan Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: July 2009 Site Area: 23.5 acres Team: PlusUrbia + OAD Client: Vanke Huxindao delivers a new definition of luxury to Xiamen.  Inspired by Wu Xing or five movements or elements, the project roots itself between the spiritual and the pragmatic. This vision for Huxindao does not impose but offers a distinct palette of lifestyles suited to every preference. The approach was to organize all components of this community, creating five distinctive neighborhoods.  Each neighborhood presents a distinct environment; each is aligned with one of the five movements of Wu Xing and satisfies its residents with full amenities and comforts, and first-rate accommodations. A multitude of gardens, parks, and additional facilities located throughout the site provides other environments of distinct design and great diversity. Huxindao offers a complete, varied, and rich set of living environments while providing outstanding balance and convenience for a luxurious lifestyle. From the comfort and intimacy of the household to the sumptuous and diverse amenities, every aspect has been considered to satisfy all needs and wants. Huxindao will be the ultimate luxury address in the city of the delightful living. Designed with Oppenheim Architecture.

Hialeah Race Track Master Plan Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: March 2009 Site Area: 94 acres Team: PlusUrbia Client: Pro-bono work After a prolonged period of remarkable political stewardship which has yielded stability, consolidation, and steady growth, the City of Hialeah is ideally poised for a true renaissance.  Endowed with clear advantages by its transit connectivity, central location in the hub of the Miami-Dade / Broward County line, and a large and growing residential base, Hialeah’s most significant obstacle in its relentless rise to prominence amongst Florida’s elite cities is arguably a still undefined identity.  Its rich, varied, and long-standing cultural heritage has not yet become a distinct and recognizable image.  This elusive «sense of place» has time and again proven to be the critical aggregate that enables communities to capture the imagination and interest of a new generation of savvy investors, driven entrepreneurs, and increasingly discerning prospective residents who seek to add value to their investment by setting their roots in a place of distinction with a unique and readily identifiable image. Significant victories have thus far been achieved in the re-development effort; these have wisely sought to recapture the prestige and élan of Hialeah’s distinguished heritage.  Numerous revitalization plans, infrastructural refurbishment projects, and civic monuments have generated new momentum toward reestablishing Hialeah’s distinction and stature. Within this promising context, the re-development of the Hialeah Race Track site stands poised as the tipping point, the catalyst that may well propel Hialeah forward into a new era of prominence.

Tianjin Harbour City – Construction Update Vanke’s Tianjin Port development proposal offers an unprecedented opportunity to address an intriguing confluence of challenges in a most urban and prominent location within Tianjin’s Binhai New Area. This proposal benefits immensely from a solid contextual foundation. It is challenged only by the call to rise to the highest expectations of world-class urbanism of signature style, offering a quality of life of benchmark standing.  The proximity to the water and its advantageous location near the CBD frame the design strategy, reminding us that the project must capture the essence of its maritime place and link clearly to the open water views, which can be enjoyed from the upper floors while also establishing clear connections with the activities and offerings to be enjoyed in the vicinity. This proposal seeks to reaffirm an urban design of distinctive Chinese character with wide-open spaces permitting the free flow of breezes and ample sunlight to bathe the vast green spaces while deploying a wide variety of building types, namely: towers, bar buildings, townhouses, and other structures of distinctive configurations and dispositions.

Calle 8 Revitalization Project Type: Street Revitalization Project Status: Completed Site Area: 2 linear miles Team: PlusUrbia Client: City of Miami - Pro bono work For half a century, Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) has served as an eastbound speedway for commuters, along with the equally dangerous one-way, three-lane, westbound SW 7th Street. Originally a 2-way typical main street, Calle 8 was transformed in the late 60s into the highway we know today. Plusurbia Design proposes to turn Calle 8 back to its original self - reversing 50 years of disenfranchising neighborhoods and commerce with blight left in the wake of a corridor-turned-freeway. The design proposes to unlock Calle 8’s potential by offering the restoration of the original two-way traffic. Images were created of a 21st-century Calle Ocho with multimodal transportation alternatives such as dedicated bike and transit lanes, comfortable wide sidewalks, and additional safe crosswalks in a vibrant urban setting. City of Miami 2015 Proclamation

Emergency Social Market (ESM) Project Type: Modular Growth Study Project Status: Planned Completion Date: April 2012 Site Area: 17 acres Team: PlusUrbia + OSKI studio Client: In-house study ESM has been designed to grow organically over time. Both the housing stock and the planning evolve with the community's needs by systematically adding modules and consolidation of parcels systematically. ESM applies to building blocks or modules to single-family and multi-family designs. The single modular house may be placed on different lot types to become detached, semi-detached, or attached (in townhouse form). A base module of 3 x 3 meters is used for housing typologies that can grow and evolve from a small one-bedroom house to a full-size three-bedroom house. Modular multifamily units are also based on a 3 x 3-meter module allowing additions and sub-division. A basic two-bedroom unit is a standard that can be increased by joining the abovementioned unit. It can also be subdivided to allow commercial uses to be part of the mix, creating live-work units that serve the community’s needs. Internal spaces are secured by gates and provide semi-private open spaces shared among the households. A 19 sm unit is designed to be the smallest possible denominator provided for a family. With an average parcel size of 100m, these basic homes can grow to 131 sm in two floors. The intent is to provide enough flexibility for a family to make the investment and make their homes a long-lasting investment in creating a community.

Tianjin Harbour City Project Type: Urban & Architectural Design Project Status: Under Construction Completion Date: May 2010 Site Area: 23.5 acres Team: PlusUrbia + OAD Client: Vanke Vanke’s Tianjin Port development proposal offers an unprecedented opportunity to address an intriguing confluence of challenges in a most urban and prominent location within Tianjin’s Binhai New Area. This proposal benefits immensely from a solid contextual foundation. It is challenged only by the call to rise to the highest expectations of world-class urbanism of signature style, offering a quality of life of benchmark standing.  The proximity to the water and its advantageous location near the CBD frame the design strategy, reminding us that the project must capture the essence of its maritime location and link clearly to the open water views, which can be enjoyed from the upper floors while also establishing clear connections with the activities and offerings to be enjoyed in the vicinity. This proposal seeks to reaffirm an urban design of distinctive Chinese character with wide-open spaces permitting the free flow of breezes and ample sunlight to bathe the vast green spaces while deploying a rich variety of building types, namely: towers, bar buildings, townhouses, and other structures of distinctive configurations and dispositions.

Wynwood Walls Garden Project Type: Landscape Design Project Status: Built Completion Date: November 2015 Site Area: 0.43 acres Team: Plusurbia Client: Goldman Properties Plusurbia Design, in collaboration with Goldman Properties, designed the space, which transforms vacant land at 260 Northwest 26th Street, to invite visitors to immerse themselves in artistic expression. The Garden’s design enables the display of excellent street art by incorporating sight lines that allow visitors to experience murals from various vantage points. The angled benches, sloping planters, and other elements create a perfect stage for artistic Wynwood “selfies.” Wynwood Walls Garden created a new gathering and art space on 0.43 acres adjacent to Goldman’s world-famous Wynwood Walls and Wynwood Doors. The Garden, a showcase for the Walls of Change installation, features repurposed shipping containers and planters that provide seating, artistic concrete, and natural textures. ULI Southeast Florida/ Caribbean Vision Award 2016

Mixed-use Concept Architecture Project Type: Architectural Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: November 2017 Site Area: 1.48 acres Team: Plusurbia Design Miami is a vibrant city known for its stunning architecture and mix of cultures. Our team was tasked to design architectural concepts that take inspiration from Asian cultures and creates a node along one of Miami's transportation corridors. The project's design was inspired by the rich cultural heritage of the Chinese lattice, using it as a design feature that doubles as a passive heat-gain control strategy. The dual towers incorporate other traditional Asian elements that were seamlessly integrated into the design of the building, creating a unique structure that fits within the Miami skyline. The project's residential units offer stunning views of the city, the ocean, and the Everglades to the west. The commercial component includes retail and office space and entertainment. The buildings are topped with Chinese-inspired gardens that follow Chinese feng-shui principles creating a peaceful oasis at the top of the buildings.

Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: June 2010 Site Area: 9.4 acres Team: PlusUrbia + GSH studio + OSKI studio Client: Vanke Jing Ao International Commercial plaza is at the intersection of two major vehicular arteries in Tianjin, China. This small-scale intervention is the commercial component of a larger residential project by the same client. It incorporates learned systems that provide a variety of experiences to visitors while integrating the intervention into its surroundings. The hotel and offices become a strong destination that feeds the commercial spaces intertwined along a coherent and carefully choreographed circuitous sequence of courtyards, corridors, and plazas in a woonerf-type spatial composition. The interventions create a wholesome experience of seamless transitions that collate a variety of retail tenants, enhancing the project's standing as a full-fleshed destination enclave in a critical location of the city.

New Town Phoenix Project Type: Urban Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: May 2010 Site Area: 76 acres Team: PlusUrbia + studio LFA + OAD Client: Vanke New Town Phoenix proposal offers a unique opportunity to address the re-development needs of a vibrant city with a rich history almost destroyed during the 1976 earthquake. Located in the central area of Bohai Bay, Tangshan borders on the Bohai Sea in the south lies against the Yanshan Mountains in the north, and adjoins Beijing and Tianjin in the west Qinhuangdao in the east. The site is conveniently located northwest of the city’s central business district, in one of Tangshan’s newest neighborhoods, considered the city's heart. The site is near the old airport location and close to a beautiful set of recently designed parks and memorials. Through a recent partnership with private international companies Tangshan, it will soon become an ecological city and serve as a model for its measures to relieve the pressure on the country’s congested and polluted mega-cites. Tangshan has constantly sought to renew itself, always maintaining hope and ensuring that past prosperity ensures future success. Thanks to its residents' dedication and determination, Tangshan has become an exemplary model of the city “reborn.” Over the last century, Tangshan has emerged as a major hub of China’s modern industries. It has witnessed the founding and implementation of China’s first mechanized coal mine; the first standard-gauge railway track; the first steam locomotive; and the first barrel of machine-made cement, among others. Tangshan enjoys a first-class infrastructure and industrial capacity complemented with iron, steel, coal, electric power, building materials, machinery, chemicals, and ceramics as the pillars. The city has established itself as a critical industrial base for energy and raw materials in the country.

Songhua Lake Ski Resort Construction 7 Square Kilometers Lake Songhua Resort features a thriving mixed-use town center, with ground-floor retail and housing above. PlusUrbia master planned the site and designed the architecture to work in harmony with the contours of the natural terrain. This minimizes the need for re-grading the site, which saves costs for the developer and has the more significant benefit of reducing the impact of development on the site that features Qing Mountain, Lake Songhua, and about seven square kilometers of nature spread across a valley.  The bus terminal was designed for transit connections to nearby Jilin, a city of 27 million served by major rail routes. PlusUrbia also designed an ice skating rink and more than a dozen mid-rise buildings that will be built in the second phase of the resort’s development.

Colinas de Arraiján Project Type: Urban & Architectural design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: August 2014 Site Area: 234.3 acres Team: PlusUrbia + GSH studio + MER studio Client: Soucy Ingenieros In the heart of the Panamanian jungle, Colinas de Arraiján offers a secluded area for anyone wishing to escape the city. The first phase of this project consists of a master plan containing residential areas, which include 269 townhouses (120 square meters) and 175 single-family homes (200 square meters), as commercial and civic spaces.

BAC House Project Type: Architectural Design Project Status: Planned Completion Date: April 2012 Site Area: 3,200 SF Team: PlusUrbia + 1521 Design Studio Client: Bakehouse Art Complex Board of Trustees Bakehouse Art Complex is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to attracting emerging mid-career artists in South Florida to a workplace that provides affordable studios, exhibition galleries, and professional development opportunities. Initially built in the early 1920s as the American Bakeries Company, The Bakehouse Art Complex (BAC) purchased the property and retrofitted the facility into working studios for artists and exhibition galleries. PlusUrbia and 1521 Design Studio collaborated on this project, which attempts to redefine and upgrade their primary exterior event space and lobby, improving the circulation and visibility of both the gallery and the studios. For the exterior event space, we conceived an intervention that is endowed with a considerable level of autonomy. By clearly defining the space and providing a compatible yet distinct language, the existing and proposed intrinsic characteristics are redefined in a new choreographed space. This strategy offers a location for outdoor venues and a welcoming entrance to the BAC’s facility. The design provides a well-defined three-dimensional space that becomes the heart of the new BAC. The objective of the lobby is to create a space that captures the essence of the former bakehouse while incorporating contemporary elements such as industrial lighting, a stainless steel table, and repurposed wood.  This ensemble results in a nostalgic and elegant atmosphere. In collaboration with 1521 Design Studio.