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Bayamón Riverfront
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.
Lattice – Comprehensive Planning
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
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 CDC
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.
Affordable Housing Blueprint
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.
Playa de Ponce – Borinquen Trail
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
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.
The Underline Special District
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.
Brandon Town Center
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
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.
Las Olas
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
Wynwood Norte
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. 
Hialeah TOD
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 Revitalization Master Plan
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         
Coconut Grove Master Implementation Plan
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
Curridabat Master Plan
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
Hialeah Race Track
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.
Emergency Social Market (ESM)
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.
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