Beset on reconnecting with its illustrious past, El Paso is utilizing its current resources to reinvest in its downtown core. Situated adjacent to Juarez, Mexico, El Paso (‘The Pass’ in Spanish) is comprised of an urban fabric rich in cultural influences and architectural history.
During its heyday (late 1920’s) El Paso was home to a vibrant network of street cars mixed with active retail, commercial and residential streets. In 2009, SWA was retained by the a large land owner and the City of El Paso to create a vision for its downtown that included the design of a new pedestrian promenade on a former street, an urban design strategy to strengthen pedestrian linkages to notable open spaces, and the redesign of the City’s historic urban park- San Jacinto Plaza.
The current design for San Jacinto Plaza is the result of ongoing outreach efforts with the City of El Paso and local residents. A strong sense of history and tradition is embedded within the plaza, and the design focuses on interpreting the past through a contemporary lens. SWA’s design seeks to reestablish the plaza as a flexible central gathering space at the heart of downtown.
For more information on the project, take a look at the El Paso Times article covering this project.
Posted by GerdoAquino in Landscape Infrastructure on