Towards an urban and sustainable Puerto Nuevo: A green (re)development of the first suburbs in San Juan of Puerto Rico

This thesis explores the feasibility of the phased (re)construction of a deteriorating inner-city neighborhood as a strategy to forestall (sub)urban sprawl and advance a more sustainable relationship between the city and the biosphere. It focuses on the analysis of the causes and negative consequences of neighborhood deterioration and (sub)urban sprawl in the capital city of San Juan in Puerto Rico, and the proposal of a comprehensive, participatory and multidisciplinary (re)development program as a feasible solution. Puerto Nuevo Ward, the first mass-produced suburb in Puerto Rico, serves as case study for the investigation. A historic analysis of the socio-economic, political, institutional and urban design/planning aspects forms the first part of this investigation. Based on Goodall (1972) and Smith (1983) theoretical stage-models for neighborhood deterioration cycles, several socio-economic indicators, trends, and use changes are identified and compiled using US Census data. These are evaluated for one neighborhood-unit in the Puerto Nuevo Ward: Sector-74. Informal interviews to residents and a historical comparative analysis of the transport and physical characteristics of housing structures, commercial structures and public spaces complement the socioeconomic evaluation. A progressive intermediate neighborhood deterioration stage is identified for Sector-74. Socio-economic (re)vitalization and physical (re)development is proposed as a solution to the on-going decline. A multidisciplinary planning approach to the (re)construction of the city, (re)adapting and (re)structuring its urban inventories and integrating the community in the planning and (re)development process are considered essential to achieve housing affordability, social justice, and a more sustainable urban environment whilst pre-empting the causes of neighborhood deterioration. The project is specifically geared to transform the neighborhood's layout into a more environmentally friendly, socially conscious and physically optimized urban land. A voluntary community-based land trust scheme is proposed as a collective instrument of negotiation and/or participation as co-developer with the private sector, guided and planned by the public sector. This aims at managing the ubiquitous process of gentrification. Also, the project identities specific urban and architectural strategies and typologies at several design scales (metropolitan, neighborhood, urban block, and architecture) geared to mediate society's needs and those of the biosphere. Climate responsive design, transit, and an improved neighborhood layout that promote pedestrian accessibility and car deterrence are some of the strategies pursued. A new energy and water resource semiautonomous tropical urban block prototype, the EnviroBlock (EcoBloque), is proposed as a basic module for (re)constructing substantial areas in deteriorating (sub)urban neighborhoods into more sustainable urban districts. A feasibility/affordability study is performed for this prototype. Local development costs and construction costs are considered for several market sectors, public subsidies and density scenarios. The results indicate the necessity of public subsidies and/or technological innovation if the majority of the housing market demand is to be attended in central urban areas. Implementation design, planning instruments and public finance strategies are also discussed as part of the project. A sustainable transformation of San Juan City is necessary, possible and feasible. The (re)development of deteriorating transition period suburbs to higher density mix-uses and the improvement of transit through a socially and environmentally conscious urban plan is the recommended course of action.