Summary

The Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan process was interactive, bilingual, and included a 10-day charrette and other workshops in multiple areas throughout the city. During the charrettes, the team was able to talk to over 1400 studio visitors, meeting attendees, and hands-on participants. Many people followed the Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan on its website or took part in online conversations and polling in the project’s virtual town hall. Newspaper, television, and web coverage of the Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan was extensive.

Citizen-led working groups helped our specialized team of planners focus and steer the development of the Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan. Technical meetings were held with each working group throughout the process to ensure that concerns were appropriately identified and addressed. The working group focused on the following areas: Urban Planning; Economic Development; Mobility and Transportation; Housing; Green-space; Recreation and Landscape; Infrastructure; Environmental and Natural Resources Education; Health and Wellness; International Border Relations; International Trade; Technology and Communications; Philanthropic; and Arts and Culture. The Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan was unanimously adopted by the Laredo City Council on September 18, 2017.

The Viva Laredo Comprehensive Plan project was awarded the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) Merit Award for excellence in urban design, placemaking, and community-building.