BRIDGING LAREDO

Location: Nuevo Laredo, México

Laredo, U.S.A

Type: Urban Masterplan

Team: Marcos Escamilla-Guerrero,

Felipe Olivas

Status: Idea

Year: 2019

Mexico and the United States share between them a large number of elements, characteristics, histories, etc. One of them is the history behind Nuevo Laredo (Mexico) and Laredo (United States). Two hundred years ago, there was just “ONE LAREDO” which was located entirely in Mexican territory. After political and war disputes between countries, the city got split into two parts. Although nowadays there are two names, two nations and one border, the urban behavior and characteristics remain to be one.

Unfortunately, both cities share negative characteristics, such as high violence and poverty. This project pretends to design a masterplan that can heal the two cities of Laredo (Laredo, USA + Nuevo Laredo, Mex). The masterplan is the result of deep research and interpretation of the data. It was decided to follow a strategy that bonds together both cities in all terms. This project consists of eleven specific urban interventions that can regenerate two neighborhoods, one in each city, that at the end will become one. Furthermore, the most important aspect is that this design strategy based on research and analysis is that it can be replicable along all borders.

"Joining cities through Urbanism &
Architectural Design"

DIABETES

POBERTY + DENSITY

SCHOOL COVERAGE

UNOCCUPANCY

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Urban fabric diagram

For the mexican side (south), "El Remolino" neighborhood was selected, while in the U.S. side, "El Tonto" is the chosen one. The area posses a signficant portion of greenery and a particular condition in the "Río Bravo".

EL REMOLINO - NUEVO LAREDO

EL TONTO - LAREDO

EL REMOLINO - NUEVO LAREDO

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EL REMOLINO-NUEVO LAREDO-MX

The conditions in this neighborhood can be resumed as poverty and precariousness, the buildings conditions (as shown) reflect the needs of the people. The objective is to provide better residential infrastructure and employment.

EL TONTO-LAREDO-USA

This neighborhood possesses a very particular condition. As shown above, it has a hard urban border represented by a series of train tracks, that isolates it from the rest of the city. The intention is to “bridge” the neighborhood.

FIGURE GROUND

This new district, if thought as a single one, shows a clear hierarchy between open and built space. It is shown how spare the U.S. side is in contrast with the Mexican portion.

URBAN/NATURAL ANCHORS

As shown above, different urban and natural anchors were identified within the new district extension and inmediate nearness. Three natural anchors define what will be the intended ecological parks and research campuses.

CURRENT PROGRAM

The existing assigned program in the distric is composed basically by residental use and an academic campus. Aside from those two the remaining area is assumed to be an unoccupied natural field.

PROPOSED PROGRAM

After analysing the whole district and thinking about which specific interventions should be done, the result is a rich and diverse program that is ment to activate the district.

"Eleven interventions are ment to be done in the new district"

These interventions are then classified into the three bridging strategies, and goes as follows. Urban Bridge ( streets renovation, academic campus, densification and urban infill), Innovation Bridge (streets renovation, economic zone, urban infill, crossing tracks and densification), Ecological Bridge (resilient border, recreational park, ecological park, pedestrian bridge and research campus).

STREETS RENOVATION

The objective is to rehabilitate the streets and public infrastructure such as crossings, benches and public lighting. While doing research, it was identifies that the current conditions propitiate insecurity.

STREETS RENOVATION

CROSSING TRACKS

This intervention is key for the Laredo, Tx side, in order to reconnect the urban fabric and invert the current condition of the hard urban border. With this intervention, the intention is to generate an elevated linear park .

CROSSING TRACKS

ACADEMIC CAMPUS

The campus pretends to activate its surroundings and to generate a sense of comunity and belonging. It will increase the level of education in the mexican side.

ACADEMIC CAMPUS

RECREATIONAL PARK

A recreational park is intended to activate part of the empty areas that currently have no function and represent dangerous areas. By creating these type of spaces, the intention is to introduce the young generations to sports.

RECREATIONAL PARK

ECOLOGICAL PARK

This park is ment to happen at the buffer zone of the river in order to preserve nature and integrate it to the district. The park can be visited by the residents under certain restrictions to admire the beauty of the desert species.

ECOLOGICAL PARK

RESEARCH CAMPUS

The research campus is located in the Mexican side, in order to boost the academic field in the city, since there is no major institution in comparisson with the U.S. side.

RESEARCH CAMPUS

The research campus is located in the Mexican side, in order to boost the academic field in the city, since there is no major institution in comparisson with the U.S. side.

DENSIFICATION

After researching, it was determined that the district in general, lacks density and that leads to major unoccupancy rates. As a solution, a high density developement is proposed in order to bring back the population.

DENSIFICATION

URBAN INFILL

The objective for this intervention is to occupy the spare empty prots that are distributted along the whole district. Also, if there are houses/building in bad shape, they can be demolished and then rebuilt with a different program.

URBAN INFILL

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

This intervention is intended to be the last one to be implemented due to the major challenge it represents. Regardless, it is ment to host a public program in itself, in order to persuade the residents of the district ot visit.

PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

RESILIENT BORDER

These intervention must happen right at the shore of the river and has two purposes. The first one is to take advantage of the shore as an urban asset. The second one is to create a soft border that can be resilient.

RESILIENT BORDER

ECONOMIC ZONE

This zone is ment to be a major intervention, creating a series of buildings that host activities related to the generation of employment opportunities and major retail facilities that can attract people from the whole city.

ECONOMIC ZONE

BRIDGING LAREDO

"Joining cities through Urbanism & Architectural Design"

"Eleven interventions are ment to be done in the new district"

"Joining cities through Urbanism &
Architectural Design"