international planning | Canin Associates

Courtyards in Mexico: More than an architectural feature

November 20, 2017/by Greg Witherspoon

Canin Associates Fall Studio Sponsorship at the University of Miami

The group walking the streets of San Miguel de Allende

This Fall, Canin Associates sponsored an upper-level research design studio at the University of Miami to study “Courtyard Housing.” The focus was around the history, theory, practice, and technology of courtyard houses in three cities in Mexico. The aim of the project is to translate the design principles of courtyard housing and apply them to a master plan in Florida and then develop appropriate architectural typologies for the community.

Each student was provided an opportunity to study notable courtyard examples from around the world, including some by famous architects and designers including Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and OMA. Most of the studio then had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and tour three of the most important “Magic Towns,” or “Pueblos Magicos,” in the center of Mexico: Guanajuato, Santiago de Queretaro, and San Miguel de Allende. Canin Associates’ President, Brian Canin, traveled with the group. Each city provided excellent examples of courtyards with a variety of topographic conditions, materials, vegetation and scale. The students had the opportunity to document both public and private buildings with shared typologies and plazas. Each courtyard and plaza exhibited powerful placemaking design techniques. The site chosen for the implementation of the master plan is in Homestead, Florida, which is home to many seasonal Mexican migrants. The six block, 95-acre site will be planned to accommodate this population using courtyard designs.

San Miguel de Allende courtyard space

Each student will design a “Mexican Enclave” with an elaboration of one section of the plan containing all proposed building types, including facades, sections, plans, physical models, and perspective views. The final presentation will take place on December 11^th at the School of Architecture at the University of Miami with Brian Canin in attendance. The Canin Associates team is looking forward to seeing the final designs so look out for a follow-up post later next month!

Queretaro tree-lined public courtyard

Canin Award Funds Student Trip to Medellín, Columbia

January 6, 2015/by Canin Associates

Last fall, a group of students and professors from the University of Miami School of Architecture had the opportunity to visit Medellín, a Columbian city now famous for implementing a series of smart urban solutions in the past decade. Canin Associates is thrilled to have been able to help make this trip possible, along with support from the University of Miami Citizens Board.

Medellín as a city has garnered a lot of attention in the past few year, from being named Innovative City of the Year in 2013 to hosting the United Nations World Urban Forum in 2014. Not only have city leaders and citizens actively reduced the cartel-induced crime that plagued the city for decades (the name “Murder Capital of the World” may come to mind), they also dedicated themselves to fostering social urbanism, a form of people-focused urban development. Today, outdoor escalators and a streetcar-like gondola line connect the city’s hilly outskirts to the center of town. A state-of-the-art library is paired with a new park to create the Parque Biblioteca España, one of the city’s architectural icons. These projects are mirrored by many more smaller scale initiatives with a focus on community building.

In Medellín, young designers from the University of Miami studied the city’s architecture and saw first-hand the importance of innovative urban interventions. The students turned their experiences abroad into 11 proposals. Their visions focused on the future of the up-and-coming area around the Cemetery of San Lorenzo. Students presented their final concepts for “Studio Medellín” last December, and Professor Carmen Guerrero will create a report collecting these designs and the lessons learned on the group’s trip.

The Benefits of the Modern Roundabout

August 20, 2014/by Canin Associates

Image by Ken Sides, City of Clearwater

In 2007, the United States built its 1,000th roundabout. That same year, France built its 30,000th roundabout. Although countries around the world have taken the benefits of modern roundabouts to heart, this intersection solution has taken a little longer to grab hold in American municipalities. Nonetheless, as the benefits of this design become increasingly apparent (and needed), more and more intersections are following this circular model. So, what makes roundabouts so desireable?

Roundabouts Reduce Environmental Impacts

According to a study in Time Magazine, roundabouts cut hydrocarbon emissions at intersections by as much as 42%. By reducing idling, ten circular intersections in Virginia were found to save 200,000 gallons of gas each year. The “Gateway Roundabout” in Clearwater, Florida, replaced three signalized intersections and one stop-controlled intersection with a single two-lane traffic circle. Stop delays–and therefore emissions–were reduced by 68%. Likewise, similar interventions in Kansas were found to ease traffic delays by an average of 65%.

Roundabouts Are Safer by Design

Each year, over 30,000 individuals die in car crashes in the United States– and that doesn’t include the even greater number of annual crashes involving injuries to drivers and pedestrians. One solution to these high figures is the replacement of signalized and stop-controlled intersections with roundabouts.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety found that replacing conventional intersections with roundabouts reduced overall collisions by 37%, collisions involving injuries by 75%, and collisions involving fatalities by 90%. Moreover, collisions with pedestrians were reduced by 40%.

Roundabouts Move More Cars

According to the FHWA, a single-lane roundabout can handle up to 2,500 vechilces per hour. It would take two travel lanes (and usually left and right turn lanes) in each direction to match that capacity. In other words, roundabouts handle more traffic with less pavement.

Overall, the benefits of these modern traffic circles are clear. While most traffic designers have caught on, it’s now up to local municipalities to allow for the conversion of conventional intersections.

The Value of International Planning

June 12, 2014/by Greg Witherspoon

As an idea-driven firm, working abroad is especially thrilling for us. To offer our urban planning services to communities in other countries is a unique and rewarding experience. There are many benefits to this type of work, but also certain requirements you must be aware of before embarking on this endeavor. We have found that creativity, adaptability, and motivation are major factors in international planning.

Creativity in International Planning

International planning is a different beast, but one that can bring many benefits, including the ability to be even more creative. Often, it’s a challenge to implement placemaking strategies in the United States because the policies in place don’t always support new and “unproven” designs. In many Latin American countries, however, the lack of bureaucracy makes is easier for creative ideas to flow. The ability to innovate brings freshness to the planning profession.

Travel itself is a driving force behind creativity. Exploring different forms of urbanism by experiencing them first hand is a pleasure for any urban planner or architect. International planning adds inspiration and knowledge about the built environment that can be applied to both current and future projects.

Adapting to a Unique Context

International planning is professionally stimulating because in addition to being creative, you must be adaptive. Each location has its unique requirements. For example, security features are very important for Columbian projects, where guarded gates and CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) are common elements.

It’s also important to remember that you, as the planner or architect, are part of that context. Are you being hired for your American point of view to attract US clients, or did they pick you for your ability to understand the local vernacular? In European countries like Germany, a traditional design is difficult to market amidst the local historical buildings. Countries like Mexico, however, appreciate strong understanding of local architecture in both resorts and master-planned communities.

International Planning = Staff Motivation

Planning abroad is a highly concentrated, thought-packed initiative. With quick turnaround times and tight deadlines, a design team is motivated to craft a complete vision for the client during a single trip. Generally, our goal is to provide more ideas in rough form, rather than fewer ideas in finished form. Often, we want our ideas endorsed by the client, and then at home we package them properly. The amount of work a team accomplishes in a short amount of time is a rewarding and motivating experience.

A Checklist for International Planning

Finally, preparation is everything when planning abroad. Some must-haves include:

A good proposal: Get concurrent with the client on objectives; there should be no lack of clarity.
Advanced preparation: Know what will happen, who will do what, and when. Scheduling is essential to make the most of a client’s time.
The right team: International planning can be a burden on overhead, so every team member must count. However, planning abroad can be a great mentoring opportunity. Take a risk by giving a younger associate this experience.
The right communication approach: We have had great success with classic sketches, but many clients appreciate our ability to create a 3D SketchUp fly-through in a short amount of time. Also, plan what types of communication technologies are most appropriate for your client.

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Courtyards in Mexico: More than an architectural feature