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Following the success of a project last year, the city of Santa Fe once again wants UNM graduate student input on road improvements.
UNM assistant professor and project supervisor Moises Gonzales said the city of Santa Fe requested UNM student involvement on a new road improvement project because of the students’ professionalism during last year’s project.
In fall 2011, a team of graduate students who enrolled in an advanced studio planning capstone course suggested site improvements in the Airport Road corridor, an area in Santa Fe that has had an increase in immigrant residential units and Latino businesses from Mexico.
For the project, instructors worked with students to analyze the demographics of the corridor and plan appropriate improvements for the space.
Gonzales said the neighborhood lacked sufficient sidewalk space and road signs, needed to become more pedestrian-friendly and was separated by six-lane roads that took up more space than necessary.
He said the team recommended adding new road signs and a more efficient road plan that included intersections to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely by converting some of the six-lane roads into smaller two-lane roads with side-street parking, trees and wide sidewalks.
Gonzales said the project was a strategic effort for Santa Fe to incorporate big businesses and local businesses in the same area in order to economically develop the district. He said that by improving the corridor, the district can develop into an integral part of Santa Fe.
“Latino transitional neighborhoods are often seen as transitional; that they’re not necessarily secure,” he said. “I think what was great about this plan was how we were able to provide … a vision for this community.”
The team presented its plan at a community meeting where it was approved by city staff members.
Gonzales said the project cost about $5,000 and was funded by the city of Santa Fe. He said although students were not paid, the team was reimbursed for travel and other expenses related to the project.
“It was a great opportunity for studio students to get real planning experience, and the city of Santa Fe was able to offset our costs, so it was a win-win situation,” he said.
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This year, a team of students was asked to plan improvements for the St. Michael’s corridor, another area in Santa Fe in need of road improvements.
The team, which is co-instructed by regional planning assistant professor Tim Imeokparia, aims to alter the road design of the area and include additional housing along the street, which will establish a tighter connection between the community and businesses.
“We’re trying to create how this active street could actually connect with Santa Fe College, and in that, how this district could emerge as a new, young, professional district,” Gonzales said.
The new project is in its early stages, and Gonzales and Imeokparia are starting to introduce it to their students.
Gonzales said that by the end of the semester, they expect to develop new zoning regulations for the area, and that he is excited to work with students again.
“It’s really exciting as an instructor in the second year of our planning program to see the growth of our students,” he said.
Katherine Mortimer, program manager of Sustainable Santa Fe, one of the local organizations that decided Airport Road needed improvements, coordinated the project with the UNM team and encouraged the city to allow students to work on the project. She said that by including students in the plan, the design will incorporate a broader range of input and ideas. She said she was pleased with the students’ ability to meet deadlines and that the students had high expectations for their work.
“Some of the students have professional experience, and you do get a different value out of it,” she said. “I think the class was very good, the students were very excited to work on the project, and the professors demanded accuracy.”
In the printed version of this article, Santa Fe was spelled “Sante Fe.” The Daily Lobo regrets the error.
