How Good Planning Remade the Santa Fe Railyard

Sandra Geiser,AICP, the president of the APA New Mexico chapter, writes praise for the work of planners in restoring the Santa Fe Railyard in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, which was named one of the APA's Great Places in America in 2015. Geiser describes the planning process that spearheaded the successful rebirth of the Santa Fe Railyard:

What makes for good planning? Community engagement. The city purchased the 50-acre property and led a community-based planning process involving more than 6,000 residents. The master plan approved by the city envisioned a gathering place for all Santa Feans built on the industrial heritage, with local businesses, nonprofits and cultural institutions woven together by a network of public spaces. 

A six-year planning and redevelopment process, including design work by the Trust for Public Land, culminated with a re-opening celebrated by 20,000 people, and invigorated with revitalization momentum that continues to today. "The past year has marked the success of the stunning Violet Crown Cinema, the groundbreaking for the much-anticipated expansion of SITE Santa Fe, and the development of a 58-unit apartment complex adjacent to the track and park scheduled for construction in spring 2017," according to Geiser.