Caño Martín Peña Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan

ASLA / IFLA Global Impact Award

Analysis and Planning

San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States
OLIN
Client: Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña

The Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan for the Caño Martín Peña District

The plan is a community-first approach to infrastructure planning open space, flood protected housing, and ecological enhancements.

Image Credit: OLIN
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Frequency of Flooding and Height from the Districtwide Community Survey

In Phase 1, over 300 residents were asked about existing conditions. Results established a baseline and helped identify key community priorities.

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Community Health Impacts from the Environmental Conditions of the Caño Martín Peña

A robust on-site review provided a foundational understanding of existing community health conditions and some environmental conditions tied to them.

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Community Health Impacts from Flooding in the Caño Martín Peña

Climate change has only exacerbated the threats to public health posed by recurring extreme weather events.

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Community Snapshots: a Profile on Each of the Eight District Communities

Infographics set the fundamental understanding of needs and priorities for the specific infrastructure strategies and designs of each neighborhood.

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Dynamic In-Person Engagement

In-person meetings occurred across the District, often in outdoor spaces due to COVID-19, and engaged stakeholders, community leaders, and residents.

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Eras of Development in San Juan and the Caño Martín Peña District

The District developed rapidly during San Juan’s rural-to-urban migration in the 1930s, leading to today’s development and environmental conditions.

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Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling Results with the Design Scenario and Estimated Sea Level Rise

A series of H-H model runs were performed with each proposed design scenario. The results identified which scenario achieved greater flood mitigation.

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Integrated Implementation of Infrastructure Strategies

Water infrastructure, roadways, power infrastructure, open space, and housing are all intricately linked and must be coordinated when implemented.

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Bermed Paseo with Integrated Infrastructures

A storm surge levee and bioswale will provide flood protection, as well as recreation space, ecological services, power, and water infrastructure.

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Existing Transit Conditions Analysis

San Juan’s development pattern is characterized by urban sprawl. 61% of District residents describe themselves as car-reliant, exacerbating inequity.

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Green Streets and Green Infrastructure

Proposed green streets incorporate stormwater infrastructure, ecological habitats, wider sidewalks for pedestrians, and other mobility improvements.

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Typical Section through the Paseo del Caño North and South

This pedestrian-friendly boulevard promotes recreational access and eco-tourism to the Estuary as well as promoting circulation across the District.

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Disappearance of Mangroves in Puerto Rico and the Caño Martín Peña District Over Time

Mangroves were lost as residents were forced to build housing along the estuary’s edges. By 1948, most of the mangroves in the District had been lost.

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Ecosystem Services of Mangroves

Mangroves are keystones of biodiversity, providing carbon uptake and protection to residents by preventing erosion and absorbing storm surges.

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The San Juan Bay Estuary: A Crucial Natural, Recreational, and Commercial Resource for Puerto Rico

The Estuary is deeply tied to the neighborhood’s health, absorbing and filtering stormwater and protecting homes from storm surges and erosion.

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“

The Jury stated it's a "resiliency-oriented development." This plan integrates climate mitigation and flood protection with new belts of greenspace, community connectors, housing, and power to form a possibility of multivalence. It is a plan in which specific landscape design strategies can positively impact the environment and, therefore, quality of life while promoting resilience. The analysis is thorough and addresses the intent of ecological improvements. Cultural understanding is also prevalent in the narrative and exhibits.

”

- 2023 Awards Jury

Project Credits

Richard S. Roark, RLA, ASLA, LEED / SITES AP, Partner, OLIN, Lead Landscape Architect

Marni Burns, RLA, Project Associate, OLIN, Lead Landscape Architect

Andrew Dobshinsky, AICP, Project Planning Associate, OLIN, Lead Planner

Leo Robleto, RLA, Project Manager, OLIN, Lead Landscape Architect

Katie Pitstick, RLA, Senior Landscape Architect, OLIN, Lead Landscape Architect

Sarah Swanseen, RLA, Landscape Architect, OLIN, Lead Landscape Architect

Max Dixon, AICP, Landscape Designer, OLIN, Lead Landscape Architect

Daniel Rodriguez, Landscape Designer, OLIN, Lead Landscape Architect

Edmundo Colon Izquierdo, Principal, ECo Design Studio, Architect and Local Landscape Architect

Eric Rothstein, PE, Managing Partner, EDesign Dynamics, H-H Modeling, Green Infrastructure

Franco Montalto, EDesign Dynamics, H-H Modeling, Green Infrastructure

Kyle Taylor, Project Engineer, EDesign Dynamics, H-H Modeling, Green Infrastructure

Sanaz Borhani, Modeler, EDesign Dynamics, H-H Modeling, Green Infrastructure

Anna Bras, PE, MEM, Staff Engineer, ARCADIS, Local Water Resources Engineering

Mark Van Auken, PE, Staff Engineer, ARCADIS, Local Water Resources Engineering

Luis A. Santiago, PE, Operations Manager, ARCADIS, Local Water Resources Engineering

Scott Davis, SGD Urban Solutions, Resilience Planner

Paul Lipson, President, Barretto Bay Strategies, Economic Advisor

Heber Delgado-Medrano, Barretto Bay Strategies, Economic Advisor

Walter E. Soler-Figueroa, Ambienta Inc., Ecologist

Cameron Thomson, Associate Principal, ARUP, Energy Planning

Vanessa Amado, Ph D. PE, VAG Transportation Engineering Consultants, Transportation Engineering

Chongba Sherpa, Sherpa Construction Consulting, Cost Estimator

Jon Morrison, Jon Morrison & Associates, Structural Engineering

Carlos J. Requena, Partner, JRR Engineers, Local Electrical Engineer

Sigfredo E. Faria Vega, President, Palma Roja, INC., Arborist

Josue Torres Oritz, JTO Engineering, Local Water Infrastructure Consultant

Project Statement

The eight communities of the Caño Martín Peña District were built piece-by-piece by their residents who recognize that their greatest asset in the face of a changing climate is their social capital. The Caño Martín Peña Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan was developed to serve the communities’ needs by improving their collective health and quality of life, incorporating nature-based strategies and climate change risk analysis to develop holistic solutions while safeguarding the communities’ deep social bonds as the fundamental link. The plan is grounded in a social and environmental justice framework, surveys and consultation with residents and community leaders, as well as coordination with Commonwealth and Federal agencies.

Project Narrative

The Caño Martín Peña (CMP) District is a resilient and resourceful collection of eight communities that emerged informally around a channel of the San Juan Bay Estuary. In the midst of facing numerous challenges, these community members recognized their social capital as their greatest asset for survival and improved quality of life. More than 20 years ago, the eight communities formed local groups and a unified coalition to advocate for their homes, their right to stay in their communities, and to push for better infrastructure, ecological health, and economic opportunities.

The Caño Martín Peña Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan (CIMP) is a testament to the power of community agency in addressing these communities’ unique challenges and is built upon the groundwork laid by the 2004 Plan de Desarrollo Integral y Usos del Terreno: Distrito Especial Caño Martín Peña (PDI), which was adopted as Puerto Rico Law 489. The CIMP is a transformative and actionable vision that directly addresses environmental and social justice concerns. The plan was developed through extensive collaboration with the coalition of the eight distinct communities of Caño Martín Peña. The 12,000 residents of these communities are beset with risks resulting from frequent flooding and a lack of infrastructure. The eight communities were instrumental in shaping the proposals to reflect their needs for a safe and thriving future.

The CIMP addresses critical environmental and social justice concerns through a holistic approach that incorporates nature-based solutions, designs that work with natural systems, and climate change risk analysis based on local sea level rise and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s AR6 report. This comprehensive plan targets safe drinking water, sanitary water and stormwater collection, flood protection, economic opportunities, and access to safe housing and open space. Environmental sensitivity and sustainability are core principles of the plan, and it accounts for increased flooding due to sea level rise and climate change, as well as financial and political realities of implementing infrastructure and housing projects.

By emphasizing the importance of community agency, the CIMP strengthens the connection between residents, local organizations, and governmental agencies charged with ensuring the long-term social, economic, and environmental resilience of the Caño Martín Peña community. This collaboration ensures that the voices of the CMP District communities are heard and that their needs are prioritized in the planning process.

Furthermore, the CIMP is a forward-looking plan addressing climate impacts through transformative action, scalable solutions, and protection of biodiversity within the San Juan Bay Tropical Estuary. Innovative approaches to stormwater management, flood protection, and housing development are designed to be scalable and adaptable, allowing for continued improvement in response to changing environmental conditions.

In summary, the Caño Martín Peña Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan showcases the power of community agency in addressing environmental and social justice concerns. By incorporating the needs and desires of the CMP District communities, this plan paves the way for a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future that empowers residents and safeguards their social capital.