Graduate project for South El Camino Real in San Clemente

CRP 553 Studio wins two 2015 Academic Awards of Excellence from APA Sections

The South El Camino Real Urban Design Vision Plan for the City of San Clemente won the 2016 Academic Awards of Excellence from Central Coast and the Orange County sections of California Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA). The plan was developed for the city by a first-year MCRP studio led by instructor Vicente del Rio in the 2015. These awards are highly competitive and winning is an accomplishment to be proud of. This now qualifies the project for the California State Chapter awards that will be announced later this year.

The plan's main goal was to make the South El Camino Real corridor more reflective of the community needs, visually appealing, safer to pedestrians and bicyclists, and better connected to its vicinities and the rest of San Clemente. In an intensive 10-week quarter-long process, the class assessed the opportunities and constraints through field studies and interviews, an on-line survey with almost 150 respondents, an active project website, and a community meeting. The proposed plan include a radical streetscape design including traffic-calming solutions, Class 1 bike lanes, and public art; intense infill development particularly vertical mixed-use; three anchor developments to serve as gateways and a community core; and new connections including the redesign of the existing pedestrian bridge over Interstate 5. The students successfully presented the final project in public meetings of San Clemente's City Council and of the Planning Commission, and were praised for their efforts and the timely quality of the work, particularly the importance and feasibility of several ideas.