Summary

In 2010, the City of El Paso commissioned Able City and Jason King, leading the Dover, Kohl & Partners Team, to create a detailed Comprehensive Plan and regional-scale Future Land Use Map for the city. The Comprehensive Plan is an overarching policy document that directs the City of El Paso in its implementation of consensus-based goals created through an extensive public process. The goals, objectives, and strategies of the plan involve all aspects of city administration and community life: land use, urban design, historic preservation, economic development, housing, transportation, health, sustainability, infrastructure, public facilities, international coordination, and Fort Bliss Army Base relations. Jason King and his team led a multidisciplinary team of over 14 different specialty consultants.

Process: The Plan El Paso Comprehensive Plan process was interactive and bilingual, including three two-week charrettes in multiple areas throughout the city. During the charrettes, the team engaged with over 800 studio visitors, meeting attendees, and hands-on participants. Over 20,000 people followed the project on its website or participated in online conversations and polling in the project’s virtual town hall. Newspaper, television, and web coverage of the project was extensive.

Status: On March 6, 2012, Plan El Paso was adopted by a unanimous vote of the El Paso City Council. The EPA awarded Plan El Paso a 2011 National Award for Smart Growth Excellence in Programs, Policies, and Regulations. The EPA grants this award yearly to “recognize exceptional approaches to development that respect the environment, foster economic vitality, and enhance quality of life.” The project was used as a case study in the national discussion on placemaking and city planning by the National Resource Defense Council.