Dylan's blog

I took a trip to the CNU planned and designed community called Windsor in Vero Beach, Florida.  It was the nicest and most well-planned community that I have ever witnessed personally.  The Anglo-Caribbean architecture of most of the residences is very unique.  The parks and lawns are perfectly manicured and the streets are lined with palm trees.  Different recreational and social activities abound, including golf.

There are several characteristics of the town of Playa Coronado, Panama that I noticed while I was there, that may make it the perfect place for a walkable mixed-use New Urbanist community.  

The first and most obvious reason, in my opinion, is the gorgeous white and black sand beach. Notice how that the coast is in the shape of a triangular point.  I thought that this was reminiscent of the Master Plan of Seaside, Florida and other New Urbanist communities with an iconic structure/terminating vista and agora/amphitheatre/social space.  

I recently visited the Brickell and Wynwood Districts on and near the Biscayne Bay in Miami, FL, which is included in the New Urbanist/CNU Master Plan with a Form-Based Code known as Miami21.  Miami21 is the first Master Plan to use a Form-Based Code in a major US city.  

http://www.miami21.org/  

What are Form-Based Codes?

http://www.formbasedcodes.org/what-are-form-based-codes

More on Form-Based codes and CNU- Form-Based Codes a Significant Work in Progress

http://www.cnu.org/presentations/2007/form-based-codes-significant-work-...

The answer to the question in the title of the Blog- well...... the picture to the right might be a little bit deceiving.  

A few years ago I got involved in a project in building a biological corridor (planting indigenous tree species for local wildlife habitat) for the Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica.  Manuel Antonio is home to many natural wonders, unique ecosystems, and endangered species of wildlife, as well as being the most popular tourist destination in the country of Costa Rica.  This fact has been the cause of much ongoing debate and tension between environmentalists, developers, and politicians in this country.  

Dominical is a slow-paced, laid back beach town in the Southwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the Osa Canton/Northern Osa Peninsula.  The South Pacific Highway running North/South parallel to the Pacific coast of this region all the way to Panama City, Panama was recently paved over in the last 5-10 years.  Prior to this paving of the highway, it was merely a "dirt" road going South from the town of Quepos to Dominical.  Before the paving of the highway, few tourists rarely ventured into the Southwest Pacific Coast region of Costa Rica.

I have resided near Downtown Orlando, Florida for the vast majority of the 33 years of my life.  I have witnessed this area go through many changes in this time.  The main corridor through Downtown Orlando is called Orange Avenue.  If driving or walking along Orange Avenue, one will see many highrise office buildings, the bottom stories most of which are occupied by bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and cafes.

Recently I visited and spoke to several of the local people that work in and/or are involved in the development, engineering, and architecture of Playa San Carlos, Panama.  The Playa San Carlos is one of the most unique and beautiful tropical beaches I have ever witnessed personally.  In the foreground of the photo you can see what are the remains of an old Spanish/Pirate fort dating back to the 1500's.  The sand is a mixture of black volcanic and white shell sands swirled together.

Recently, many efforts and projects have been undertaken in the overall renovation and restoration of the UNESCO World Heritage site Casco Viejo, or the Old Town section of Panama City, Panama.  Unlike the thriving modern metropolis complete with futuristic highrises and plush condos to the south, these buildings in this section of the city are old, very old.

I am currently working on a project in the Southwest coast of Costa Rica in the town of Uvita just North of the Osa Peninsula.  This project is called the Uvita Tropical Studies Institute.  The website can be found at www.utsi.org.  The Osa Peninsula region is an environmental gem.  It is one of (if not the most) biologically diverse regions on planet Earth.