A Taxonomy of Vacancy

a map of San Antonio, Texas with seven commercial strips that align with VIA Metropolitan Transit's 2040 Long Range Plan for BRT and LRT. The strips are labeled with different places in the city such as "Stone Oak," "Rolling Oaks," "Loop 410," "Lackland," "Brooks," "Texas A&M," and "UTSA." The second image contains many geometric shapes of varying size and shape. They all overlap and come together to form a pattern.
The taxonomy of vacancy will focus on seven commercial strips that align with VIA Metropolitan Transit's 2040 Long Range Plan for BRT and LRT. © Ian Caine.
a visual representation of a taxonomy of vacant or underutilized parcels in San Antonio, Texas. It depicts different shapes and sizes of parcels that are overlaid and intersect with each other. These shapes represent the different types and configurations of vacant or underutilized land that exist within the city. The image suggests the complexity and heterogeneity of vacant land in the urban environment and how the research team will create a taxonomy to analyze and understand these parcels.The research team will create a taxonomy of vacant or underutilized parcels, establishing parameters related to size, cost, zoning, location, and use. © Ian Caine, J. William Arch, Melanie Bartholomew, Devon Duffin, Phuoc Luu, Diana Rodriguez, Evey Santillan, and Michelyn Smith.
Project Team

Principal Investigator:
Ian Caine, Associate Professor, Director, Center for Urban and Regional Planning Research

Researchers:
Rudy Niño, Jr., AICP, Interim Director, Planning Department, City of San Antonio
Wei Zhai, PhD, Assistant Professor, Urban Planning
Esteban López Ochoa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Urban Planning
Chris Quattro, Assistant Professor, Planning, Appalachian State University
Meesha Afkami, Research Assistant
Andrea Albarrán Montes, Research Assistant

 

Project Sponsor:
SOM Foundation
City of San Antonio

 

Project Description

This research project seeks to counteract the geographic expansion of San Antonio, Texas, by quantifying vacant or underutilized parcels along commercial strips and proposing their redevelopment with multifamily, infill housing. This research project coincides with current efforts to accommodate an expected influx of over one million people into Bexar County over twenty-five years, requiring the creation of 500,000 new housing units.

The research will proceed in two phases. First, the team will utilize quantitative methods to create a taxonomy of vacant or underutilized land parcels, focusing on seven commercial strips that align with future transit lines in the City’s SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan and VIA Metropolitan Transit's 2040 Long Range Plan. Second, graduate students in architecture will utilize design methods to generate new, affordable, sustainable multifamily housing prototypes that respond to evolving economic, programmatic, and demographic conditions along the seven commercial strips.

Collaborating Research Lab:

Urban Platform