Hugo Colón Acevedo
Emily McMillan Tucker
Friday, March 11, 2:30 pm,
Salon C
RGV Transport is an initiative to develop and implement a transportation activation plan that increases the use and availability of multi-modal transportation opportunities in Cameron & Hidalgo Counties in an effort to connect urban centers to surrounding rural communities. The project has two phases: research & identification, and outreach & education.
Researching and collectively mapping the existing bus and bike transit systems at a regional, multi-county scale, RGV Transport has allowed project partners to see and prioritize disconnected communities. These regional maps are able to identify low income communities with greater transportation needs, identify opportunities for improvement, and initiate workshops with affected residents.
Outreach through community workshops serves a dual purpose. They collect information from users that aid the project partners in identifying and verifying service gaps, while creating a point of distribution for information on existing and proposed transportation services.
This presentation will speak to the process of identifying gaps through data, mapping, and community engagement, to recognize viable opportunities for strengthening connections to key destinations, and to create sources of community pride and character. A case study of the recently completed Belden Trail project will demonstrate how transforming an abandoned easement into a neighborhood pedestrian and bike trail connected low-income communities to nearby amenities and created an avenue for transportation that positively impact residents’ quality of life.
Planning and Design Associate,
BuildingCommunityWORKSHOP
Hugo Colon is a Planning & Design Associate at buildingcommunity WORKSHOP. Hugo was born and raised in Puerto Rico where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Puerto Rico. His particular interest towards open space, landscape and hydrology drove him to pursue a second Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design, from which he graduated in 2013. During the past year, Hugo has been part of the [bc] team managing the Colonias Public Space & Stormwater Low Impact Development, the RGV Transport projects, and contributing to the LUCHA and Casitas Los Olmos projects in the Rio Grande Valley.
bcFELLOW,
BuildingCommunityWORKSHOP
Emily McMillan Tucker is a bcFELLOW at buildingcommunity WORKSHOP. Emily was born and raised in Midland, Texas. She moved to Boston to attend art school at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts. A love of drawing and a passion for environmental stewardship lead her to pursue a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2013. During her time at the GSD she was awarded a Penny White Grant to study public spaces in the Texas Colonias. She brings a background in visual arts, agriculture, small scale garden design and environmental education. Her past experience includes working on community design projects in East Austin and developing municipal grants for rural towns near Marfa, Texas.
