Land use planning in the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Abstract

This thesis addresses the question whether and how a large transportation infrastructure, in this case a port, can co-exist with a large metropolitan area. The case study analyzed is the redevelopment of the port and waterfront of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The first part reviews how the undergoing changes in the shipping and cruise industry affect ports and cities. It also reviews the developments currently proposed along the waterfront of San Juan. The second part develops a Trip Generation Distribution Computerized Model. This model proposes a methodology to analyze the traffic impact the proposed developments have on the overall roadway network. The third part constitutes an Urban Design and Land Use proposal for a district of the San Juan metropolitan area, Isla Grande. The conceptual transit-oriented development proposal shows a way to accommodate growth that benefits the city and the port, while contributing to alleviate traffic problems. As a contribution to enhance communication between all the stakeholders, a Web Site is developed as part of this thesis. Key Words: Puerto Rico, Port Planning, Cruise Industry, Waterfronts, Traffic Modeling, Urban Transportation, Urban Design, Land Use Planning, Transit Oriented Development.