Plazas

There are 7 plazas in the Mercado District plan that are defined and enclosed by single-family houses of varying sizes. These houses are built close to the sidewalk, placing garages at the rear of the property.

The plazas are intimate public spaces, scaled to the pedestrian with buildings of 2 stories and bounded by narrow streets with on-street parking. All vehicle access is from rear alleys or side streets on corner lots.

The plazas extend from building to building, incorporating the sidewalks, pavement, and center garden or jardin into the space. The jardines range in size and detail, providing both recreation and water harvesting.

The spatial qualities of plazas are emphasized by the strong, continuous, and simple 'street wall' that is formed by the buildings. These plazas become a large outdoor room within the overall public realm.

Residents may want the communal qualities that these spaces offer at some times, and at other times—by building in this way—they have the option of staying in their private open space behind the street wall.

Plazas are connectors between all of the different types of streets in the neighborhood. Accordingly, each space has the opportunity to express a unique character depending on the types of buildings surrounding it, and the nature of the streets feeding into it. The plaza and its associated jardin is heavily dependent upon the surrounding buildings to clearly define its edges. Without this interrelationship, the public space loses its definition and places between buildings lose their intimacy.

  
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