Panel disussion at the Vacancy to Vitality exhibition opening at the San Antonio Central Library.
Research presentation at the Vacancy to Vitality exhibition opening at the San Antonio Central Library.
Thanks to Paola Aguirre Serrano, AICP of Borderless Studio for moderating our Vacancy to Vitality panel Tuesday evening at the Central Library. Thanks also to panelists Christine Vina of VIA Metropolitan Transit, Jim Bailey AIA of Alamo Architects, and Esteban López Ochoa, PhD of UT San Antonio for sharing their time and insight!
The 75-minute program brought together academic researchers, design practitioners, and public-sector leaders to examine how vacant and underutilized land along San Antonio’s proposed rapid-transit corridors could be redeveloped to add housing while strengthening existing communities.
A structured audience Q&A allowed participants to submit questions in real time, reinforcing the role of public dialogue in refining research assumptions and identifying practical barriers to implementation. The program concluded with brief closing reflections from each panelist, focused on immediate actions—policy, institutional, and civic—that could move vacancy-to-vitality strategies from speculation toward execution.
Funding provided by the SOM Foundation’s 2023 Research Prize, with additional support from the City of San Antonio, San Antonio Area Foundation, and the San Antonio Public Library.