This project for a 40.5 ha site in Downtown San Antonio was commissioned by the City of San Antonio to develop a plan for the re-use of the site formerly used for the 1968 World’s Fair (“HemisFair”).  Before 1968, the site was part of a historic residential neighborhood.  Today it contains the city’s convention center, and a few remnants of the 1968 Fair, such as the 135 m tall “Tower of the Americas.”  After the World’s Fair, San Antonio became a major tourist destination with its famed Riverwalk, adjacent to the HemisFair site.  While Riverwalk has been very successful, it has had the impact of discouraging local residents from using and living in downtown, which became overrun with tourists.  The city appointed a special commission to oversee the redevelopment of the HemisFair site that would re-connect it to its surrounding neighborhoods and also attract new residents back to the downtown.  The planning process included substantial participation by residents and other stakeholders from all over the city.  More than 750 people participated in a series of three public workshops and numerous smaller group work sessions to define the program for the site and to prepare a strategic framework for its development.  It is a good example of “bottom up” planning rather than “top down” decision-making.