Internal Urban Plaza: RE-HABITAR

Project idea

In Cartago Centro, Costa Rica, the former railway corridor represents an underused urban space with potential to become a meaningful public infrastructure. The REHABITAR proposal introduces an internal urban plaza as the heart of the intervention: a space that mediates between the city and a residential complex for vulnerable women, generating a node of social encounter, identity, and connection within the emerging urban landscape of the Linear Railway Park.

Project description

The internal plaza operates as the central organizing element of the project, articulating three two-story built cores around a shared open space at ground level. It connects circulation paths, recreational areas, and program transitions, while fostering a relationship between residents and the broader urban context. The plaza functions simultaneously as a threshold between public and private life, and as a space for social reintegration within the city.

Technical information

The plaza is located within the Linear Railway Park proposal in Cartago Centro, Costa Rica. It is defined by three interconnected two-story cores with a total built area of 3,200 m², united at ground level by the central plaza and at the second level by a bridge connecting two of the cores. Native vegetation and permeable surfaces are integrated into the plaza design to enhance bioclimatic comfort and ecological connectivity.