In 2020, the Albuquerque Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency selected Pland Collaborative with Wilson & Company to create a framework plan for a 0.9 mile multi-use urban trail, traversing the historic heart of the City of Albuquerque. The goal of this project was to create a framework for the development of design concepts and an implementation roadmap for its eventual construction. The trail is anticipated to spur economic development and support other revitalization efforts in Downtown Albuquerque.  

The trail corridor is located along existing roadways and railroad tracks, traversing the oldest, most historic areas of the City's core. The success of the trail hinges on the support of adjacent business owners and community members. To earn their support, Pland engaged a steering committee comprised of community and business leaders, a public sector working group, and the general public. Their input shaped the vision, goals, strategies, and overall recommendations of the plan.  

Pland guided the development of the plan through a number of walking tours, design charettes, surveys, and public meetings. The final plan envisions a trail that is both a celebration of Albuquerque’s cultural history and a bright vision for the future of the City. The plan takes cues from the historic transportation routes it parallels and crosses including El Camino Real, Route 66, and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Rail Line.  

The plan will link Albuquerque’s downtown core to nearby neighborhoods, mass transportation options, the historic Rail Yards redevelopment site, employment opportunities, and activity centers.  Through public-private partnerships, the City of Albuquerque seeks to reinvigorate the local economy by providing unique activities along the trail that will draw people to Downtown Albuquerque. The plan integrates existing transportation projects, including efforts to enhance streetscapes for walkability, improve bicycle networks, reduce traffic fatalities, and implement other urban trails proposed along the railroad tracks. The plan has been finalized and the city has secured funding to implement the vision.