Welcome to BSTN.Net!

This site was built to share information about my work with other people interested in Urban Design, Planning, Architecture and Geographic Information Systems.

My career in design and planning started in Brazil, after moving to Curitiba in 1988 to study Architecture and Planning at the Federal University of Parana’ (UFPR), in Curitiba, Parana’.
The city of Curitiba - located approximately 400 Miles south of Sao Paulo – is considered one of the most livable cities in Brazil. It is also internationally known for its public transportation system, relying on an hierarchical network of bus lines with dedicated lanes and custom-made boarding stations.

Upon graduating in 1995, I joined the research team in charge of building the spatial database for the Brazilian Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands systems in the world with 250,000 square Miles of wetlands and uplands, roughly in size to the State of Colorado.
This project, known as the Integrated Watershed Management of the Pantanal and Upper Paraguay River Basin (PCBAP), was sponsored by the World Bank and the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The research team was composed by aproximately 120 professionals, including geologists, sociologists, economists, environmental scientists, urban planners and other experts. The project’s final report was completed in 1997, creating the framework for many other area-specific projects in the fields of economic development, environmental conservation and regional planning.

Also in 1997, my wife and I both received scholarships to enroll in the Urban & Regional Planning Masters Program at University of Florida, and joined the research staff at the GeoPlan Center, one of the premier Research Labs in the United States, specializing in Geographic Information Systems, or GIS.

My Master’s Degree research focused on Urban Design, and the application of traditional design principles to infill projects with the goal of improving the character of distressed urban neighborhoods. The image on the left shows a case-study of the vacated Mercy Hospital in Denver, Colorado and the proposed solution for the development of a mixed-use, high-density neighborhood core with retail, offices, and residential units surrounding a new urban plaza.

Since 2007 I have concentrated on developing my own business, named Urban Design Solutions. UDS provides professional consulting services in Urban Design, Land Development and Planning. We are a small business crafted to provide expert advice to quality-conscious public and private clients who take pride on improving the communities they serve. Our staff is composed by Architects, Urban Designers, Planners, and experts in Geographic Information Systems.

If you would like to contact me about my work, or if you would like to send your feedback, please feel free to use the contact page. It is always a pleasure to meet people who are passionate about design and planning.