La Fontana District is a 96-acre new district located to the west of the historic city of David, Panama, on a site facing the Pan-American Highway, which stretches from Alaska to Argentina. Over the decades, uncontrolled infill development and random sprawl have eroded the urban form and ecology of David, which was originally planned according to the Law of the Indies.
La Fontana sets a new model for development based on the principles of New Urbanism—a design and policy approach that has been lacking in Panama. The development is designed using a compact grid of blocks and streets carefully inserted into a landscape of existing clearings, with native landscape species specific to the tropical climate of the country.
“This approach contrasts enormously with typical practices in Panama, where the landscape is considered merely for its ornamental value, if considered at all,” notes Luis Alfaro, a Panamanian landscape architect who was involved in the project.
La Fontana is a traditional neighborhood development (TND), an idea that has built some transformative projects in the US and other countries. This project is designed to the highest standards of TND, notes architect and juror Marieanne Khoury-Vogt. “This beautiful project manages to seamlessly stitch the grid together on one side, and open up to ecological considerations on the other. It has a scale of blocks and streets that I love.”
The district integrates multiple housing types that emphasize courtyard living. With neighborhoods organized around squares, the plan takes its inspiration from the historic center of Savannah, Georgia. La Fontana is composed of four community sub-areas: three centered on Savannah-like squares, and the fourth on a park opening to a river. The Savannah-like parks are surrounded by blocks making up “quarters.” The northwest park area is called the “knowledge quarter,” and the development calls for a large university building, student housing, and a civic building belonging to the Republic of Panama central government.
La Fontana is a traditional neighborhood development (TND), an idea that has built some transformative projects in the US and other countries. This project is designed to the highest standards of TND, notes architect and juror Marieanne Khoury-Vogt. “This beautiful project manages to seamlessly stitch the grid together on one side, and open up to ecological considerations on the other. It has a scale of blocks and streets that I love.”
The district integrates multiple housing types that emphasize courtyard living. With neighborhoods organized around squares, the plan takes its inspiration from the historic center of Savannah, Georgia. La Fontana is composed of four community sub-areas: three centered on Savannah-like squares, and the fourth on a park opening to a river. The Savannah-like parks are surrounded by blocks making up “quarters.” The northwest park area is called the “knowledge quarter,” and the development calls for a large university building, student housing, and a civic building belonging to the Republic of Panama central government.
