Sites Southwest, along with the project engineers, provided the US Army Corps of Engineers with a study that is changing the face of the Rio Grande, in central New Mexico. This Reconnaissance Study is the first phase of a comprehensive program to restore and revitalize the river. This project was awarded the National Planning and Analysis Honor award in 2004 from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The goal of the plan is to restore the Bosque (forest) along the river to an ecologically sustainable and natural environment that will provide exceptional visual, recreational and interpretive opportunities for the citizens of the state and region. The project involved significant analysis, design and public processing. The analysis included documenting the Bosque's unique history and natural and manmade features using fieldwork, historical reviews, and our GIS capabilities. The design portion of the project ncluded work with project stakeholders and others through a Design Charrette and other design-oriented methods. Lastly, the project involved facilitating extensive community involvement. Albuquerque's Rio Grande River Bosque has the potential to be a unique approach to re-creating flood control projects within the river environment as a recreational destination in the middle of the largest city in New Mexico.
