International District Choice Neighborhood Plan Wins State Planning Excellence Award
City’s community-driven housing transformation plan recognized by the American Planning Association for innovation in design, community engagement, and long-term sustainability
The International District Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan has received the Award for Excellence in Community Design and Development from the American Planning Association (APA) New Mexico Chapter. The award, which recognizes outstanding projects that improve the built environment and community livability across New Mexico, was presented at the APA New Mexico Annual State Planning Conference on October 19. The plan — shaped by more than a year of community-led engagement — charts a path to replace 98 aging public housing units with modern, mixed-income housing while improving walkability, safety, green space, and services across Albuquerque’s International District.
“The International District has long been one of our most vibrant and resilient communities,” said Mayor Keller. “Our job is to pair that with better housing, safer streets, and more opportunity. This plan invests in growing the neighborhood without pushing out the people who built it.”
The Choice Neighborhood initiative is a partnership between the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Housing Authority (AHA), supported by a $500,000 HUD Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant awarded in late 2023. Planning firm Borderless Studio and UNM’s Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC) supported the process. The finalized Transformation Plan, released in January 2026, focuses on three AHA properties — Wainwright Manor (60 units on Gibson Blvd SE), the Grove Apartments (18 units), and the Pennsylvania Apartments (20 units) — and commits to zero displacement of current residents throughout redevelopment.
“What makes this plan award-worthy isn’t just what it proposes, it’s how it was built,” said Gilbert Ramírez, Director of the City of Albuquerque Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness. “The International District community showed up throughout this process, and their voices are in every page of this plan."
The Transformation Plan organizes its vision around three interconnected areas. For housing, the plan replaces 1970s-era public housing with high-quality, energy-efficient, mixed-income units — with a firm commitment that no current resident will be displaced. For people, it expands access to supportive services in education, health, employment, and safety. For the neighborhood, it invests in walkability, green space, play areas, and the cultural assets that make the International District one of Albuquerque’s most distinctive communities.
“This award belongs to the International District,” said Shawn Watson, Housing Development Associate at the Albuquerque Housing Authority. “AHA has been committed from the beginning to a process that centers residents. Seeing that commitment recognized at the state level is meaningful, and it strengthens our resolve to see this vision all the way through.”
The plan also addresses the creation of new affordable housing beyond the existing AHA properties. As part of the Transformation Plan, the City of Albuquerque will convey City-owned land to AHA for the development of additional affordable housing in the International District — a direct investment in the community’s long-term housing future. This includes seven vacant City-owned lots on Dallas Street and approximately three acres of vacant City-owned land near Phil Chacon Park. The land conveyance reflects the depth of the City’s partnership with AHA: not only rehabilitating and revitalizing existing public housing but bringing new resources to bear to expand housing opportunity for International District residents.
The plan was developed through extensive community workshops and engagement sessions with residents, business owners, and local organizations across the 2,000-acre district. APA New Mexico’s Excellence in Community Design and Development award specifically recognizes innovation in design, community engagement, and long-term sustainability — criteria the International District plan meets on every front.
With the Transformation Plan complete, the City and AHA are now positioned to compete for HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants — which can fund up to $50–$60 million in construction — to turn the plan into built reality.
Learn more about the International District Choice Neighborhood initiative at abqchoice.com.