WRT

Name: WRT
Address: Philadelphia, PA, US
Telephone: +12157325215

WRT is a team of planners, urban designers, architects, and landscape architects

WRT is a team of planners, urban designers, architects, and landscape architects. We value the impact of our collective approach to create simple solutions for complex problems across scales. We serve our communities by designing places that enhance the natural and social environment.

05/21/2026

Ashland Zócalo has received an Honor Award from the Northern California Chapter of ASLA (.norcal) - and the Foothill Trail Master Plan received a Merit Award in Analysis and Planning. We’re proud of both projects, and grateful to the community and partners who made them possible.

Ashland is an unincorporated neighborhood in Alameda County that had grown significantly over two decades without a central gathering place. Working with and , we led a five-year community engagement and design process to change that. Residents named the park, shaped its programs, selected its plants, and collaborated with a local artist on its murals. The design draws from mosaic tile, native and climate-adapted planting, and the cultural identity of a majority Hispanic/Latino and Asian community. Ashland Zócalo is now a working civic center - markets, performances, youth programs, and daily life.

The Foothill Trail Master Plan, also recognized this year, defines a vision and alignment for a trail corridor skirting the East Bay hills in Hayward - the legacy of a successfully opposed freeway project. The Plan provides a framework for implementation across public agencies and private development, with design work now underway on multiple segments.

Congratulations to our collaborators on both projects: , , , CSW (Civil Engineer), , RMA (Irrigation Designer), Debra Koppman (Mural Artist)

05/18/2026

The San Carlos Downtown Specific Plan and Streetscape Master Plan has been recognized with a 2026 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan (Merit) by APA California Northern Section.

We worked alongside City staff through more than three years of community engagement to develop a plan that rethinks how downtown San Carlos functions - widened sidewalks, protected bike lanes, improved outdoor dining, and urban greening - grounded in what residents said they needed.

The plan is already moving into implementation, with Harrington Park as the first project reflecting that community vision. This recognition belongs to the and everyone who helped shape it.

05/14/2026

Santa Clara’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan has been adopted. Shaped by input from more than 1,800 residents, the plan charts a long-term path to expand park access in a city where land for new open space is limited.

We worked with to think beyond traditional park acquisition - identifying school district partnerships, development opportunities, aquatic improvements, and future indoor recreation facilities as the tools for closing gaps in a built-out community.

The result is a plan grounded in equity: ensuring residents of all ages and abilities have meaningful access to parks and recreation, not just those in proximity to existing amenities.

04/22/2026

This Earth Day, we’re reflecting on what it means to invest in public landscapes. At Lake Merritt, the impact of planning and design is measured over time.

A center of public life in the City of Oakland for over a century, the historic boathouse and surrounding park had fallen into disrepair. Working with we restored the lakefront as a public resource to reconnect shoreline paths, improve access across neighborhoods, and manage stormwater.

Years later, this work demonstrates how prioritizing ecological health and public access creates lasting value for communities.

04/20/2026

The Donoe Redevelopment in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands delivers 84 units of hurricane-resilient, energy-independent affordable housing designed around long-term community wellbeing.

After Hurricanes Marilyn, Irma, and Maria, WRT led the master planning and design of this 11-acre neighborhood to help displaced residents return to homes built for the realities of a changing climate.

With passive ventilation, shaded balconies, and an on-site solar microgrid with battery storage, the project responds to the Caribbean environment while supporting long-term affordability. Resilience is not only about weathering the next storm. It is about helping communities endure, recover, and thrive.

A partnership made possible by Pennrose, Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority, Jackson Development Company, LLC, J. Benton Construction, LLC, and Consigli Construction Co., Inc.

04/15/2026

Chinatown’s newest affordable housing development (Man An House 萬安樓) offers 51 fully affordable units on N 9th St., serving senior residents. On the eastern wall of the building, Philadelphia-based muralist .cai has created something powerful.

Commissioned by , the mural draws from the beloved “History of Chinatown” at 10th & Winter St. - a work painted in resistance to the Vine Street Expressway that divided the neighborhood in the 1960s, and in celebration of Chinatown’s 125th anniversary in Philadelphia. That original mural, by artists Arturo Ho, Giz, N. Phung, and H. Tran, overflows with imagery: railroad workers, laundry laborers, a family sharing tea, a father and son bent over a book.

Chenlin Cai’s new mural carries that spirit forward - adding fresh color and new chapters to a story still being written.

A partnership made possible by .

03/31/2026

The Berkeley waterfront has a long history of passionate advocates. Ensuring that history includes everyone took intentional work.

WRT partnered with public engagement consultant Susan Moffat to design the New Voices Partnership - a program that recruited and trained community members who are often left out of park planning processes to participate alongside established stakeholders in shaping the future of North Basin Strip, a 20-acre shoreline site on the Berkeley waterfront and the last major undeveloped parcel in McLaughlin Eastshore State Park.

What made this effort distinct was its scope beyond a single site. Participants left with the skills and confidence to engage in future planning processes - not just this one.

Grateful to the organizations whose trust and partnership made this work possible: , , , , , , , , , and . Grant funding provided by . Project managed by .

03/12/2026

Community is reflected in Norfolk’s many “third places,” public spaces where neighbors gather, socialize, and build relationships outside of work and home. These spaces help define what it means to live in Norfolk, and why so many citizens choose to stay.

In a time of regional growth and demographic change, Norfolk’s history and character can be a powerful asset. It draws new residents, retains longtime neighbors, and connects us to each other. By investing in stories, spaces, and people, we ensure identity isn’t just preserved, but celebrated.

By 2050, residents hope to see this tapestry grow even richer. This future should be rooted in preserving landmarks, activating the waterfront, and fostering pride and belonging across the city.

Read the full plan: www.NFK2050.com

03/04/2026

As wildfires, climate related events, and emergency calls grow in frequency and intensity, communities are rethinking how critical civic infrastructure is planned and designed.

San Geronimo Valley and the greater Marin County area are planning a new fire station and all hazard response facility that will serve as the operational headquarters for the department’s expanding emergency response efforts. Working with and community partners, the planning and design process integrates operational needs with the valley’s ecological systems, rural character, and long term community well being.

Follow along as planning progresses and community input helps shape the future home for San Geronimo’s emergency response services.

02/25/2026

Schools are not isolated buildings. They are living systems shaped by ecology, pedagogy, and community.

At Wilmington Friends School, we approached the Lower School renovation as a learning ecology, strengthening connections between classrooms and landscape, aligning space with child centered teaching, and advancing climate responsibility through adaptive reuse.

We believe landscape architects and designers shape more than campuses. We shape the environments where curiosity, belonging, and resilience take root for a lifetime.

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Telephone

+12157325215

Website

http://www.wrtdesign.com/

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