A design team led by Carlos Marín and José Muñoz-Villers has claimed first prize in Mexico City’s "La Merced" competition for their masterplan proposal to re-conceive the popular marketplace, Plaza Central La Merced. The team’s design, which beat out about 100 other entries, proposed the realization of a new public square to centralize pedestrian activity and to anchor strategies for urban revitalization, such as the reclamation of local heritage sites, the careful manipulation of natural elements, and the installation of urban furniture as a means for placemaking.
The competition requisitioned conceptual resolutions in five specific categories: (1) Sustainable design; (2) The rehabilitation of the public market with urban furniture; (3) The strengthening of the cultural value of the proposed site; (4) The increased efficiency of accessibility and connectivity in the area; (5) The reorganization of the urban context for development potential.
