DPZ Holiday Newsletter 2025

With a little holiday help from AI we commemorate our collaboration with Leon Krier on the Village of Heulebrug, Knokke-Heist, Belgium.

Happy Holidays from DPZ!

As 2025 concludes, we reflect on an eventful year of contrasts. Projects varied in scale, geography, and intent, and our charrettes spanned from Monaco to Alabama. Despite unpredictable political and economic conditions, it was a productive year that reflected DPZ’s full practice: new towns, downtowns, regional strategies, codes, and long-term implementation, all carried forward by our three offices and many collaborative hands.

In Florida, several long-running public-sector efforts reached milestones. Orange County adopted Vision 2050 and the Orange Code after eight years. Walton County’s Evaluation and Appraisal Report was unanimously approved. Windsor’s final phase, the North Village, broke ground.

In New England, a pro bono CNU Legacy Project was produced for Providence’s Health District. In Northwest Arkansas, a multi-county Regional Growth Strategy is underway for the NWA Council.

Internationally, DPZ traveled to the Bahamas and Mexico for new work. In Europe, earlier projects continued in Old Hatfield, Tornagrain, Chapelton, and Heulebrug. In the Middle East, DPZ returned to Riyadh after a 2-year hiatus to resume work on the Riyadh Urban Code.

Along the way, DPZ also participated in events like the Seaside Prize, CNU33, and a conference and exhibition honoring Leon Krier.

As we start a new year, we remain committed to designing thoughtfully, responsibly, and maintaining optimism. We extend our best wishes for health and success to all.

To read and learn more in depth about our work this past year, check out the other posts on the DPZ Pulse.

Rosemary Beach Celebrates 30 Years

Rosemary Beach commemorated its 30th anniversary in 2025, having been established at a charrette in Spring 1995. Activities included appearances by Andrés and the original Rosemary Beach Land Company president, Patrick Bienvenue, at the annual Owners Meeting.

The praise for Rosemary’s pathways, pocket parks, Main Street, etc. is understandable. DPZ, too, continues to be captivated and enriched by each return visit. We in turn commend each architect, landscape designer, builder, owner, merchant, and management team who contributed to this village’s success.

The Playa Tiku beachfront at the groundbreaking of Lahun Tiku, the Caribbean new town just south of Mahahual, MX.
Photo: Costa Maya News

Lahun Tiku Resort Breaks Ground in Costa Maya, MX

A DPZ project has broken ground on the southern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Designed in 2016, Lahun Tiku is a planned resort town situated on the outskirts of the village of Mahahual. Built on the site of an abandoned hotel, the initial phase consists of a tactical entertainment hub featuring a central beachfront green, a food truck court, and a series of vendor kiosks dedicated to showcasing the arts, crafts, and cuisine of the Yucatan Peninsula and Mayan culture.

In November, the Governor of the State of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama, toured the venue and unveiled plaque honoring the newly-designated Playa Tiku beach. The development aims to serve as a tourist attraction for the numerous cruise ship passengers who frequent the area known as Costa Maya.

Notre Dame Hosts Léon Krier Memorial Event

This November 23-25, the University of Notre Dame hosted a series of panels, speakers, and exhibitions centered around honoring the late Léon Krier. Lizz and Andrés were among the participants, with Andrés delivering the keynote speech on the final morning of the conference.

The speaking engagements and conference itinerary commenced on Monday, November 24, and included a showing of Léon’s last interview followed by a keynote speech by Demetri Porphyrios. After the break, Lizz had an opportunity to share her thoughts and experiences with Léon in a heartfelt presentation.

Read more about the event on DPZ’s Pulse here.

Photos courtesy of Mallory Baches

Lizz & Andrés + Urblandia

On December 16th, Lizz and Andrés participated in an Urblandia event in conversation with Andrew Quarrie and UM Associate Professor Richard John at the DPZ Miami Guest House to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Léon Krier.

The ticketed event served as an intimate question-and-answer discussion where people could remember and learn about Léon Krier and his profound impact on New Urbanism directly from Lizz and Andrés, two of his closest contemporaries. This included an in-depth exploration of his beginnings and his early influence, the brilliance and simplicity of his diagrams and essays, and the sincerity and warmth of his humanity and friendship.

Learn more on the Urblandia event page here.

Main Street Vero Beach Mural Festival

While progress in Vero Beach can sometimes feel incremental, it’s encouraging to see tangible pieces of DPZ’s 2024 Downtown Master Plan coming to life—from interim streetscape improvements to continued conversations around long-term district management.

In November, downtown Vero Beach came alive during the Main Street Vero Beach Mural Festival, an energizing community event produced in partnership with Main Street Vero Beach, the Vero Mural Project, and the Friends of the Vero Beach Art Village.

Read more about the festival on DPZ’s Pulse here.

Utah City Secures Peloton Partnership

Utah City has attracted the attention of the fitness company Peloton, leading to a collaboration between them to make Utah City a “Peloton-powered community” with Peloton spaces in every residential building.

This has received an enthusiastic response from the community, as well as organized events such as the first UC Sweat group fitness event.

Read the full article here.

Photos courtesy of Utah City

Rosemary Beach Features

In honor of Rosemary Beach’s 30th Anniversary, there have been a number of features, videos, and articles about the community.

On YouTube, Fourth Place shared a video exploring Rosemary Beach as a ‘European’ community.

House Beautiful, a lifestyle magazine, included Rosemary Beach (as well as Alys Beach) on their list of prettiest American Beach towns that look like Europe.

Finally, Business Insider shared an article that honored Rosemary Beach as a vacation alternative that presented a beautiful, walkable, and laid back environment.

ULI 2025 Project of the Year Finalist: Camana Bay

This November, ULI Southeast Florida / Caribbean announced the six finalists for its 2025 Project of the Year to recognize the highest standards of new urbanist development in the region.

Among the honorees was DPZ’s Camana Bay project, a 685-acre waterfront New Urbanist town in Grand Cayman. The community was the subject of a 2007 DPZ Master Plan and Code.

Read more about Camana Bay on the ULI finalist page here.

Learn about the 2007 Camana Bay Charrette in this documentary.

Tom Low Wins the Barranco Award

DPZ is proud to congratulate Architect and Town Planner Tom Low on receiving the Urban Guild’s 2025 Barranco Award. The honor recognizes Tom for his “dedication to the art of placemaking and his deep moral commitment to community.”

Tom was the director of the DPZ Charlotte office for nearly two decades and was the author of the Light Imprint Handbook, the groundbreaking work that beautifully detailed how sustainable, context-sensitive infrastructure could be easily and more economically incorporated into a community’s open space network.

Read more about the 2025 Urban Guild Awards here.

Best in Asia: Seafront Residences

Continuing a long line of awards for the project over the past several years, Seafront Residences was honored as the Best Waterfront Housing Development in Asia at the 20th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards in Thailand this December.

In November, we bid farewell to Robert A.M. Stern, a friend, educator, and longtime mentor to DPZ and many in the new urbanist community.

DPZ’s beginnings are tied to Stern’s early interest in housing and communities. He was also known as a Seaside Institute Fellow, a Seaside Prize recipient (1999), and a strong contributor to the new urbanism movement as a whole. He will be remembered fondly, and his legacy will carry on through us all.

Read more about Robert A.M. Stern and his remarkable legacy on the Seaside Institute’s tribute page here.