Project Name: San Antonio Oxbow Bluffs Open Space
Client: City of Albuquerque
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Year: 2021-2026

Perched above one of the last remaining undeveloped stretches of the Rio Grande Bosque, the San Antonio Oxbow Bluffs Open Space is a 23-acre property shaped by ecological process, development, and community advocacy. The site overlooks the San Antonio Oxbow, the only wetland connected to the Rio Grande within a 40-mile reach. Once threatened by a proposed 69-home development, the property was acquired by the City of Albuquerque in 2021 following a community-driven effort to protect this rare landscape.

Our work began by listening. Through walking tours, in-person surveys, and conversations with community members, outdoor educators, Open Space staff, and other stakeholders, we helped the community develop a vision for the future of the property. Multiple design concepts were developed and tested to understand how the site could support public access while protecting sensitive ecological systems and honoring its layered history.

The resulting design balances low-impact recreation, ecological restoration, and interpretation. Accessible trails connect overlooks and gathering spaces, while a secondary trail network provides a more immersive experience. Stormwater strategies, native seeding, erosion control, and preservation of existing trees, including habitat-rich snags, respond to the site’s fragile conditions.

Interpretive elements throughout the landscape share the story of the oxbow, Indigenous stewardship, local ecology, and the community members who helped protect the site. Restored hornos, a commissioned mural, and other remnants of the property’s past connect visitors to its cultural history.

Construction broke ground in summer of 2025 and the site was open for recreation in June 2026. Visit the project website.