Real estate developments featuring prominent architectural firms are transforming urban landscapes throughout North America, even as developers face unprecedented challenges including political instability, economic uncertainty, sustainability requirements, community concerns, affordable housing shortages, high land costs, walkability demands, and transit accessibility needs. These obstacles haven't deterred ambitious developers and forward-thinking architects from pursuing large-scale projects that offer opportunities to innovate with materials and construction systems, implement new concepts, and add density to accommodate growing urban populations while generating substantial profits.
In Atlanta, local development company New City Properties has successfully transformed the Fourth Ward area, capitalizing on the success of the nearby Beltline development that has been evolving over many years. The transformation involves several prestigious architectural firms including Olson Kundig, HKS, Morris Adjmi Architects, and Barkow Leibinger. As one of 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Atlanta is preparing for global attention by redeveloping a 50-acre underdeveloped site known as the Gulch, with Foster & Partners designing the master plan for the area now called Centennial Yards.
Centennial Yards received its first tower in 2022 from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and the second phase will feature 470,000 square feet of residential, commercial, and entertainment spaces across 7.5 acres of new construction designed by Gensler and SHAPE. The multi-use district will be anchored by an entertainment facility already leased to Live Nation that can accommodate over 5,000 people, creating a significant entertainment destination in the heart of Atlanta.
In Tempe, Arizona, the South Pier development represents a massive $1.8 billion mixed-use project spanning 18 acres on Tempe Town Lake, directly adjacent to Arizona State University's campus. Construction has commenced on three residential towers comprising 724 units, with plans for a total of 17 high-rises across the site. Arizona State University is maximizing development opportunities by partnering with Catellus Development Corporation to transform 355 acres of campus land into the Novus Innovation Corridor, featuring 10 million square feet of mixed-use urban development including a main street retail district, more than 1,000 hotel rooms, and over 4.5 million square feet of Class A office space.
San Francisco's real estate transformation includes the high-profile Mission Rock development, which features A-list architectural firms such as MVRDV, Studio Gang, and Henning Larsen, with Studio Gang's Verde building serving as a notable example. Technology giant Meta is making its mark on the real estate market by converting a former industrial complex into Willow Village, creating its own community with 1,700 residential units and a central town square. Hart Howerton serves as the master planner, while Ankrom Moisan, Pickard Chilton, and Safdie Architects handle the residential, office, and meeting spaces respectively.
On the 393-acre artificial Treasure Island, a former naval base, CMG Landscape Architecture is developing 212 acres of parkland, Mark Cavagnero Associates is constructing two multifamily buildings, and Olson Kundig is designing a practice facility for Bay Football Club, San Francisco's new National Women's Soccer League team. These developments represent a comprehensive transformation of underutilized waterfront property into vibrant mixed-use communities.
Boston's development boom centers around the Seaport District, where WS Development and Buro Happold have overseen numerous projects featuring designs by Elkus Manfredi Architects and OMA. The transformation includes Boston's largest net-zero office building, designed collaboratively by Henning Larsen and Gensler. Along the waterfront, CBT Architects and Procter & Gamble have announced an ambitious mixed-use redevelopment plan for a former Gillette manufacturing plant in South Boston, encompassing 5.7 million square feet of development across a 31-acre site. Even the iconic South Station is receiving updates, with a new tower designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners nearing completion.
Austin's skyline is being transformed by The Waterline, the city's first supertall building at 74 stories, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and HKS as a luxury complex featuring a new 1 Hotel, retail spaces, and restaurants. Michael Hsu Office of Architecture, winner of the AN Best of Practice Southwest award for large firms, is handling the interior design. The complex faces Lady Bird Lake adjacent to the Waterloo Greenway Park system, which is undergoing its own comprehensive redevelopment. Meanwhile, The Row, developed by Presidium as a 314-acre mixed-use community near Tesla's new gigafactory, has recently opened for retail leasing with Chioco Design leading the retail architectural components.
Chicago is experiencing major transformations with RIOS receiving city approval for phase one of The 1901, a $7 billion project that will reshape Chicago's West Side. The ambitious development includes a 6,000-seat music hall, hotel accommodations, parks, and an elevated outdoor destination designed by Field Operations, being promoted as Chicago's equivalent to New York's High Line. The mixed-use development will occupy over 55 acres of privately owned land surrounding the United Center arena complex, home to the Chicago Bulls. Additionally, Related Midwest is planning The 78, an $8 billion mixed-use megadevelopment on 62 acres in the South Loop, potentially bringing upwards of 10,000 residential units anchored by Gensler's planned $650 million Chicago Fire stadium.
Miami's development landscape includes CIM Group's 27-acre redevelopment with Elkus Manfredi leading the master plan to expand the Central Business District. The first phase of this $6 billion project encompasses 1,000 residences, 350,000 square feet of retail space, and new public plazas with pedestrian walkways. Related Group and GTIS Partners are advancing the long-planned Baccarat Residences, a 75-story tower associated with the French crystal and hospitality brand. In the Wynwood district, Michael Maltzan Architecture is designing the Bakehouse Art Complex as a live-work facility for artists. The Underline, a 10-mile linear park and urban trail that runs beneath the elevated Metrorail in various sections, continues its phased development with Gardner & Semler Landscape Architecture Design completing Phase Two in late 2024, while Field Operations, which completed phase one in 2023, continues work on the final phase that broke ground in June.
Houston's urban expansion includes a master plan by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership aimed at bringing affordable housing, infrastructure improvements, and public space to the Greater East End and Fifth Ward, now designated as Buffalo Bayou East. Two projects have been completed under this plan: Japhet Creek Park by Asakura Robinson and a mixed-income apartment complex with 80 units by Humphreys and Partners. NADAAA, working with Reed Hilderbrand, is transforming the graffiti-covered post-industrial Turkey Bend site for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. On Buffalo Bayou's north side near downtown, Page led the planning, design, and construction of East River's first phase, a planned 150-acre urban district where the initial 26-acre mixed-use redevelopment features 167,000 square feet of office space, 117,500 square feet of retail, and a 900-car parking garage.
Vancouver is witnessing Canada's largest First Nations real estate development project with Senáḵw, an 11-tower development under construction on 10.5 acres at Kits Point, just south of downtown. Led by the Squamish Nation's Nchkay Development Corporation in collaboration with Westbank, with Revery handling master planning and design and Kasian Architecture serving as architect of record, this will be the city's densest development upon completion. The project is divided into four phases and will ultimately offer 6,000 apartments with 7.5 acres of community space, with the first phase including three towers, retail, and public space expected next year. Senáḵw aims for net-zero energy operations through a district energy system powered by excess heat from Metro Vancouver infrastructure, with the heat pump and power plant forming part of phase one. The MST Development Corporation, a joint partnership between the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations, is planning multiple additional developments on First Nations land throughout Vancouver, including the Heather Lands mixed-use residential community with retail, public amenities, and an Indigenous cultural center on 21 acres, and Jericho Lands, still in early planning phases, which could add approximately 13,000 units and create nearly 3,000 jobs.
