MUD Workshop

Design + Planning


Rochester Midtown Plaza




The Rochester Midtown Plaza framework transforms the former Victor Gruen Mall superblock into a pedestrian friendly downtown core by restoring the street network and opening new sites for mixed-use development. The plan organizes future growth around a connected system of streets and public spaces that reestablishes continuity across downtown.

ProjectRochester Midtown Plaza

LocationRochester, NY

ClientCity of Rochester

CollaboratorsUrban Matrix, EDAW

ServicesDowntown Revitalizatio, Public Space Design, Mobility and Streetscapes, Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning, Development Feasibility Analysis


Site-Epicenter of Rochester


The demolition of Midtown Mall in 2008, once heralded as the largest downtown mall in the United States, opened an unprecedented opportunity to reshape the center of Rochester. For decades, the 8.6-acre superblock had interrupted the city’s street network and sliced adjacent districts into car-dependent islands.


Site-Development Framework
Working with a team of engineers, planners, and economists, Shachi Pandey of MUD Workshop developed the urban design framework and master plan organized around a series of public open spaces that create new destinations and direct access to the rest of downtown. The plan established the street network, parcel structure, open-space strategy, development program, and building massing. 

Recognizing the increased density that would accompany the proposed high-density housing, the plan also addressed transit integration, adaptive reuse of the underground garage and service tunnels, pedestrian circulation, and the introduction of office, retail, and hotel uses.



Massing and Building Program


Vibrant Mixed-Used District



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Site-Epicenter of Rochester
Urban Analysis and Opportunities
Site-Development Framework
Proposed Master Plan
Proposed Section
Massing and Building Program
Human-Scale Public Realm
Vibrant Mixed-Used District


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