This thesis will attempt to redevelop the area surround The Pacific Rail Station, Estacion Ferrocarril al Pacifico, in San José, Costa Rica in order to better use the land and create a real place within the historic fabric of the city. Embedded with in this goal is the need to create a unique destination with the centerpiece of development being a national assembly building for Costa Rica.

This will be achieved by exploring the nature of public / private development and how it may be used to create change and development in the developing world.  This idea of partnership between the public and private sectors has been used extensively here in the United States, but still has not gained as much ground in the developing world.  By examining the realities of design and development a model for this type of development can be established. This directly challenges the current development models in San José.  

This new model of development should work to capture the value added by government investment and work to attract private capitol.  Together this will work to revitalize a portion of the city that is currently under developed.