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Dyett and Bhatia has recently completed the Sustainable Tourism Development Plan for the township of Placencia, Belize. The plan addresses key issues facing this small, close-knit community as it grows as a tourist destination. While the visitor and foreign property owner population increases, the town faces its own growth needs for housing and new business. Proposals to fill areas of the inner lagoon off of the eastern coast of the town threaten the ecological balance of the area, with adverse impacts upon water quality, fisheries, and the marine environment. On land, the expansion of the resort industry has begun to impact the quality of both the natural environment and the visual landscape of the town. In response, the Plan strives to maintain the desirability of Placencia by protecting its idyllic natural setting and village-centered quality of life. 

Emphasis is placed upon accommodating growth within the current footprint of the peninsula, providing more housing for residents than for visitors at a 3:2 ratio. In fact, the Plan calls for a doubling of the current population, of up 1,200 year-round residents, and 500 to 750 new jobs. Additionally, specific urban design and land use elements within the Plan focus upon reinforcing the village core of Placencia. These elements include new public plazas and facilities, a revitalized village center, traditional housing typologies, and tourist and locally-oriented shops along the main sidewalk.

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