Date of Award

8-2011

Document Type

Terminal Project

Degree Name

Master of City and Regional Planning (MCRP)

Department

City and Regional Planning

Advisor

Dr. Barry Nocks

Committee Member

Dr. Anne Dunning

Abstract

The Republic of Costa Rica located in Central America is a developing country with a long history of political, social, and environmental progressiveness. The country has long been considered a prime destination for tourism and international business alike. However, Costa Rica continues to face significant challenges in the areas of infrastructure and public service provision. Much of this can be linked to the lack of a modern comprehensive street addressing system.

Currently, very few communities in Costa Rica have any sort of street addressing or street identification system and house or entryway identification is non‐existent. Instead, the country relies on directions from landmarks to facilitate basic urban functions such as public transportation, emergency service delivery, and infrastructure provision and maintenance, and simply finding places in the city. It is estimated that the lack of a street addressing system cost Costa Rica $732 million, or about 2.5% of gross domestic product, annually in economic and social costs (Raub, 2008).

Correos de Costa Rica (Postal Service of Costa Rica) has begun critical work in a national addressing initiative. Starting in 2003, Correos de Costa Rica has developed a national addressing standard and begun work in planning and implementation of the street addressing system. However, it is yet to be seen if the street addressing standard is feasible for implementation in a typical Costa Rican urban area.

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