Juan A. Ayala is the Co-Founder and Managing Principal of GRID Design Studios LLC and an accomplished architect and urban designer with more than 31 years of national and international experience. His work spans a wide range of project types—from small-town downtown strategic plans to large-scale mixed-use developments and complex redevelopment master plans. Juan has led multidisciplinary project teams through senior roles at renowned firms including Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Cooper Robertson, and A. Nelessen Associates, bringing design leadership, technical expertise, and a deep commitment to contextual urbanism. He is a registered candidate with the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Juan serves as an Associate Professor of Practice in Urban Design at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. His teaching bridges academic inquiry with real-world application, guiding students through applied studio projects that address authentic planning and design challenges. He emphasizes iterative processes, evidence-based exploration, and critical visual analysis—helping students understand how design thinking informs and improves practice.

Juan’s research focuses on the integration of evidence-based methods, computational workflows, and performance-driven analysis in urban design and planning. He is particularly interested in developing analytical frameworks and metrics that strengthen decision-making, assess design performance, and reinforce contextual sensitivity. His work has produced a series of urban design visualization tools that use automated, visually coded processes to evaluate environmental conditions and illustrates trade-offs, advancing both strategic planning and design effectiveness.

In addition, Juan has been developing the definition of Urban Design Scholarship to integrate academic inquiry with the evolving demands of practice—an intersection whose disconnect has historically hindered progress in the field. His work seeks to strengthen this connection, positioning urban design as a discipline grounded in the realities of professional practice.

Research Interests

• Urban Design
• Community Participation & Visioning
• Expansion of the Semi Public Realm
• 3D Visualization & Image Sequencing
• Precedents
• Critical Thinking, Decision Making & Design
• Parametric Design Development in Planning

 Undergraduate Courses

• 01:090: 101,  Byrne Seminar: What is so Public about our Streets? (Research & Development)
• 10:971: 314, Graphical Communication for Planners
• 10:971: 403, Advanced Graphical Communication for Planners
• 10:971: 202, Designing Healthy Cities
• 10:971: 316, Physical Design & Site Planning
• 10:971: 404, Planning & Design Studio 2

Graduate Courses

• 34:970: 590, Graphical Communication & Design Representation
• 34:970: 593, Design Representation & Visualization
• 34:970: 601, Climate Adaptive Urban Design (formerly Planning and Design 2)