Juan A. Ayala is the Co-Founder and Managing Principal of GRID Design Studios LLC and an accomplished 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 designing plans. He is an Associate Member of the American Institute of Architects (Assoc. AIA) and an NCARB Record holder, with the Architectural Experience Program completed and the Architect Registration Examination currently in progress toward New York State licensure.
Juan is 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 an iterative design process, 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. Central to this research is the use of site-specific climate and weather data to translate environmental conditions into design evidence. Through this work, he has developed a series of urban design visualization methods that use visually coded automations to evaluate trade-offs, assess design effectiveness, and develop strategic plans.
In addition, Juan has been advancing a Scholarship of Integration in Urban Design by synthesizing academic inquiry, pedagogical practice, and professional application to address the evolving demands of practice—an intersection whose historical disconnect has hindered progress in the field. His work strengthens this linkage, positioning urban design as a discipline grounded in professional practice and integrative knowledge.
Research Interests
- Urban Design Scholarship
- Community Participation, Visioning & Image Sequencing
- Strategic Planning of the Semi Public Realm
- Visualization, Automation, Simulation & Design
- Parametric Design Development for Urban Planning
Undergraduate Courses
- 10:971: 404, Planning & Design Studio 2
- 10:971: 403, Advanced Graphical Communication for Planners
- 10:971: 316, Physical Design & Site Planning
- 10:971: 314, Graphical Communication for Planners
- 10:971: 202, Designing Healthy Cities
- 01:090: 101, Byrne Seminar: What is so Public about our Streets? (Research & Development)
Graduate Courses
- 34:970: 601, Climate Adaptive Urban Design (formerly Planning and Design 2)
- 34:970: 593, Design Representation & Visualization
- 34:970: 590, Graphical Communication & Design Representation