Able City on Urbanism

Mario A. Peña is a co-founding partner and Chief Managing Officer of Able City, a multidisciplinary firm practicing architecture, planning, economic development, and community engagement. A registered architect and certified planner with more than 24 years of experience, Mario helps guide the firm’s management and project integration systems, connecting its diverse disciplines into cohesive and practical project delivery methods.

His work centers on creating places that reflect traditional neighborhood patterns—walkable, connected, and rooted in local character. As an accredited member of the Congress for the New Urbanism, he focuses on how planning and design can help cities support these enduring patterns through their policies and built environments.

Together with his partners, Mario helped lead Able City’s expansion into San Antonio and other regions. The firm now works throughout Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida, and the Northeast, with offices in San Antonio, Miami, McAllen, El Paso, and its founding city of Laredo.

His projects include civic architecture, campus planning, and adaptive reuse, including the restoration of St. Augustine Cathedral and the Laredo College Science Complex, both recognized with design awards. In 2023, Mario received the AIA San Antonio Trailblazer Award, and Able City was named AIA LRGV Firm of the Year.

Mario continues to advance the firm’s integrated approach—linking planning, architecture, economic development, and community engagement—to help cities and organizations align physical design with long-term community goals.