The purpose of this descriptive qualitative case study was to identify and describe the rebuilding efforts of public spaces that promote economic development in the City of San Juan after Hurricane Maria made landfall. The costly damages from Hurricane Maria arrived during Puerto Rico's economic crisis, creating additional problems to an already dire financial situation. Public spaces can help urban economics such as the city of San Juan by impacting property, land value, and generating more taxes; through economic and fiscal benefits such as the city’s attractiveness; through local economic development initiatives such as public markets; and through local tourism by providing cultural, leisure, aesthetic, and sporting value to visitors (UCLG, 2018). The theoretical framework guiding this study was the social capital theory. The social capital theory was instrumental in conceptualizing the support needed for the rebuilding efforts of the city and island resiliency in face of future hurricanes and economic crises. The present study included 10 government employees and government contractors who were tasked with the work of rebuilding the city and were interviewed individually to better understand the situation. Several themes were uncovered using thematic analysis that included public spaces were still damaged, entrepreneurs were making a difference, and government strategies were still unclear. Implications of this study included the focus on local entrepreneurs, government employees/contractors and residents as the city’s social capital deserved more recognition as an important resource after hurricanes impact the island. Recommendations for future research included entrepreneurship as an alternative for redevelopment and rebuilding with local communities.