St. Anthony PPS
A Growing Place
Background
The Coachella Valley sits just two hours outside of the metropolitan region of Los Angeles and is one of the most fertile agricultural growing areas in California. Yet, the Coachella Valley region has extreme income disparity. A lack of affordable housing has led to more than 120 un-permitted mobile home parks serving as this community's primary means of low-income housing. These parks are in varying degrees of degradation, but all face poor access to sanitation, water, nutritious food, public transportation and electricity.
Due to a lack of oversight and regulation, trailer park communities face challenges in securing access to quality water and sanitation systems. There is often a lack of potable water; available water frequently contains unacceptable levels of arsenic. Although trailer park grounds have plenty of space, extreme weather conditions don't permit residents to spend much time outdoors. Therefore, there are no safe and sheltered public spaces for community gatherings or outdoor recreation. Lastly, over-salinated soil, which hinders non-potted gardening, compounded with a lack of public transportation and ped-bike infrastructure, contributes to residents' inability to access affordable and healthy food.
Context
A partnership with Pueblo Unido Community Development Corporation and the community of St. Anthony Trailer Park has led to KDI's first US-based site. St. Anthony Trailer Park is home to an estimated 570 people (approximately 282 children, 100 teenagers, and 188 adults), all from the same area in Michoacán, Mexico. It is adjacent to the 111 Highway and near the town of Mecca, CA. Despite the challenges present in the Valley's un-permitted trailer parks, St. Anthony has all of the social ingredients for an active, engaged, and fruitful community life: a youth population eager to engage, adult residents that have already formed local organizations, and strong senses of shared identity and community.
Project Activities
In February 2011, KDI conducted several community workshops at St. Anthony to understand what the community viewed as their most press¬ing needs and how a Productive Public Space (PPS) could address them. At the workshop three major issues were identified: lack of a central gathering space to house committee meetings and foster social cohesion, a safe recreation area for youth and affordable food accessibility. In March and April a preliminary youth project with a focus on gardening and art was constructed over a weekend and programmatic elements continued in subsequent weeks. The project used recycled tires, paint, soil and plants to create a small public space for youth to gather. In May, a committee of active community members was formed to manage the design, construction, and maintenance of the St. Anthony PPS.
The St. Anthony PPS, which is currently in the design phase, is based on needs delineated by the community. The project will create a public space for children's activities, general community meetings, and food security, and will include a sheltered meeting space, play structure, community garden, and improved landscaping. The PPS will serve to foster a more active and unified community at St. Anthony and will create an area for the residents to mobilize and possibly start entrepreneurial endeavors. The play structure and sheltered areas with benches, tables and new landscaping will allow residents to take advantage of their community's open space while protecting them from harsh weather conditions. In addition, the community garden will have a productive space that provides healthy food for the residents, addressing nutrition education as well as food security.
Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2011.