Playa Rosa

Year: 2009–2010

Playa Rosa grew out of cityLAB's WPA 2.0 competition and symposium in 2009, and was displayed as a video at the 2010 Venice Biennale.  It explores the potential for new design thinking alongside the Federal government infrastructure investment intended to stimulate the lagging economy. Located next to a major transit node, on the site of a failing commercial center in South Los Angeles, the Playa Rosa project defines a new model of community revitalization for the post-sprawl era in the form of a hyper-consolidated public service hub. Social programs address the needs of a community that faces health inequities including a high rate of childhood obesity, despite having nearby Martin Luther King/Drew Medical Center as its major employer. Playa Rosa condenses community programs including a transit stop, public library, middle school, after-school center, workforce housing, and grocery. A new high performance, high density public open space unites the entire project and creates a metaphorical urban beach. Other programs include a sports park, agricultural / horticultural park, dog park, Zipcar, bike rentals, area storm water collection basin, pool, and farmer's market. This pilot demonstration defines a new prototype for open space-making in densely populated but under-built urban areas like South Los Angeles, where land is scarce and expensive.