MAR VISTA is one of those Los Angeles neighborhoods holding onto a past reminiscent of the so-called American Dream of the single-family home, personal transportation, and individualist determination. The spatial context I chose to observe and analyze during this course is bordered rectangularly by National Blvd, Centinela Blvd, Venice Blvd, and Sawtelle Blvd. These four main arterial streets are borderlands between the quiet residential streets and the traffic-heavy commercial corridors. Perhaps understandably, the space within these boundaries is self-reserved for those within the community, with little to no social activity unless one ventures out to shop and play. 

I chose this area for my project because I frequent the Mar Vista Recreational Center to play pickup soccer. Managed by The City of Los Angeles Parks and Recreation, the soccer field was hard fought for by a few residents in 2001 against others who did not take kindly to the idea of “outsiders” (Latinos in this case) entering and utilizing their public facilities. I was hoping to explore a more vibrant space, but through the duration of my visits, I eventually realized that it was rather sterile. The reason behind this is the existing zoning and land-use designations. 

Mar Vista is heavily zoned for low-density housing development. Thus brainstorming potential changes to the built environment proved challenging. How can we boost sociability and heighten a sense of community without changing said community while simultaneously appealing to a private residential demographic? Empty lots were rare, so I sought out existing public-friendly or unused spaces. This led me to Ocean View Farms, the Mar Vista Recreational Center, and a section of the LA River that runs through the neighborhood as potential sites of activation. 

1. THE FIRST proposal is to enhance Ocean View Farms by implementing an educational community gardening program and a restaurant to accompany it. This program would offer weekly garden tours and classes and a farm-to-table dining experience connecting people to the farm and the fruits of their labor.

2. THE SECOND proposal is to replace one of three baseball diamonds at Mar Vista Recreational Center with a dog park. Walking is one social activity present in the fabric of residential Mar Vista. Residents can be seen solo and in groups walking their dogs to start and end their days. The presence of a dog park would give them a destination and an opportunity to meet and connect, further strengthening community bonds.

3. THE THIRD proposal continues with the walking theme, aligning with the city-wide effort to revitalize the Los Angeles River. A barren section of the river runs from Venice to Palms Blvd, prime for conversion into a greenway and walking path. Opening up either end to street access, designating walking paths, and introducing vegetation and trees could be an enticing way to utilize an otherwise passive space with potential. 

THE FIRST and essential step to any community revitalization plan is inviting and including community members to be active participants in planning, developing, and executing a vision. Each of these three proposals requires consultation with the current caretakers of their respective sites to determine feasibility, and via the inclusion of community outreach experts, on-the-ground outreach and engagement to receive the local concerns, wants, and needs for these spaces. To not encourage overly-dominant voices, individual ongoing workshops targeted for specific groups, i.e., youth, residents, neighborhood councils, facility users, and non-residents, would benefit the equity mission. Additionally, allowing the community to have a hand in designing and building elements of these proposed changes would help to create a stronger sense of pride, ownership, and stewardship.