onethreenine

1. Architecture should be able to bring sparse and separated communities together through design; pushing forward their culture while simultaneously honoring their past.
3. Communities need a center for bringing people together. The design and building of a community center, health care, library and education facilities, recreational areas and affordable housing will create a nexus for human interaction. This will in turn bring the community closer as a people and help them keep their heritage alive.
9. Many groups like the Native American populations of the Southwest live in poverty and in great distances from each other and communal facilities. In order for them to survive in today’s economy and let their rich cultural voices be heard, they need a community they can call their own. A library and elementary school will improve literacy and prepare children for the outside world. Recreation and community centers will bring people together that otherwise may not have met while a free clinic will ensure their health. Perhaps most importantly, a spiritual center will encourage the sustaining and revitalization of the cultural traditions from their past. If these are combined with well designed low-income housing that embodies (and more importantly, facilitates) this sense of community, lives will noticeably change for the better. The organization of these pieces into a cohesive town plan also plays a central role. The challenge here is to propel a people into the 21st century without sacrificing their history. The Public transportation links and pedestrian oriented development will allow a community to remain secluded but never cut-off from the rest of the world.