Migrant Worker Housing Enterprise Or Dangerous Slum?

What do you do when the worst and largest substandard housing development in the region sits on sovereign Indian land, and has become commercial.

1 minute read

June 2, 2003, 12:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The Bureau of Indian Affairs in March ordered Duro to dismantle the entire operation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week banned the burning of trash at the adjacent dump after discovering high levels of dioxins in the soil. This week, they are investigating reports that a sewage lagoon on the property has sprung a leak near the path children take to their school bus... Almost overnight, however, hundreds of displaced Latino migrant workers leaped at the chance to drag their condemned trailers onto the property, which grew with astonishing speed and creative abandon. Tenants built additional rooms out of plywood and fencing and then sublet them to untold numbers of fellow workers."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

Saturday, May 3, 2003 in The Los Angeles Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

4 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

5 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

6 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press