City planners in Santa Ana, California, a predominantly Mexican enclave, want diversity among types of businesses downtown to attract upscale shoppers, but Mexican business owners claim it's another form of gentrification.
Latinos make up 76% of the population in Santa Ana where there are at least three different ways to define "diversity." For city planners, diversity means encouraging different types of businesses downtown. "We want diversity in terms of goods and services," says Jay Trevino, executive director of the city's Planning and Building Agency. "We want to make sure it's a downtown for all people. It's about consumers asking themselves, 'Is there a reason for me to go there? Is there a place for me to eat? To buy things I want to buy?'" Others believe the city's plans for diversity means gentrification and replacing mostly Mexican-owned businesses. "The city uses that word, 'diversity,' all the time," said Elsa Gomez, a downtown tax preparer. "When they say it, it means they want to change what's here, and that means relocating people."
At the Mexican consulate, diversity means encouraging people from several different Mexican states to highlight their culture at public celebrations in Santa Ana.
Also, Latino immigrants who aren't from Mexico speak about the city's lack of diversity among its Spanish-speaking population.
FULL STORY: In Santa Ana, Diversity Has Another Angle
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access
MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.
Toronto Condo Sales Drop 75%
In two of Canada’s most expensive cities, more condos were built than ever — and sales are plummeting.
Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)