The Problem
We are currently working on helping with the improvement of the Rocky Hill Trail, that is led by Vacaville REACH Youth Coalition and the City of Vacaville, California, in their efforts to make this a better/safer place for the Community. This trail is used a lot by children walking to and from school. This is a trail in an underserved community that holds a place in the heart of its community members. It was a trail that was originally unpaved and neglected until REACH youth coalition pushed for the city to put in on its Master Plan to have it paved. We are a group of UC Davis - Sustainable Environmental Design majors, this project is one we chose from different community projects in our LDA 141: Community, Participation & Design course. Currently the problem is that REACH and the City Planners need visuals to advocate for further site improvements when presenting this to city council for approval of further site development. Through Surveys of the community we have identified problems to be lack of lighting at night, trash receptacles, and a sense of place-making. Community members have expressed lighting to be a top priority due to concern of nighttime safety. Then there is also a need for further improvement in regards to collaborative Community Engagement. More specifically, the problem is their isn't an official community leadership system in place. Also, there is an opportunity for an existing Community Garden to be further established and developed. The gardening beds are currently filled with tall weeds and there is no signage to designate it as a community garden.
