East African Gathering Place

The East African Gathering Place is well known to the East African and Somali residents and newly arrived refugees in San Diego living and working in and around City Heights. It is located at the busy intersection of University Avenue and 50th Street, set between two mosques and several businesses, apartment complexes and a pocket park.Over the years, the community has advocated for major changes in the urban landscape of this intersection such as a much-needed crosswalk and pedestrian refuge, with flashing lights. For years, community members have been activating this underutilized piece of city land at this intersection to gather, exchange news, from local and abroad, drink tea and play the traditional Somali game of Ludo.

Studio Nectary’s role (while a contracted designer and project manager for Rooted In Place) was to facilitate a holistic community engagement and design process which we were then able to translate their ideas and input into a tangible design that could be built with a mix of community volunteers and professional contractors. With the support of an illustrated design, the gathering place received corporate sponsorship to kickstart portions of the build. As of July 2018, the East African Gathering Place was the first project to be processed under the newly released Placemaking Permit, which was pioneered by several fellow place-keepers, our clients and ourselves.

COLLABORATORS:

City Heights Community Development Corporation – Client
Urban Corps – Construction and Permitting
Kline Swonger – Artist Rendition

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