Marin City, California
Golden Gate Village is a small public housing community located in Marin City, CA just across the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protege, Aaron Greene and landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, Golden Gate Village is a vibrant, predominantly Black community that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I was first drawn to my specific site because of the unique plantings that were set up throughout the public courtyards. Through these gestures of stewardship it was clear that the residents of this unit cared for the space and have a connection to the land that they occupy. Through document interviews I learned that local residents wanted new landscaping that was more efficient and vibrant than the original Halprin plan, but also needed something that was low maintenance and low cost. To meet the needs of the residents I developed three gardens on the site. One “native garden,” one “California adaptive garden,” and an “orchard garden.” Each garden tells a story within the community and aims to meet the needs and desires of the residents, while tying back into the cultural and historical history of the landscape.
Historical Images
This project takes inspiration from individual planting arrangements that residents began to develop in order to create a sense of individuality, place, and ownership amongst the otherwise mundane planting palette developed in the original plan for the community.
Site Analysis
Design
