The difference between a “problem” and a “mystery” is that we may be able to solve a problem, but the mystery is something we have to live with. — Harvey Cox
Urban Future Lab at The University of Texas San Antonio
Friday, October 26
1:00pm – 3:00pm
Port San Antonio
Blurring the boundaries between mysteries and problems is part of everyday reality. San Antonio’s southside, especially, is subject to ambiguities in which mysteries are often mistaken for problems, and issues are addressed as if they are mysteries. In collaboration with the Southside First Economic Development Council, Cityflag Inc., and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Urban Future Lab at the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction, and Planning is undertaking a community-driven pilot project on San Antonio’s southside with the goal of developing tools, strategies, and visions to invigorate inactive assets in the Mission San Jose and Quintana Road communities.
While San Antonio is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, it also struggles with inequality, mobility, and income segregation. As the majority of San Antonio’s new developments are facing north, the region spanning south of US Highway 90 underscores that the geographic condition is a missing link between the southside and its various communities, the valley, and towns on both sides of the Mexican border. Highway 90 is not only a dividing line between the north and south, but it also manifests a boundary distinguishing a credit-based economy in the north from a cash-centric economy that extends from the southside to a larger Southern Texas geography. However, there are also disparities within the southside. The city’s south is home to one of the most impoverished communities in the nation, but it also houses major economic entities like Toyota, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and TJ Maxx. Paradoxically, the Mission San Jose community with 37 percent and Quintana Road community with 32 percent poverty rates are next door neighbors to major economic assets like Mission San Jose, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with an estimated regional impact of $150 million, and Port San Antonio, with an impact of $5.3 billion. The question is, why aren’t these economic assets activating the environment?
This workshop highlights the hybrid community engagement process utilized by the Urban Future Lab and its partners. The goal is to share insights but also leverage the expertise of visitors and engage in a dialogue about urban inequality, economic revitalization, data advocacy, public interest design, people-centric solutions, housing, infrastructure, transportation, and citizen agency. By changing the frame of reference, we not only hope to better distinguish between myths and solvable problems and challenge narrowly defined political agencies––upon which inequalities are resting––but also offer alternatives for the dividing line and how new geographies of access and control inspire new economic, ecological, cultural, and spatial imaginaries.
Take-aways:
1. History, Culture, Inequality – background of the Mission San Jose and Quintana Rd communities.
2. Geographic – research and design paradigm catalyzing economic, ecologic, and political factors in already existing, but yet not recognized systems.
3. Community-driven economic revitalization for equitable public investment
4. Data advocacy – beyond metadata inequality, personalization of data and civic tech
5. Public interest design and citizen agency – activating environments, social engagement strategies and tactics
Tour Leaders and Speakers
Dr. Antonio Petrov, Urban Future Lab, University of Texas San Antonio
Andrew Anguiano, Southside First Economic Development Council
Dr. Alberto Gomez, Cityflag Inc.
Alice Salinas, LISC
Proposed Itinerary
1:15-1:25pm Welcome at Port San Antonio
1:25-1:45pm Brief tour of Quintana neighborhood and Port
1:45-2:00pm Brief of tour of Mission San Jose
2:00-3:00pm Workshop
Register for the International Downtown Association’s 64th Annual Conference, held October 24-26 in San Antonio. Add the Urban Future Lab’s workshop to your schedule by emailing registration@downtown.org .