Reclaiming the Grid seeks to reconnect the fragmented urban fabric of Boyle Heights, disrupted by the massive convergence of the 101, 5, and 60 highways. Since the land and rights-of-way occupied by these highways are publicly owned, the project proposes not only to mend severed streets and communities with new connections and bridges, but also to repurpose infrastructure funding to create new public land above the highways. By spanning the highway with a modular, hybrid structure, this ‘reclaimed’ land becomes a platform for new affordable housing. Grounded in public investment, the project introduces a hybrid ownership and governance model that resists speculation. While the structural framework is publicly owned and maintained, the newly created surface properties are transferred to a Community Land Trust (CLT). The CLT manages and leases these properties to a range of limited-equity housing cooperatives, which can apply for long-term leases tailored to varying property sizes. With cooperatives collectively owned and operated by their members, Reclaiming the Grid envisions a multi-tiered, community-owned bridge and housing system that challenges monofunctional infrastructure and profit-driven development. Although the primary span must be constructed at once, the project is designed for incremental vertical and horizontal expansion over decades using a modular, adaptive framework. This modularity is embedded at multiple levels: the core structure is composed of reused steel beams, allowing for phased assembly and future expansion, while the housing units are delivered through prefabricated systems such as shipping containers, manufactured homes, or other modular typologies—depending on the preferences of each cooperative. Through the CLT’s stewardship and the diversity of cooperative communities inhabiting the evolving structure, Reclaiming the Grid not only reweaves and extends the neighborhood—it fosters resilient, self-governed, and non-speculative housing for the long term.
RECLAIMING THE GRID: Public and Hybrid Infrastructure for Adaptive Community-Owned Housing
