Residents of Los Angeles County face deep financial, social and structural inequities in housing. Groundwork Collective Trust (GCT) proposes breaking the extractive cycle of private profit and single-family production and increasing density, starting with Altadena as a catalyst. In the wake of the Eaton Fire many Altadena residents are left with limited options: daunting costs of a standard rebuild or selling their lot and leaving the neighborhood. This project proposes an alternative ownership model and architectural framework that would allow residents to rebuild and stay in their communities. While transferring one’s property into a new community-governed trust ensures long-term affordability without speculation and across various AMI’s, joining the GCT also enables moderate densification and diversification. Building on and reimagining the historic LA typology of the bungalow court, members of the GCT can construct their new homes as an independent, yet interconnected system of buildings with shared courtyards and mixed-use facilities, and thus reinvigorate the neighborhood across scales, properties, and incomes.
