Hackenberger, Benjamin C. (2015)
The San Antonio Wash: Addressing the gap between Claremont and Upland.
Bachelor of Arts, Pomona College, Environmental Analysis.
Readers: Char Miller, Lance Neckar, and John Bohn.
A designer’s job is essentially to translate abstract possibilities and potentials into concrete infrastructures and spaces. In other words, the speculative designer aims to augment the “place-ness” of a site. This thesis takes the gravel pit as an opportunity to investigate the history and current condition of the land (and by proxy, the cultural relationship) between Claremont, Upland, and Montclair and speculate about its future. In the words of my studio professor at the Danish Institute of Study Abroad, this is a chance to “dream into” the future of the gravel pit that straddles Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
My thesis draws on an historical review of development in the Claremont area with a goal of developing a historically-informed and novel approach to sustainability in the built environment. It attempts to situate the gravel pit and the within the history of this area and draw connections between historical narratives, sustainability theories, both ecological and social, and the specific institutional context of the gravel pit in CUC’s land-use planning processes.
Thesis available for download at Scholarship@Claremont