Daybreak Grove is a townhouse development for low income families in a rapidly urbanizing agricultural community in Southern California with a large Latino immigrant population. The design of this project has been strongly influenced by the urban structure of traditional Latin American cities - and some cities in the Southwestern United States - where urban plazas are the focus of community life. While large plazas are no longer feasible as grand civic gestures in Southern California, scaled-down versions -- placitas or pluezas -- can be adapted to evolving urban contexts. This reinterpretation of the Spanish legacy of urban planning ensures the continuity of a tradition of civic values and emphasizes its importance as a living heritage that can be passed along the succeeding generations as it is adapted to the scale and structure of contemporary neighborhoods.

The project also has been influenced by the traditional California bungalow court. As a settlement prototype, the flexible courtyard model integrates easily with other housing types, including single family dwellings, and is adaptable to a variety of urban situations. Because neighborhood opposition to multi-family projects usually diminishes in proportion to their size, courtyard housing is a particularly suitable type for a variety of urban and suburban neighborhoods, especially smaller lots in stable residential areas.

The thirteen-unit project was commissioned by the North County Housing Foundation, a community-based non-profit developer and financed with a combination of loans and grants from the City of Escondido's Community Development Commission, the California Department of Housing and Community Development, Bank of America, Citibank and the California Equity Fund. The Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), the San Diego Community Foundation and a Federal Community Development Block Grant provided pre-development financing. This cooperation among various levels of government and a private non-profit developer establishes an important precedent for the provision of affordable housing in American communities.

Support household and neighborhood fit:

The project is inspired by two traditions of organizing residential buildings around shared outdoor space to support community life: the urban plazas of traditional Latino communities and the traditional California bungalow court. At Daybreak Grove, a rich variety of spaces support community life: the placita; the townhouses’s front yards and porches that face the common courtyard; and the orientation of the kitchen to the courtyard that acknowledges its prominence as the focus of family life and provides opportunities to view community activities and for parents to supervise their children while they go about domestic chores. In addition, townhouses share grassy play spaces and a courtyard which contains a laundromat and outdoor theatre, drought-tolerant shades trees, and plots for growing vegetables. Drip irrigation and self-watering planters are used to incorporate plants into the landscape all over the site. Covered parking at the back of the site keeps cars well away from these pedestrian and play areas.

Each unit also has its own outdoor private space: a back yard and porch; a private patio; and a private entrance from the street to the surrounding sidewalk. Every unit also is configured around a small internal patio which provides the family with a private outdoor living space and ensures natural light and cross ventilation in every room.

Residents are involved in the daily management and maintenance of Daybreak Grove.

Be universally accessible:

At Daybreak Grove, universal access is interpreted as universal appeal, housing which meets the needs of a wide range of people and sets a high standard for the design of inclusive landscapes, both outdoors and indoors. The challenge is to design places that can be used by everyone regardless of their physical condition or accompanying mobility equipment.

Daybreak Grove utilizes multiples means to support universal access. Confident mobility and sensory access are both essential to domestic comfort. On the exterior, unobstructed walkways with gentle slopes are a fundamental part of confident mobility and sensory access for all. Walkways are designed with different color and sized aggregates in the paving to allow for the incorporation of a variety of familiar and subliminal cues such as: contrasting pavement colors and textures that serve as warning areas bordering seating areas and other stumbling hazards; continuous strips of color that lead visitors from one area of high interest to another, for instance from the front entrance to the mailboxes to the central courtyard; and distinct contrasts between light and dark colors that are easily observed by those with visual impairments. Fragrances, well-known for their impact on experience of a landscape, can also help those with visual impairment orient themselves spatially; for instance, aromatic plants are placed high and close enough to walkways to provide subtle and memorable enhancement. Plants are located in a variety of places, in raised planters, climbing up walls, in beds next to each back porch, and hanging from hooks on the walls of each unit's private courtyard. The objective was to raise plants to heights convenient for people of different stature or those who find it difficult or impossible to bend down, to enjoy their visual detail, scents and textures. The amphitheater and the seating alcove in the courtyard opposite provide variable height seating options. People using wheelchairs who wish to transfer to a bench often can find a seat at the same height as their chair for a comfortable transfer. The seating alcove also provides an easy transition from a wheelchair to the sloping lawn retained behind it. The alcove bench is wide enough to allow space for a variety of activities - a picnic or a board game, conversation, a place to escape from the foot traffic to and from the Laundromat or transfer with legs outstretched.

The design of individual units is characterized by fluid, open spaces and the use of simple elements such as non-skid flooring, lever door handles and extra-wide doorways. Exterior and interior door stoops/landings are no more than one half (1/2) inch above floor level for ease of access. To accommodate specific needs of the physically disabled, electrical switches are placed at 42" above the floor instead of the standard 48". Electrical, telephone and TV outlets are at 18" rather than 12" above the floor. The ground floor includes a kitchen and dining area, living room, a bathroom with clearances for a wheelchair, and one bedroom; two bedrooms and a bathroom are upstairs. Windows at 36" above the floor provide parents with the opportunity to supervise their children while they go about domestic chores. Most importantly, the choice of exterior and interior materials and forms does not distinguish any feature as being for "the disabled".