Hola!

Welcome to Alleybrije, an exciting placemaking project that aims to beautify and restore an alley behaind Starr King Elementary. Alleybrije is a play on words, combining "alley" with "alebrije".  Alebrijes are colorful and fantastical Mexican folk art creatures created by indigenous people.

The project is located in North Long Beach an area that is affected by the lack of green and open spaces, human traffiking and crime. Unfortunately, the lack of available land prevents an increase of green spaces in the area.  However, transforming the alleys into green alleys, and beautifying and using them as a school route; we can certainly make a safer, happier, healthier and more pleasant experience for those that walk to and from school. By doing this in a creative and positive way, we are hoping to increase the number of residents, and students that walk to school and create a sense of happiness and wellbeing. In addition, making this alley a pedestrian route will benefit residents health, increase the amount of people walking, and the additional eyes on the streets will help with crime prevention. 

As we embark on this project, we want to incorporate the vibrant spirit and creativity of alebrijes into the alley. Alleys are often seen as neglected and forgotten spaces to pilet rash and engage in unlawfull activities, but we believe that with the power of community engagement and creativity, we can transform them into walkable, and inviting places to play and gather.

To achieve our goals, we have partnered with James Rojas' Place It!, and the Long Beach Community Design Center to provide the architects, and facilitate interactive creative workshops. With the meaningful feedback from the community, we will be able to develop the project concept to open up opportunities for the community to look for funding.

Our plan includes two interactive workshops that will help the community to provide their vision and feedback for the alley. 

The "Build Your Favorite Childhood Memory" and "Build Your Ideal Alley" is our first workshop called "Place it".  There will be an interactive model of the alley study area that will allow people to touch, see, and experience the space using their imagination. Unlike traditional planning tools, this model is a sculpture that captures the visual, spatial, and emotional nature of how people experience their community. By touching and moving small buildings and objects on the model, the public will be allowed to investigate various urban forms that typify the alley and develop their own ideas onto the model. The result will be an interactive platform that encourages people to participate in the creation and evolution of the Alley.

During the second workshop the design team will develop 3 scenarios for the alley and the elements that incorporate key improvements: pedestrian movement/safety, stormwater + planting, and lighting. We will include some kind of alley pop-up model activity. We will also organize a sensory-based walk of the alley that will allow people to explore the space with their senses. This will help them to discover the assets and challenges of the space they are exploring and start to develop creative ideas for improvement. 

We believe that Alleybrije is an exciting project that will bring together the creativity and energy of the community to transform this neglected alley into vibrant and engaging place. We encourage everyone to participate in the workshops and activities, and share their ideas and experiences to help make this project a success. Together, we can create a new vision for our alleys and make them into the beautiful and inviting spaces that they deserve to be.