Building trust through community-led design at Alazan Courts, San Antonio’s oldest and most culturally significant public housing development.

Before the start of the planning process, the conditions of its historic buildings, along with the dissolution of community trust in its rehabilitation and redevelopment, presented numerous and complex challenges. The planning team developed a new master plan for Alazan Courts that focuses on creating better and more accessible housing for residents, respecting the historical significance of the site, and preserving the character of the neighborhood.

Initially constructed in the 1930s, Alazan Courts was the first public housing development in San Antonio and remains one of the oldest and largest public housing neighborhoods in the city. Alazan Courts has been an integral part of the historic character and culture of San Antonio’s Inner West Side since its inception. In 2022, community concerns about the condition of Alazan Courts called for the reimagining of the historic development. San Antonio public housing agency Opportunity Home commissioned Able City, Alamo Architects, and Economic Planning Systems to develop a new master plan for the site. Over the next year, we jointly oversaw the community engagement and design process.

The design team navigated numerous building constraints, site challenges, and issues that were deeply sensitive to both current residents and local neighborhood advocates:

• The existing historic buildings within Alazan do not meet modern housing standards, and a large portion of the site lies in the 100-year floodplain.
• The rehabilitation of the existing structures and infill of any new housing units must be sensitive to the historic character of the neighborhood. Further, it cannot cause the displacement of any residents.
• Opportunity Home is committed to retaining all 501 public housing units at Alazan within the existing neighborhood.

Before the Alazan Master Plan, community trust in the planning process had been almost entirely lost due to prior master plan attempts that lacked community input and would have led to large-scale displacement. To rebuild trust, the team helped lead a community-led design process that included over 20 public meetings, surveys, and community events. This community engagement was vital to engage residents and neighborhood advocates in the decision-making process and build a relationship between the team, the community, and Opportunity Home. The result was a master plan built on trust and community input that creatively addresses the challenges facing Alazan today and reimagines a better future for its residents of tomorrow.

“We began the planning process for Alazan knowing that our greatest challenge wasn’t just to generate a master plan. We first needed to build community trust in the planning process,” notes Trent Tunks. “Without that trust, we wouldn’t have developed a plan that was truly community-driven or truly solved many issues Alazan faces.  To achieve that level of trust, we had to do perhaps the most important thing a planner can and should do: listen to the people you’re designing and planning for. By listening and learning from both residents and local advocates, we were able to put forward a vision for Alazan that will one day be a more welcoming place to live and strengthen the surrounding neighborhood.”