Since 2019, students and staff working in the programs of the SLLC have worked with student designers in the project-based Landscape Design Architecture 141 course to create an integrated, accessible pathway network for the North half of the SLLC’s approximately 40 acres. In close collaboration with UCD Grounds and Campus Planning, the project will connect existing sidewalks in West Campus with vital open space resources and core academic programs of the SLLC. As West Campus continues to develop and densify, the need for (equitable) access to gardens and open space will only increase. In partnership with Healthy UC Davis, with a grant of 60K, and campus planners, we are excited to meet this challenge and to support the health and well-being of our campus community!

In December 2021, in collaboration with the Solar Community Housing Organization (SCHA) and The UC Davis Green Initiative Fund (TGIF), the SLLC hired a team of three student coordinators to develop and sustainably maintain the North Entry to the SLLC (meet the team here). The Healthy UC Davis Grant will build upon the success of our TGIF-sponsored North Entry landscaping/hedgerow project. Our project will establish two accessible entryways with attached community gathering spaces in the Orchard Park neighborhood and the two main entries of what will become an integrated pathway network for SLLC spaces and programs. Students and UCD community members are excited to use these spaces for outdoor classes, club meetings, community gatherings, and events. In addition, we look forward to working with Healthy UC Davis to add newly accessible SLLC spaces to existing campus maps supporting healthy outdoor activities (I.e., walking loops and accessible drinking water) and to advertise community events and opportunities in the Orchard Park neighborhood.

Through the Healthy UC Davis grant, the SLLC has created and hired for two student positions, one focused on community coordination and the other on landscaping. This project is also a collaboration with the SLLC’s partnership with the Sacramento Valley College Corps (SVCC) Fellows, who are aiding in the construction of paths, patio spaces, and general upkeep and stewardship of our property.

Keep an eye out for future blog posts introducing our new student hires and highlighting our SVCC partnership! To stay updated on this project and other news, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.