Vernon: A (not so) Dividing Line

This investigative-reporting project looked at the effects that the city of Vernon had on the low-income neighboring residential area of Central Alameda in Los Angeles, California. Through zoning, the faulty concept of charter cities which allowed to play with demographics, powered by outright corruption, Vernon’s mere existence was a nightmare to Central Alameda residents. By looking at the case of Vernon, this research intended to show how exterior powers could affect and influence other regions. By looking at the case of Vernon and neighboring Central Alameda, this project had intended to survey historic and contemporary cultural conflicts that emerged from private developments and regulatory processes, and traced how expressions of power can be found in the urban form and within design.