A Veteran's Battle: The Challenges of Coming Home

A Veterans Battle

The Challenges of Coming Home

A Veterans Battle

The Challenges of Coming Home

Kendra Hexberg-Fitzwater

There is no lifestyle adjustment or military de-programming for discharged servicemen; they are left to find their own way. What happens when a soldier comes home AFTER deployment in a combat zone? BEFORE deployment they are taught to follow orders and how to survive in a conflict zone. DURING war soldiers are exposed to an untold number of stresses, confusing or unfamiliar situations, and feelings of sadness, pain, and anger.

When they finally return home they are ushered out of service with little to no help or counseling.

There needs to be a place where Veterans of foreign conflicts can go to relearn how to live like a civilian. The number of service members who seek counseling months and even years after they have been home are too high. They suffer from a range of problems from depression to PTSD. Many post deployment conditions could be prevented with immediate after deployment counseling and military “de-programming�.

Contents 1. Introduction Part 1

9

Research 2. History of Veterans Homecoming - The problems with homecoming 3. Current Veteran Population - San Francisco Bay Area 4. Stages of Recovery 5. Site Context -Vallejo, CA (Mare Island) 6. Site Images - Vallejo, CA (Mare Island)

Part 2 Pre-Design

7. Pattern & Project Language 8. Program Development 9. Site Analysis

15 19 24 28 35

53 59 61

Part 3 Appendix 10. Precedent - Treasure Island Transitional Housing 11. Precedent - Life Cycle Tower 1 (LCT 1) 12. Case Study - The Rhine River 13. Case Study - The Delancy Street Project

65 67 69 73

14. Bibliography

75

Introduction

1

Most veterans who have served in or around combat suffer from one form or another of mental and or physical distress. In the media we are confronted with the twenty percent of veterans who suffer from sever mental distress, such as PTSD, but what about the other problems that combat veterans suffer from.

What about the other eighty percent, they were trained the same way, they fought in the same war, and are discharged with the same honor.

Because they do not show immediate physical or mental signs of distress, they are ushered back into civilian society with nothing more than a packet of information on warning signs from the Veterans Affairs office. This eighty percent of service members who do not show immediate signs of PTSD still struggle with reintegration into civilian life. A thorough Military Deprogramming isn’t a part of a soldiers discharge and on top of that many of these service members joined the armed forces straight out of high school. They lack skills that the rest of us take for granted: how to do laundry, how to look for an apartment, how to write a resume, and more.

Once veterans arrive home they have an initial time period of feeling good, they made it home alive and they are finally back with their family whom they have been trying to get home to for 18 months. Then the reality sets in, people start asking what they are going to do now that they aren’t in the military anymore. Many service members have an idea of what they want to pursue when they get home, and many jump into the process immediately. There are countless stories of service members who come home, find a good job, and work for years and appear completely normal, and then one day comes where everything falls apart and they

10

Introduction

begin a downward spiral. Not all service members take years to reach that point. Many find road blocks to success early on and quickly become distressed about their future and how they can be a productive member in civilian society.

Other veterans begin to see civilians as without purpose and quickly display antisocial behavior, which sets them up for drug and alcohol abuse in the future. Some find it hard to understand how their family has changed without them there and don’t know their place anymore.

For many its simply not enough to just go about doing ordinary things.

One Service member that I talked with said that there just wasn’t enough excitement in the things he thought he wanted to do. His initial plan after leaving the military was to go back to being a chef, maybe go to culinary school, but it was too boring compared to jumping out of airplanes. He eventually found his place as a firefighter, but you can tell that even that isn’t enough some days.

Learning to see and experience the world at a civilian pace can be challenging and for some of the service members who served in combat nearly impossible. Many of these veterans eventually suffer from PTSD like symptoms. With early help this cycle can be stopped. Right now we are seeing a surge to get homeless Vietnam veterans off of the streets and treated for their substance abuse and anti social behavior. It is seen as something we owe these men, after how they were treated when they returned from war. Had we treated them with the respect and honor they deserved originally we would not be struggling to help them reenter civilian society as drug addicts and homeless people.

Groups like the Coming Home Project in San Francisco, CA work regionally to help veterans before they reach the point where we say “you must have PTSD because you served in combat”.

Introduction

11

PART 1

Research

History

of Veterans Homecoming

2

Veteran’s struggling with reconnecting with their community is not a new phenomena. As far back as the 8th century BCE when Homer wrote the Odyssey people recognized that soldiers returning from combat have difficulties adjusting to civilian life. Returning home from war brings several challenges for veterans. They include: Staying in combat mode, substance abuse, feeling unsafe everywhere, feeling guilty over events during war, and many more.

Most of these behaviors lead to feeling Homer- Author of The Odyssey disconnected with community, family, and friends; or in some cases the people in their civilian life beginning to resent and distance themselves from their combat veteran. Everything that happens to veterans after they return home can lead to a destruction of a peaceful homecoming, or peaceful reconnection with civilian society.

Steve Bentley writes “History tells us that among the Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, men broke and ran in combat circumstances—in other words, the soldiers of antiquity were no less afraid of dying.” It has been documented for as long as history has been recorded that soldiers suffer from “conversion reactions” or in other words mental illnesses that are caused by being directly or indirectly involved in combat. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote about many instances of men trembling in the

16

History of Veterans Homecoming

face of death, and later committing suicide due to their shame.

Things do not change as time passes, one thousand years after Herodotus wrote his histories; during a battle between the English and the Danes (1003 C.E.), an English commander Alfred supposedly became so ill in the face of battle that he was unable to command his men. The Swiss appear to be the first to recognize PTSD or acute combat reaction in 1678, they used the term ‘Nostalgia’.

The German’s were not far behind and used the term heimCivil War Veterans weh (homesickness). Over time more countries defined the condition: in France ‘maladie du pays’ and in Spain ‘estar roto’ (to be broken). By 1727 it became apparent that the syndrome of acute combat stress was not from homesickness as the Germans had thought, but from experiencing the horrors of combat. A French surgeon documented three stages to what we now call PTSD: heightened excitement and imagination, prominent gastrointestinal symptoms, and the final stage is frustration and depression.

During the American Civil War a multitude of physical and mental disabilities were documented; some of the most vague being ‘soldier’s hear’ and ‘exhausted heart’. Many physicians during the American Civil War were surprised by finding soldiers struck down with emotional illnesses when on leave at home. The American Civil war is thought to have been the first step to modern warfare, which may explain the increase in emotional, mental, and physical disabilities found in soldiers. The frequency of soldiers that were struck down with psychological symptoms

History of Veterans Homecoming

17

led to field commanders as well as physicians to plead with the War Department to begin screening for recruits who might be susceptible to psychiatric breakdown. “Richard A. Gabriel was a consultatnt to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees ... Gabriel’s research tells us that in 1863 the number of insane soldiers simply wandering around was so great, there was a public outcry.” (Bently) This lead to the creation of the first military hospital for the insane (established 1863). After the war the government made no effort to treat the psychiatrically wounded and the hospital was closed. After its closure a system of soldiers’ homes were set up across the country, the director of one noted that ‘strangely enough’ the need for hospital services increased instead of decreasing.

A common practice after the American Civil War was to discount soldiers psychological problems with the term ‘malingering’, hinting that these veterans had ulterior motives for claiming mental and/or emotional distress. This attitude that combat veterans are really malingers trying to gain economically is still common even today. This in combination with ‘veteran’s pride’ and distrust account for the slow recognition of PTSD and other psychological disorders that effect combat veterans.

Photos of Private Chris McGregor by photographer Lalage Snow in her project “We Are Not Dead” traces the lives of servicemen and women from the 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland over 7 months (before, during, and after their tour).

Veterans Current Population Statistics

3

Nationally 8.9% of United States Citizens hold a veterans status.

That number is lower in California at 6.5% of citizens. Within California the San Francisco Bay Area has the highest number of veterans: 358,913 total. In the Vallejo-Fairfield area or Solano County there are 35,397 vet-

9% 9%

7% 7%

erans which is 11% of the population. 10% of the city of Vallejo’s population holds a veteran status.

San Francisco Bay Area veterans are most likely to have served in Vietnam. Vietnam veterans are the population of veterans that is most in need of metal health services, addiction coun-

11% 11%

20

Veterans: Current Population Statistics

seling, and stable housing.

There are 29,669 veterans of the two most recent conflicts, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The veteran population from OIF and OEF are the most at risk for death under the age of 35. Aaron Glutz found in an analysis of death records “that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were two and a half times as likely to commit suicide as Californians of the same age with no military service. They were twice as likely to die in vehicle accidents and five and a half times as likely to die in a motorcycle accident� ( Bay Mirror).

11%

7%

11%

10%

10%

Veterans: Current Population Statistics

21

Recovery

4

Loss of control 7.0%

Lon Vu eline lne s ra s & 9.0 bility %

ion at nt rie % so 6.5

Di

Many use Judith Herman’s three-stage recovery strategy in helping veterans recover from ‘acute combat stress’. Stage one: establishment of safety, sobriety, and self-care. Stage two: trauma centered work of constructing a personal narrative and of grieving. Stage three: reconnecting with people, communities, ideals and ambitions. Veterans progress at their own pace during recovery, but there is no way to skip stage one. Stage one is the most important to helping veterans recover from trauma. Jonathan Shay states in his book that “we work with the veteran, in Judith Herman’s words, starting with the body and moving outward, to help him lay down weapons, maintain sobriety, meet health and nutritional needs, terminate current violence as perpetrator and/or victim, and eliminate danger-seeking behaviors.” (pg. 168, Shay) Beyond healing the true heart and soul of recovery is group therapy, this reinforces that each veteran is not alone, and you don’t have to ‘go it alone’. The process of substantiative validation only comes through the knowing that you are talking to a knowledgeable audience; an audience Distancing that has been through similar, maybe 20.1% not exactly the same, experiences. It Unexplained Variance 38.2% is also important to establish that no Anxiety 11.1% one military branch, battle, or service on sti au h x is more or less “significant” than any &E ilt Gu % other. With support from each other, 9.0 veterans can finally experience the three forms of validation that every

24

Recovery

service member should receive after combat: substantive, institutional, and memorial.

In “Combat Stress Reaction The Enduring Toll of War” Zahava Solomon addresses the seven key factors that were discovered to have been present before the onset of a combat stress reaction. The seven factors: Unexplained variances, Distancing, Disorientation, Loss of Control, Anxiety, Guilt Exhaustion, Loneliness & Vulnerability are terms that encompass a total of 17 manifestations of a combat stress reaction. These factors need to be addressed during recovery.

When seeking help there is a five stage process: perception of severe distress, identification of the distress as requiring professional assistance, weighing of the possible benefits and costs of that help, decision to seek help, and selection of the type of help. These stages are not strictly a linear process, but can help in convincing a veteran that they need help to recover from combat trauma.

Jonathan Shay states in “Achilles in Vietnam” three things: return to ‘normal’ is not possible, we don’t know if recovery is possible, and yes recovery is possible. Many veterans long to return to ‘normal’ or ‘the way things were’, Jonathan Shay makes it clear that experiencing combat changes the soldier forever, from the ‘innocent’ boy they were before combat, to the man they are now. There is no way to return to ‘the way things were’. If the ‘problem’ is caught, and treated early there it is very likely (just as with cancer) that the problem will go away and a veteran will learn to live with what they have experienced. However, many veterans may appear to have recovered and an ‘everyday’ trauma will reopen old wounds leading to a relapse in trauma. Yet, recovery is possible. A small number of veterans will achieve lives of great value to others and to themselves, if they get the help, support, and treatment they need.

The best treatment of combat stress reactions is two fold, treating the mind and body. Treating the moral and social aspects of a veterans life, and enhancing their ‘spirit’ or ‘soul’. In my project I will focus on a three tiered recovery of ‘mind’ ‘body’ and ‘soul’.

Recovery

25

Site Context

5

History

Prior to 1830 Vallejo California was a countryside inhabited by the Suisun (Sah-Soon), Miwok, and Patwin Native Americans. A landscape of rolling hills, salt marshes, and plentiful water. In 1835 General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was sent to the Northern California frontier to establish several land grants. While there General Vallejo aligned himself Chief Salano with the Suisun, Miwok, and Patwin native American tribes, this allowed the Suisun and Karkins to reside peacefully in the area. General Vallejo was responsible for peace in the Northern California fronteir until 1846, when independenceminded Californians rose up and overthrew the Mexican government in the Bear Flag Revolt.

California was admitted to the Union in 1850, becoming the 31st state. General Vallejo Donated 156 acres of land to create his dream of a the California State Capital. In 1851 The General Vallejo City of Vallejo was founded. By 1852 Vallejo became the first permanent seat of government in the newly established state of California. The City of Vallejo twice served as the state capitol, in 1852 and 1853, however both periods were brief. In 1880’s the state capitol building burnt to the ground, sealing

Site Context

28

Vallejo- unknown date

Vallejo’s fate to never be the permanent home of California’s State Capitol.

In 1853 the United States Navy purchased Mare Island, and built the first naval base on the west coast. Mare Island Naval Shipyard funtioned for over 100 years, closing in 1996.

The man who is considered the true founder of the City of Vallejo is John Frisbie. Mr. Frisbie hired E.H. Rowe who designed the city layout. E.H. Rowe also named the east-west streets after states and the north-south streets after California counties.

On May 6, 2008, the Vallejo City Council voted to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. After three years the federal courts released the city from bankruptcy. Vallejo continues to climb out of bankruptcy to this day. With time the city can recover from the economic loss of the naval base and become a thriving and prosperous city by the bay.

Mare Island- unknown date

Site Context

29

Demographics 65+ 18-64 5-17 Under 5

The Population of Vallejo is 115,942. The range of ages is typical of most cities, except there are very few young children. This points towards a lack of young families being present and/or choosing to make Vallejo the city they start a family in. Graph 2.A shows the relative distribution of ages. The median age for the whole Other

Public Tansportation Carpool

Car-Alone

Graph 5.A- Age Distribution Hispanic

Self Employe

city is 37.2.

The average household size is 2.82, meaning very few households have children. The average family size, households considering themselves families, is 3.36. This means that there a few families with more than one child. These statistics point towards a lack of families that want to live in Vallejo. The family statistics are below national average.

The City of Vallejo is a very diverse city. Graph 2.B shows that most races are represented. Most of the population is however White or Hispanic, and the Native American population is almost not represented at all.

The residents of Vallejo have very Graph 5.B- Race by % few job opportunities within the city limits and must commute to other cities for income. The median commute time is 32.7 minutes. Most people commute solo in private cars.

This may be due in part to a lack of connection to the Bay Area Rapid Transit System, mainly BART- the regional train system. Vallejo has it’s own bus system, but it does not connect to any other cities. It is almost impossible for city residents to commute to other cities from Vallejo.

65+

18-64 5-17

Under 5

Other

Hawaiian

Production

Other

Public Tansportation

Asian

American Indian

Sales and OfďŹ

Car-Alone

Service

Black

Management

White

Hispanic Other

Hawaiian Asian

American Indian Black

White

Construction

Carpool

Self Employed Production

Construction

Sales and OfďŹ ce Service

Management

30

65+ 18-64 5-17

Site Context

The median household income in Vallejo is only $61,481 annnually. 13.9% of households and individuals are living at or below the national poverty line.

A large portion of these is located within two neighborhoods South Vallejo and Old Town Vallejo.

Most residents of Vallejo hold Graph 5.C- Modes of Commute white-collar jobs. Graph 2.D show the breakdown of jobs by category. Production and construction are the two blue-collar job categories represented.

Although getting better, the violent crime rate as of 2009 was 872 crimes per 1,000 people. This means that most residents are likely to be a victim of violent crime in 2009. At the very least you would have known someone who had been a victim of violent crime.

The population of Mare Island (308), is slightly better off than the rest of the city. The average household income is $198,000 annually with a median household income at $70,000 annually. However, 28.2% of Mare Island residents still live below poverty. This may be due in part to the college campus located Graph 5.D- Employment by % on the island. Finally, because the island was formerly a naval base 81% of the current residents moved to Mare Island between 19992000.

Most of the residents on Mare Island commute alone, but a large percentage (graph 2.F) work Graph 5.F- Commute by %

Under 5

Other

Public Tansportation Carpool

Car-Alone

Hispanic Other

Hawaiian Asian

American Indian Black White

Self Employed Production

65+ Construction

18-64Sales and OfďŹ ce 5-17 Service

Management Under 5

Other

Public Tansportation Carpool

Car-Alone

Hispanic Other

Hawaiian Asian

American Indian Black

Self Employed Production

Construction

Sales and OfďŹ ce Service

Management

White

Work from Home Carpool Alone

Site Context

31

from home. None of them take public transportation of any kind, which is due to a lack of public transportation that travels to and from the Island. On top of that the area is considered 100% rural. The mean commute time is 32.7 minutes.

Climate

The City of Vallejo is located on the Northern tip of the San Pablo Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Napa Sonoma salt marshes sit to the west, rolling hills to the north and east, and the Carquinez Straight to the south. The cities natural terrain and proximity to San Pablo Bay keep make its climate very mild and temperate. Only an average of twelve inches of rainfall each year, which tends to leave Vallejo very dry even on the days when there is fog. In general a light layer of fog can be seen hanging over the city, but during the summer it burns off by mid-day. This marine layers keeps the city temperature in the mid eighties during the summer, but in some places the temperature will rise to the mid nineties. The hottest day on record was in July 1995, when temperatures reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind is not as common in Vallejo as it is in the cities closer to the ocean, but when there is wind its speed is low and it comes in off of the bay (SW).

Mare Island is a salt marsh peninsula and is prone to harsher weather than mainland Vallejo. The Islands Mile and a half wide land span blocks the harsh winds and salt spray from reaching the city itself. Fog will last all day, even when the rest of Vallejo can see blue skies. Wind speeds are 10% greater and are all the more damaging because they carry the salt content from the marshes and the bay. Overall Mare Island is cooler, wetter, and more likely to be windy than the rest of Vallejo.

North

West

40

35 30 25 20 15 10

0%

10%

20%

South

East

32

Site Context

The site for this project, although located on the island, is located on a fortuitous place. The single hill formation on the island blocks most of the site from the harsh winds coming off of the bay , making for a more conducive environment for certain building materials. This hill also creates a vantage point with some of the best view of the Bay Area from its peak.

100 80 60 40

December

October

November

July

June

August

June

May

September

May

April

April

March

January

0

February

20

5 in 4 in 3 in 2 in

Graph 5H - Rainfall by month

December

November

October

September

August

July

March

February

0 in

January

1 in

Site Context

33

Site Images

6

Mare Island Circa. 1914

36

Site Images

Mare Island Naval Ship Yard- 1911

1988

1993

Site Images

2003

2013

37

38

Site Images

Ships like the USS Wadleigh (right) were regularly seen in the Mare Island Ship Yards.

Some coming to the dry docks, others coming to be refueled and restocked and sent back to reinforce the Pacific Fleet in WWII.

Mare Island Bond Rally - 1945

Site Images

Marine Barracks - Mare Island

Map of Vallejo from Mare Island circa. 1911

39

40

Site Images

Mare Island - Administration Building

Mare Island - Dilapidated Warehouse

Site Images

Mare Island - Dilapidated Factory

Mare Island - More Warehouse

41

42

Site Images

Mare Island - Historical Society (above) Mare Island - Hospital (Right)

Mare Island Bridge

Site Images

View from site towards Carquinez Bridge

43

44

Sie Images

View from site to the East

View from vista point towards Vallejo

Site Images

View from vista point towards Vallejo

45

PART 2

Pre-Design

Patterns & Project Language

Patterns that Should Exist: 1. Local Transport Areas 2. Web of Public Transportation 3. Access to the Water 4. Activity Nodes 5. Promenade 6. Work Community 7. Main Gateways 8. Road Crossing 9. Accessible Green 10. Small Public Squares 11. Public Outdoor Room 12. Paths & Goals 13. Activity Pockets Patterns for the Building: 14. Building Complex 15. Circulation Realms 16. Shared Plaza *** 17. Main Building 18. Site Repair 19. Positive Outdoor Space 20. Main Entrance off the plaza 21. Common Areas at the Heart 22. Efficient Structure 23. Good Materials 24. Entrances toward the plaza *** 25. Large Entrance Foyer ***

7

50

Patterns & Project Language

Feeling of the city:

1.1 The city is made up of identifiable neighborhoods. Members of each neighborhood feel a sense of pride and ownership over their neighborhood because of what it adds to the city as a whole.

1.2 Each neighborhood has a clearly defined purpose in the city.

These purposes bring jobs, revenue, and pride to the people of the neighborhoods.

1.3 The neighborhood boundary gives a sense of ownership to its members over the part of the city that is clearly theirs.

1.4 With the combination of neighborhood watch groups and the small police force each community feels safe and protected.

1.5 Linked paths leading to the riverfront and neighborhood parks give city residents access to the water. Parks are located so that each resident has a park within 1 mile of their home.

Connections of the city:

2.1 Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is connected to the city along Interstate 80 with 3 Vallejo stops. The connection of the Bay Area to Vallejo gives Vallejo Residents the ability to commute to work outside the city and the ability to use social and recreation areas outside of Vallejo without relying on private cars.

2.2 Each of the three BART stations are connected with a web of public transportation. The web consists of a streetcar network and a bus network. This network connects the neighborhoods of Vallejo together and to the Greater Bay Area.

2.3 The streetcar system, being fixed, is utilized to connect the most active zones of each neighborhood. The bus system is

Patterns & Project Language

51

then a subsystem of transportation based on the areas not easily accessible via the streetcar.

Feeling of the neighborhood:

3.1 The center or heart of each neighborhood is a center of activity. Promenades and open plazas create the heart of each neighborhood. Mixed-use buildings create the boundaries of each promenade and plaza, building in community and activity in each neighborhood center.

3.2 The first ring outside of the heart of the city has a mix of housing and shops, but not in the same building. In open lots between houses shops are placed in between. These shops have the feeling of housing, but offer small community amenities and services off of the main activity center.

3.3 Beyond the heart of each neighborhood a mix of housing is available for individuals to families of all sizes. The farther from the center or heart the less business and commercial space are found. This stratification offers residents a variety of lifestyles within their own neighborhood.

3.4 Each neighborhood has at least one of each necessary community attributes: grocery, restaurant, recreation center/community center, hardware store, street cafe and public open space/green space.

Outside The Building:

4.1 A building in the heart of the neighborhood is a part of a building complex. Each building adding to the activity and success of the existing and future buildings.

4.2 The buildings share a plaza, either completely pedestrian or

52

Patterns & Project Language

with limited traffic, creating connection between each structure.

4.3 The main building on the plaza holds a special place in the hierarchy of the plaza, drawing the most attention from visitors without overshadowing the other buildings.

4.4 The combination of the main building and the supporting buildings make the plaza a positive outdoor space filled with activity for most of the day.

4.5 Each building has their main entrance off of the plaza. The main entrance is unique for each building and shows the character of the activity inside.

Inside the Building:

5.1 The structure of the building follows social places. Large open spaces are created for large social gathering spaces with spaces decreasing in size for private spaces.

5.2 Common areas are centrally located and near the main entrance of the building.

5.3 As the main building in the building complex it is important that is set a standard of construction, being well building and using good materials. Materials are long lasting, sustainable, and thoughtfully chosen. The structure must also be thoughtfully created and efficient, if the building is going to last many lifetimes it must be planned accordingly.

Patterns & Project Language

53

Program

8

Contemplation gardens Lobby (welcoming)- 200sqft Administration

Shared reception (seats 10)- 600sqft Resource library/pamphlets- 100sqft

Large conference room- 400sqft

2 Small shared conference rooms- 300sqft each

Public rest rooms- 300sqft Private reception & Entrance (seats 5)- 300sqft Center administration offices- 600sqft

2 Private offices- 100sqft each

Small open office approx. 4 Employees- 500sqft Occupational assistance offices- 1600sqft

2 Private offices- 100sqft

Therapy rooms

7-8 Individual- 100sqft each

3-4 Large group- 225sqft

3-4 Small group- 120sqft each Physical therapy center- 900sqft 5+ Classrooms- 800sqft each Residences 50 Private rooms- 200-300sqft Meditation garden Bathroom Mess hall

Kitchen

Dinning Approximate total: 10,610

Site Analysis

9

Vallejo has many possible sites for a veteran’s rehabilitation center. For the purpose of this project I focused on four to begin with and later found a fifth location to be most ideal. Originally, I had chosen 2 sites in the city and 2 sites on Mare Island. Each of these sites had its pros and cons for building on, and each had their pros and cons for a veteran’s center. When looking for a site I was keeping these five points in mind: Connection to the city, privacy, access, scenic views, and access to the water.

Site 1

2 3

4 5 1

58

Site Analysis

On the seclusion scale, Site 1 is the most secluded site I studied. It also

has very little connection to any part of Vallejo. However, this location boasted nothing by scenic views. It wasn’t the site for a Veteran’s rehabilitation center, no matter how scenic the views.

Site 2

Site Analysis

59

The second site that I considered is located in the center of the old Mare Island Naval Base. It is reasonably well connected to Vallejo’s City center, but only has one or two great views. It would be very difficult to create the environment I envisioned for a veteran’s rehabilitation center on Site 2.

Site 3

Site three, appeared at first glance to be an ideal site. It is located on the Napa River waterfront, within walking distance of Vallejo’s City Center and it has great views from most directions.

60

Site Analysis

Site 4

The fourth site is located in South Vallejo, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Vallejo. I saw it as a chance to bring a young eager workforce into a neighborhood that needed economic stimulus. The only con I found was that there were no scenic views from the site, and the neighborhood has a high gun crime rate. The instance of audible gun sounds in the neighborhood would seem a detriment to veterans suffering from PTSD from combat trauma.

Site 5

Site Analysis

61

After developing the above list of site pros and cons it was clear that there was still something missing. The veteran’s needed a place that was connected to the city, without being smack dab in the middle of the action, but would also benefit from the views of San Pablo Bay. The final site is what came out of this exploration. As follows are the pros and cons for the fifth and final site (5).

Pros: View connection to the city Possible bridge connection to the city Views of San Pablo Bay and the Carquinez Straight Gives a sense of seclusion without actually being secluded Access to the water Cons: Could be seen as too disconnected from the city Difficult terrain to build on No other current development to support center on this portion of Mare Island Difficult to access without road improvements This site provided all of the things that were pointed out as necessary for the building and the building program, without having any majors barriers to development.

PART 3

Appendix

Precedent

10

Treasure Island Transitional Housing

Swords to plowshares’ is has several supportive housing programs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The housing program is recognized nationally for their ability to address the comprehensive needs of homeless veterans. The Treasure Island Transitional Housing program is located on a former naval base (Treasure Island). It has beautiful views of the San Francisco area and San Francisco Bay. The location was chosed to allow for a peaceful and therapeutic environment for veterans who are in the process of stabilizing their lives. This housing unit offers up to two years of housing in a sober environment, and it can maintain as many as 70 homeless veterans in the program at any given time. The veteran populations that Treasure Island Transitional Housing supports are: Chronically mentally ill and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, Chronically homeless, frail and elderly, women, and Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans.

Precedent Life Cycle Tower One (LCT 1)

Life cycle Tower One is an innovative and unique wood-hybrid construction system. This system enables buildings to be erected using the principles of maximum resource and energy efficiency. This construction can reach up to 30 stories and up to 100 meters high. This tower has one prototype; the Rhomberg factory in Dornbirn and is a showpiece of sustainable building.

This tower construction is highly adaptable to the smaller type structures that I have been looking at for my Veteran’s rehabilitation center.

11

Case Study

12

The Rhine River Redevelopment

The development along the Rhine, specifically in Northern Cologne, is very similar to the development that I propose along the east and west bank of the Napa River. According to Birkhauser “The urban reality is characterized by large industrial plants, drab office buildings, roads, railroad tracks, and non-descript housing developments� (pg. 30). Which is almost exactly the same urban Setting for The Napa River. The Cologne region was considered a perspective Rhine development area that was shaped by industry.

The initial plan consisted of creating more open space where industry had vacated the space, which will give more space for open green space that can bring vitality to the area. Other factors the planning committee was looking at were: reconnecting the Ferry system that crossed the river, bringing more residents to the area, and creating livable space.

This was an especially interesting topic when you look at Mare Island and its original connection

70

Case Study: The Rhine River Redevelopment

to Vallejo. There was originally a ferry that ran across The Mare Island Straight. There is currently a ferry terminal on the West Bank of the straight that serves as a connection to San Francisco. There appears to be a possibility to reconnect the original ferry service to reduce or maybe eliminate car traffic on parts of Mare Island. However, at a minimum it is key to the redevelopment of Mare Island that there are more vehicular access points, and more pedestrian access points.

The last point of serious interest was the way the planners for the Rhine were not only taking current trends into account, but were forecasting the trends out as far into the future as they could, this was a more comprehensive plan of how the area could be reclaimed after industry vacates or transforms could be created. The way they left the plan open to change as certain industries closed shop and how some may expand, allowed for an organic growth of their plan, instead of a forceful redevelopment of the spaces.

Case Study: The Rhine River Redevelopment

71

Case Study The Delancy Street Project

The Delancy Street Foundation, set out to train exconvicts and ex-addicts to be teachers, construction workers, chefs, etc.... Making them productive members of the community. The program is run completely by the ex-convicts and ex-addicts, and because they have gone through the program they now feel a sense of pride and ownership.

Although veterans do not suffer from the same social problems that exconvicts and ex-addicts do, they do need to rediscover their place in society, just like convicts and addicts. My project will need to include a place for veterans to learn working skills. Veterans are not unskilled workers, however translating the skills they learned as soldiers into civilian jobs can be very difficult. For some veterans they do not want to continue to work in fields that use their soldier skills, so offering opportunities to be trained in a new field of work can be life altering.

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