Embedded Files
Community-rooted planning and action in south Puerto Rico's largest coastal neighborhood.
About this Website
About this Website
Rutgers-Camden by Ph.D. student David Southgate, MS, MPA, is maintaining this Website to support Un Nuevo Amanecer's (UNA) community-rooted planning and actions. Southgate, advisor to UNA's board of directors, champions climate justice through his scholarship, advocacy, and practice. A distinguished graduate student (2020 - 2022) in Public Affairs/Community Development at Rutgers University, his research sheds light onto community coping strategies that redistribute land resources in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
David's sphere of influence transcends academia, with impactful engagements in communities spanning the southeastern United States and the nation’s Caribbean colonies. Subcontracts with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the community-institutional partnerships he facilitates underscore David’s dedication to translating research, resources, and community involvement into pragmatic solutions that transform socio-environmental challenges in Afro-Latino environmental justice communities. His recent affiliation as board member and advisor to Un Nuevo Amanecer Inc. and his participation in the Climigration Network’s Advisory Council illustrate his commitment to advancing community-driven climate adaptation in BIPOC and indigenous settlements that span the nation.
As a long-term community development practitioner, Southgate has been collaborating with and supporting participatory action research and community advocacy with members of Un Nuevo Amanecer since 2016.
Un Nuevo Amanecer's efforts are receiving broad support from neighborhood leaders, as well as Puerto Rico- and North American-based institutional and philanthropic partners. The maps on this page and in the Maps Tab communicate community history, trends and flood/climate vulnerabilities in Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Visit Achievements to date to learn more about funding initiatives, actions, and advocacy.
Participatory action research
Household-level Flood Survey
Household-level Flood Survey
Un Nuevo Amanecer Inc. and Buy-In in partnership with community leaders from Barrio Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico, co-produced a Spanish-language survey. Residents interviewed more than 240 households on flood perceptions, experiences, and desired adaptation measures. Multiple funders.
Community inventory of place abandonment
Community inventory of place abandonment
Un Nuevo Amanecer and el Centro para la Reconstrucción de Hábitat in partnership with residents completed a GIS inventory of place abandonment. The findings identified 140 public nuisance sites and 30 vacant sites. Subsequent participatory processes aligned possible site reuses to community benefit. Funded by River Network.
Playa de Ponce - Overview
Background on Ponce Playa
Background on Ponce Playa
A neighborhood with a rich culture and history, Playa de Ponce is a unique coastal community on the Caribbean Sea that is feeling the pressures of climate change. This video formed part of a fund-raising effort around water quality testing in 2016.
How did Ponce develop?
How did Ponce develop?
Ponce is an historic port city with a history of transforming its shoreline and displacing populations in Playa de Ponce. See the map.
Social vulnerability
Social vulnerability
Social vulnerability reduces people's ability to bounce back following catastrophic shocks, such as floods and hurricanes. Siting industrial polluters near communities also increases vulnerabilities. See the correlations across Puerto Rico and in Playa de Ponce.
Population distribution in Puerto Rico
Population distribution in Puerto Rico
With a population of about 3.3 million people, this US territory's population is highly concentrated in the San Juan metropolitan area. But the trend in San Juan and Playa de Ponce is shrinkage. See the map.
Place abandonment mapped
Place abandonment mapped
2020 US Census data provides details into the spacial distribution of vacant housing in Playa de Ponce.
What does place abandonment look like?
What does place abandonment look like?
This map helps us understand what abandonment looks like on the ground in Playa de Ponce.
An example of chronic flooding
An example of chronic flooding
Despite neighborhood pleas to address chronic flooding, waters rise with heavy rains, as illustrated in this video from the Puerto Viejo sector of Playa de Ponce.
Bathtub Model
Bathtub Model
At three-meter sea-level rise, Ponce Playa is starkly affected by flooding. Although the scenario is unlikely, this 3D visualization correlates to where riverine and storm water floods occur today, based on land elevations.
Questions?
Questions?
Contact [david@davidsouthgate.com] to get more information on the project.
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