Partnering with the Mariposa Arts Council to form a Creative Placemaking Advisory Council, the Mariposa County Planning Department created an artist-led plan to develop a new multi-use trail that celebrates the community’s cultures and ecology.
The challenge
Mariposa County occupies 1,463 square miles of the Sierra Nevada foothills, sitting at the western gateway to Yosemite National Park. Mariposa County’s proximity to the park, as well as its rich, well-preserved history, roots an engaging sense of place and supports an economy that depends on tourism. The rural community hosts over one million annual visitors, and it faces a range of demographic and transportation issues. Relative to the state (17%), Mariposa County has a significantly higher proportion of residents 60 and older (39%). The county’s prevalence of obesity (24.4%) also ranks among California’s highest. While the town of Mariposa features pockets of dense, walkable fabric, the bulk of the county is defined by largely auto-centric land use patterns which, when coupled with extraordinary congestion from park visitors, severely limit mobility and prevent the creation of a sense of place.
In December 2017, Mariposa County received a $235,729 grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to address a range of active and multi-modal transportation enhancement activities, including aesthetic improvements and community design work geared towards the Mariposa Parkway. This grant was jointly administered by the Planning and Public Works Departments in the spring of 2018 to support the creation of the Mariposa Creek Parkway, which runs parallel to Mariposa’s Main Street. By partnering with artists and cultural organizations, the County engaged town residents in the design of the Parkway to ensure that it serves to reflect the County’s culture and values.
In 2018, SGA led a two day State-of-the-Art transportation training for Mariposa community leaders, educating artists and arts administrators on transportation and planning practice, while simultaneously training engineers and planners on artistic practice. The training led to Mariposa County winning more state funding to pursue the expansion of the next phases of the Creek Parkway.