REORIENTING URBAN IDENTITIES: FORM AND FUNCTION FOLLOW FOODSCAPE

Abstract

Waipahu is situated on three ahupua‘a; Hō‘ae‘ae, Waikele, and Waipi‘o. The precolonial spatial identity of the ʻāina is reflected by way of kuleana, pilina, and aloha ʻāina. Western concepts of land development accompanied by changes in the land tenure system in the late 19th century disrupted these relationships through spatial hierarchies and asymmetries of settler colonialism that stifled the continuation of indigenous practices. As a result, the visible and physical encounters that inform us of this relationship between ʻāina and its Indigenous people are rarely experienced in Waipahu today. As city plans call for a transit-oriented development within a half-mile radius of each rail station presenting potential opportunities for connectivity of the surrounding communities, there is also potential to underscore the ongoing disconnect from ʻāina. Through ahupua‘a based strategies along Kapakahi stream, there is opportunity to revitalize a food corridor within the urban core of Waikele ahupua‘a that also connects to a more extensive food network along the coastlines of Puʻuloa which community organizations are already actively restoring. These strategies aim to recognize Indigenous values of place and engender social reciprocity within communities. The findings of this research led to five outcomes: 1) Establishing the importance of finding pilina, positionality, and kuleana in the design process; 2) Systems thinking to contextualize spatial dynamics; 3) Identifying potential points of connection that reorient our understanding of place in ka pae ʻāina o Hawaiʻi; 4) Aligning with community organization goals; 5) Strategies that reorient the urban fabric; a community pavilion based on the concept of potluck architecture.