Peri-Urbanization in the Eastern Coachella Valley and Retreat Urbanism’s Creep into Farmworker Country

Keywords: peri-urbanization, rural, land use, tourism, water scarcity
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Located at the periphery of the Los Angeles metropolitan region, the Eastern Coachella Valley is home to a largely low-income, Mexican American and Mexican Immigrant, farmworker population. Since early U.S. settlement, agricultural production has dominated this rural area. This paper analyzes regional policy, planning processes, and archival documents to explain how contemporary peri-urban processes are increasing socio-economic and water access disparities. I find that regional planning and water management government agencies implement “growth for growth” policies that incentivize peri-urbanization through luxury tourism. Today, these high-income tourist developments are expanding into the Eastern Coachella Valley through a peri-urbanization process I call retreat urbanism.