Urban Developement Challenges

HISTORICAL URBAN CHALLENGES – PALM SPRINGS

Historical Urban Challenges

Leigh Gileno

PPA401: Urban Management

Professor Angela McCormick

December 11, 2017

There is no question that when it comes to establishing a territory for people to live, there is great consideration and planning that must take place in order to provide life sustaining quality for not only people but also for the environment that includes wildlife and vegetation. This paper will focus on the challenges that the City of Palm Springs has faced over the last one hundred and forty years that incorporates the reservation boundaries and jurisdictional boundaries that overlap. Learning to respect a sovereign nation in order to develop land owned by the state has had many ups and downs.

On May 15, 1876, Section 14 and a portion of Section 22 (Tahquitz Canyon) were set aside by Executive Order of President Ulysses S. Grant as the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation (Vision Agua Caliente, 2017). It would take over eighty-three years before The Equalization Act that was established in September 1959 to finalized the individual Indian allotments. During this period, many people ranging from soldiers, explorers to colonizers would come through the area. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians are the largest single land owner in Palm Springs. Because of this ownership, the City of Palm Springs must maintain a cohesive and respectful relationship in order to provide goods and services to the city. Because the Indians own every other square mile within the City, developing city streets and residential neighborhoods have been a challenge.