The return of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast features Eric Solis, an L.A. born architect and designer now living and consulting in Mexico City, where the rise of a new, international gentrification has pushed residents like himself to fight back and organize. Solis’s roots in Los Angeles also run deep, however, especially given his time with HNTB Corporation in collaboration with Michael Maltzan Architecture, or the firm behind the already world-famous 6th Street Bridge, which officially reopened in June 2022. Solis and I discuss his upbringing through Greater Los Angeles, as well as his unique position as a first-generation college graduate (USC, 2010) on a team of seasoned, mostly white architects who had little to no lived experience with Mexican-American communities like those of East Los Angeles. We also discuss the strengths and shortcomings of the 6th Street Bridge, as well as what Designing For The Realities has looked like for Solis most recently. Last but not least, we uplift “No Hablamos Ingles,” a fashion show consisting of some of Mexico’s fiercest fashion leaders taking place right in Los Angeles this September 21st, free and open to all of the Pueblito.
(0:52) Introductions
(6:15) Solis’s time on the 6th Street Bridge fresh out of USC, Class of 2010
(11:15) Looking around the room as the only Latino person at the firm
(20:32) Issues posed by the new 6th Street Bridge due in large part to design
(26:45) Solis’s thoughts on designing for reality rather than for idealism in L.A. + discovering fashion!
(33:08) “No Hablamos Inglés,” September 21st in downtown Los Angeles
(35:48) Fighting gentrification in Mexico City and everywhere else we can
To make a one-time donation to my nonprofit work for working-class communities in The City, do so here. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast for as little as $5 a month, check out my page at Patreon.
Until the next time, stay vigilant and stay tuned!
J.T.
