Alumnus Ricardo Rodriguez talks with members of his Quatro Design Group, from left, Nestor Oropeza, senior architecture major, Araceli Gomez, '99, and Lisa Tabuchi, '89 architecture alumni.

Submitting a design proposal for the Cesar Chavez Streetscape Beautification Plan wasn't just a business decision for Ricardo Rodriguez, it was a personal one. After all, it was a quote from Chavez that shaped the Cal Poly Pomona architecture alumnus' vision of the future.

"You don't just change a man," Chavez wrote. "You got to change his environment."

These words have come to inspire the life-work of Rodriguez, who—along with David Stokes and Javier Molina—are partners at Quatro Design Group (QDG) in Los Angeles. Rodriguez grew up in the East Los Angeles Maravilla housing projects with his mother and five siblings. As early as the age of seven, his future role in the community became clear. He entered and won a design contest for Maravilla children to come up with plans for their ideal living space. Rodriguez's prize-winning design featured an apartment complex with open floor plans, small yards and low fences.

"I feel that quality of life is dependent on the physical space people live in," he explains. "If you design spaces that stimulate a sense of ownership, the inhabitants feel more responsible for taking care of that space. It changes their perspective on their own quality of life," says Rodriguez, who lives in Hacienda Heights.

Moved by his mother's work ethic and her insistence on the importance of education, he became the first in his family—to attain a university education. Rodriguez credits his success today to the influence of the strong women in his life—his mother, Margarita, his wife, Elena, and his daughter, Alegra.

With his early life shaped by sight and sound of the projects, Rodriguez learned a new frame of reference at Cal Poly Pomona."When seen through the eyes of my faculty and peers, architecture brought new meaning and interest in how different cultures live," he says. "The psychology and social aspect of architecture intrigued me tremendously and I started to realize that buildings affect neighborhoods, not just the people living in them."

QDG is one of four firms involved in the Housing and Urban Development's East Los Angeles revitalization project. The prison-like concrete projects of Rodriguez's youth have been cleared away to create a new kind of inner city life, one that instills something Rodriguez calls "pride of place." The Aliso Village public housing project will provide newrental units designed to resemble suburban townhouses—much like in the seven-year-old Rodriguez's prize-winning design—as well as nearly 100 single-family homes. One-third of these homes will be offered at special rates to former public housing residents.

In addition to his work with Aliso Village and the Cesar Chavez Streetscape Beautification Plan, Rodriguez and QDG are also creating the East L.A. Civic Center Plaza and an affordable apartment complex on Whittier Boulevard. The buildings reflect the cultural heritage of East L.A., featuring fiesta-colored complexes that inspire comment and a sense of community.

"Unlike suburban sprawls and gated communities, urban environments can benefit from local synergy, built history, culture and surrounding neighborhoods," he says.

Every piece of architecture is a link to an existing chain, he explains.

"We must tap into that chain either visually or physically."