Envision Cameron

Cameron, Arizona, seen from afar, boasts rugged landscapes featuring the Grand Canyon and the vital Lower Colorado River. Closer in, it's a hub for commerce and marks the eastern entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park within the vast Navajo Reservation. Yet, this aerial view misses the human impact: external factors, from wartime mining to land disputes and the recent pandemic, have hindered its potential despite its natural beauty. However, in 2020, Cameron joined the Navajo Thaw Regional Recovery Plan, aiming to revitalize the region after decades of stagnation. This initiative targets housing, infrastructure, and economic growth, signifying a pivotal shift from planning to action and potentially inspiring change across the entire Navajo Nation.

This project breaks new ground in three ways. Firstly, it introduces comprehensive placemaking, a novel approach on the Navajo Nation, typically focused on land use. Secondly, it employs Swaback's unique community-driven placemaking process. Lastly, it uniquely targets specific sectors like broadband, housing, entrepreneurship, and eco-cultural tourism, tailored to Cameron's needs. Swaback's earlier work, featured in the Navajo Thaw Regional Recovery Plan, sets the stage for this innovative vision.