Trust for Public Land is grateful for LA2050’s support in helping us to realize our goal of connecting Los Angeles residents to the joys and benefits of the outdoors. Over the past twelve months, and with the support of LA2050, Trust for Public Land has made significant progress in advancing our Parks for People efforts in Los Angeles. We opened the Central Jefferson and Quincy Jones green alley networks in South Los Angeles and made headway on two more greenways; completed 80% of construction of Urban Orchard in South Gate and advanced three additional neighborhood parks; began construction of Castellanos Elementary’s green schoolyard—our first in Los Angeles—and raised significant funds and community support for more green schoolyards across the region.

The public green spaces under development by TPL in Los Angeles will create park access for more than 127,000 residents, including more than 40,000 children, who live within a 10-minute walk of them (TPL Park Equity Tool 2021). Of this population, 66% belong to low-income households and 93% identify as people of color. Over the past year, we directly engaged 250 residents through participatory design, creative placemaking, environmental workshops, nature trips, opening celebrations, and other outreach for this program. All these projects serve diverse communities plagued by poverty, chronic diseases, and climate threats.

Castellanos Elementary, Los Angeles: As TPL’s first green schoolyard in Los Angeles, Castellanos Elementary will inform and inspire further conversions in the city. It will replace a one-acre blacktop with educational features like an outdoor classroom; natural play areas like a discovery trail and granite boulders; sports features like a multi-use field; climate solutions like cool surface paint and rock swales; and art pieces like a student mural. On March 13, 2023, we co hosted a festive groundbreaking celebration with students, teachers, and family members. The green schoolyard will benefit the 550 students attending the school, future classes of students, and thousands of residents who live nearby. With construction now about 75 percent completed, we hope to celebrate the green schoolyard’s opening in January 2024.

Norwood Elementary, El Monte: This project will transform a decommissioned school campus in the El Monte City School District into a publicly accessible recreation space. In February 2023, TPL and our partner, ActiveSGV, completed the first round of design meetings with community members. Then in March, they made a presentation to the school district’s board describing outreach and design process and results. TPL prepared a successful grant application to LA County that secured $9,828,559 for construction renovation.

107th Street Elementary, Watts: This school is one of twenty in LAUSD managed by the Partnership for LA Schools to provide wrap-around services in high-need areas. In partnership with the Community Coalition of South Los Angeles, we are conducting outreach and initial planning for a green schoolyard.

Future Schoolyards: TPL and Community Coalition are conducting outreach that will help us determine five pilot projects in South LA, while also meeting with community groups about launching green schoolyard initiatives in Boyle Heights and El Monte.

On July 27, 2023, Spectrum 1 News—a cable and online news outlet—aired “California investing in greener schoolyards to protect kids from extreme heat,” profiling TPL’s schoolyard efforts in California, including our Los Angeles schoolyards initiative.

David M. Gonzales Park, Pacoima: This project will transform a dilapidated seven-acre park into a shady, resilient sanctuary by upgrading recreational amenities and adding trees, bioswales, and art. Construction Documents have now been completed and approved by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering. Construction will begin after a memorandum of agreement has been executed by the Bureau of Engineering, Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation, and LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP).

El Sereno Arroyo Playground Phase II, El Sereno: This project will expand a popular playground onto an adjacent vacant lot and add swings, a net climber, plantings, walking paths, and community art. We are developing a request for proposals for a design team, while continuing participatory design with the El Sereno Arroyo Vecinos volunteer group and broader community. This spring, we supported the Vecinos in hosting their annual spring celebration at the park, which also celebrated the park’s ten-year anniversary.

Urban Orchard Park, South Gate, LA County: This project transforms seven acres of industrial land along the Los Angeles River into a community park and garden maintained by at-risk youth. On October 22, 2022, TPL, South Gate, and Conservation Corps of Long Beach engaged almost fifty residents in a Community Planting Day. The Conservation Corps provided a supervised crew of a dozen members and all necessary tools. They gave a bilingual overview and demonstration and then, with the help of community members, planted 43 fruit trees. To date, 80 percent of the park has been constructed, including the fitness path, wetland and stream, education building, restroom and garage, and picnic areas, reservoir, and underground vaults. We anticipate opening Phase I by December 2024.

Zamora Park, El Monte: This project restores a beloved but rundown community anchor by adding new play equipment, shade trees, a walking path, fitness equipment, and art telling the story of El Monte. We are wrapping up permitting and about to start construction bidding. We plan to host a groundbreaking event, with a community mosaic workshop, in early 2024; then open the renovated park by winter 2024.

Central Jefferson and Quincy Jones Green Alley Networks, South Los Angeles: On March 18, 2023, more than one hundred community members celebrated the transformation of 11 underutilized alleys in the historic Central Avenue Jazz District into vibrant, green spaces where children and families can safely walk or bike around the neighborhood. More than 57,300 people reside within a half-mile of these green alleys, including more than 32,000 children. About 90 percent of these residents identify as people of color and belong to lower-income households. The green alleys are also making these neighborhoods safer by mitigating environmental and climate change threats from heat waves, flooding, and pollution. Together, the two networks capture and infiltrate over 1.5 million gallons of stormwater annually and were recognized by several news outlets, including a February 1, 2023 article in Curbed, for their impact in enhancing community resilience.

Pacoima Wash Greenway, Pacoima: Led by community-based Pacoima Beautiful, the first phase of this four-acre greenway will support gardening, get togethers, tribal practices, and climate resilience. TPL supported PB to prepare a successful grant to the Bezos Earth Fund that raised $3.5 million for the project.

Reseda River Loop, Phase II, Reseda: This project will facilitate active transit and recreation by creating a half-mile walking trail along the Los Angeles River and a pedestrian bridge to Aliso Creek Confluence Park. Construction drawings are completed and under review by the city and county. In April 2023, we held a meeting with community members at Aliso Creek Confluence Park to update them on our progress and gather feedback.

Challenges Overcome and Lessons Learned

While we are proud of all that has been accomplished in the past year, this work was not without it’s challenges. TPL continues to face a significant external challenge caused by high inflation. Ballooning inflation over the past year has driven up construction costs for our green schoolyards and other park projects. For example, Castellanos Elementary’s budget doubled. We closed these budget gaps by ramping up our philanthropy efforts—raising $1 million for Castellanos. Funding from partners like LA2050 is crucial to narrowing the gap between those with great close-to-home parks and green spaces and those without.

In order to share out lessons learned and based on TPL’s extensive experience creating parks and protecting land with a diverse range of communities, we published an evidence-based community engagement model, along with more than 50 recommended strategies for planning, programming, and design activities that are proven to help communities thrive in our Common Ground Framework (April 2023). The paper demonstrates how forming social ties, developing a sense of belonging, and engaging with civic action can set up neighbors to shape and achieve their health, climate resilience, and equity goals. The Common Ground Framework is a call to action for all park advocates, shedding light on community engagement strategies, policy recommendations, and research needs that can drive a kinder, more connected future.

Thank you!

The Parks for People program empowers underserved communities to create their visions for parks and open space. We actively engage neighborhoods in our community-based process to ensure residents have outdoor spaces that reflect local identity and culture and break down the physical and cultural barriers that separate people from the outdoors. We help them transform abandoned lots into inviting recreational spaces, asphalt schoolyards into verdant campuses, and neglected alleys into vibrant greenways.

Thank you to LA2050 for helping TPL transform and preserve public outdoor spaces that embody Los Angeles’ values and goals for a healthier, more equitable future. LA2050’s contributions to TPL’s Los Angeles Parks for People program support our efforts to increase park access where it is needed most across the region!