Frogtown Ribbon Gardens

The implementation strategy for the Ribbon Gardens proposal primarily revolves around two concurrent elements: 1) fostering community support and engagement and 2) design, installation and planting of the various Ribbon Garden elements. Element one is achievable through Global Green’s extensive expertise at capacity building and community planning combined with the neighborhood’s demonstrated interest in food access through the creation of its community garden. Element two is achievable as the planters have already been designed and a planting palette has been developed. Further, we have previously tested this concept at the block level in April 2014 in Oakland, California, and from this event, we are prepared for neighborhood-scale integration. The implementation of the Frogtown Ribbon Gardens proposal will include the following steps: refine designs and communication materials; begin community outreach; acquire construction and planting materials; build planter kits; host community installation event; evaluate progress and build capacity for expanding Ribbon Gardens network to other food deserts in Los Angeles.

Following an outreach effort to build a neighborhood coalition and leverage the strength of an existing community garden and the existing network of fruit trees distributed throughout Elysian Valley, the implementation strategy follows two paths. First, kits will be created for each planter that include lumber in pre-cut dimensions, fasteners, assembly and planting instructions so that all that is needed for assembly is a power drill. Global Green will host an installation event for community members and volunteers to assemble, install and plant these planters. The second strategy is the distribution of assembly and planting instructions in a booklet for residents to make their own planters. Each planter has been designed with ease of fabrication in mind, and as a result, all lumber cuts are either 90o or 45o, and can be performed free of charge at most hardware stores. The average parkway strip in Elysian Valley is 180 square feet, and with an average of 24 strips per block, there is nearly a basketball court’s worth of planting space each. Using a conservative .3 yield, roughly 1,300 pounds of fresh food per block per year can be produced; a significant contribution towards a healthier diet in a neighborhood lacking access to healthy foods, and assuming an average produce price of $2 per pound, a significant cost savings as well.

The USDA has estimated that 23.5 million US residents live in food deserts- low-income areas where a significant share of residents is more than half a mile from the nearest market- and Los Angeles is home to many such pockets of limited food access. Elysian Valley is one of the most prominent of these food deserts, particularly due to its geography with the LA river to it’s east and south and 5 and 2 freeways to the north and west. As a result of this hemmed-in nature, ease of access to produce is particularly critical, and the Frogtown Ribbon Gardens proposal will help alleviate some of the pressures associated with living in a food desert while simultaneously advancing public discourse and engagement in a proactive, hands-on approach. Access to fresh and healthy food has been identified as one of the key indicators in many health issues in the American populace, and by empowering residents of Elysian Valley with the capacity to grow their own, the Frogtown Ribbon Gardens proposal continues already established community momentum in this vein.

In addition to mitigating long-standing community food access issues in Elysian Valley, the Frogtown Ribbon Gardens serve as a neighborhood-scale pilot project for a readily implementable strategy to combat conditions found throughout Los Angeles' food deserts. The consciously designed and branded Ribbon Garden planter elements combined with the inherently community-driven nature of this effort will raise attention and advance conversation around this issue to foster complementary zoning and policy priorities by the City to further reduce the occurrence and effects of food deserts in LA. By the Fall of 2015, Los Angeles will have a neighborhood-scale pilot project demonstrating the viability of this approach. By 2050, the lessons learned from the project and the momentum gained through iterative adaptations in food deserts across the city will yield a robust network of community-driven food production and significant inroads made into the reduction of childhood obesity and other key indicators inherently tied to conditions found in food deserts.

Three potential collaborators for this project- The Northeast LA Riverfront Collaborative, The Elysian Valley Community Garden and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The initial concept for the Frogtown Ribbon Gardens was developed as a competition entry for the Northeast LA Riverfront Collaborative. Our proposal won an Honorable Mention from competition judges and signals the viability of this proposal. Moving forward, we intend to connect with the Collaborative to gain their regional expertise and assistance with implementing the Ribbon Gardens approach in other food deserts in Northeast LA.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy operates the Marsh Street Nature Park, Elysian Valley Gateway Park, Steelhead Park and Oso Park- three of which are situated against the western edge of the LA River in Elysian Valley. Connecting the Ribbon Gardens to these community assets and, in turn, to the river, will help solidify their presence as important fixtures in the community which both beautify the neighborhood and provide fresh, affordable and healthy food.

Perhaps the most productive potential partners to collaborate with in Elysian Valley are the residents that in 2010 rallied together to promote access to healthy food, and established a .25-acre community garden at the intersection of Blake Avenue and Rich Street. This community driven effort simultaneously signals a desire for access to healthy produce and a demonstrated ability to self-organize to achieve this vision - two elements critical for the successful implementation of the Frogtown Ribbon Gardens proposal. The need and demand for fresh fruit and vegetables in Elysian Valley, however, far outstrips the production capacity of its community garden.We hope that by working in conjunction with this group, Global Green can leverage their community expertise and local gardening experience to see our mutual vision for increased food access in Elysian Valley to fruition.

While we have not worked directly with any of these groups in the past, we are confident that we can reach mutually beneficial partnerships with all three to combat the effects of food scarcity in Elysian Valley. Three factors critical to the success of these proposed collaborations are 1) ensuring collaboration, not competition, 2) identifying and pooling our mutual assets to develop the best implementation approach and 3) developing strategies to continue the Ribbon Gardens network beyond the LA2050 grant.

Access to healthy food

Exposure to air toxins

Number of households below the self-sufficiency standard

Obesity rates

Walk/bike/transit score

Acres and miles of polluted waterways

Prevalence of adverse childhood experience (Dream Metric)

Percentage of LA communities that are resilient (Dream Metric)

Percentage of tree canopy cover (Dream Metric)

The Frogtown Ribbon Gardens proposal will directly impact six of the 10 “Live” LA2050 metrics and two of the three LA2050 “Dream Metrics.” Access to healthy food is directly impacted through the production of fruits and vegetables. Natural uptake by the plants will reduce exposure to air toxins. The number of households below the self-sufficiency standard will be reduced through a reduction in grocery costs for these fruits and vegetables. Food deserts are often characterised by pronounced obesity, and by offering low-cost, nearby fresh and healthy food, community members will be able to make healthier consumptions decisions. Increasing the amount of greenery and trees in the neighborhood will simultaneously serve to beautify and activate the streetscape, yielding an improved pedestrian realm. The increased canopy cover and prevalence of plants will reduce stormwater impacts on polluted waterways through improved natural processes such as groundwater infiltration and evapotranspiration.

By increasing healthy food options, reducing the number of households below the self-sufficiency standard and providing opportunities to connect with natural systems and discover the magic of growing your own food, the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences will be reduced. With the first Ribbon Garden in Elysian Valley, and subsequent iterations of this approach in other food deserts in Los Angeles, the percentage of resilient LA communities will be raised as these communities increase their capacity to withstand and recover from difficult conditions such as fluctuating food markets. The percentage of tree canopy cover will be directly impacted by the planting of new street trees as part of this initiative.

Global Green’s expertise at community organizing and planning combined with the fact that research, design, and a proof-of-concept installation has already occurred, we are confident that the Frogtown Ribbon Gardens is a fully implementable and realizable goal within the next twelve months. Global Green has both the professional experience and the technical knowledge required to see this project to completion. We will track progress based upon the following timeline:

October - December 2014: Refine designs and outreach materials; Begin ongoing community outreach process

January 2015: Identify Ribbon Garden host locations; Test build and refine each planter element

February 2015: Host community assembly and installation events; plant fruits, vegetables and trees

March - June 2015: Maintain, existing planters; Distribute additional planter kits; Possibly host additional planting event

July - August 2015: Harvest first year’s yield

September 2015: Evaluate program, Determine strengths and weaknesses; Develop future iterations