CONNECTEcoMapLA is todays roadmap for a tomorrow that is social, economic and environmental sustainable
EcoMapLA the “GoTo” Resource Map for all things sustainable in LA, created to meet the growing demand of Angelenos wanting to know their sustainable choices within their city.
Please describe your project proposal.
We will make significant upgrades to our website, and enhance usability of EcoMapLA to provide the first real time interactive map of Iconic Los Angeles landmarks, sustainable buildings and businesses for all Los Angeles Communities. Information will be displayed in an intuitive way to navigate with on demand tools and layers to control what you see, including pictures, text, videos, external links, etc. for a fully customized experience.
Which of the CONNECT metrics will your proposal impact?
Travel time to work
Public transit riders
Rates of volunteerism
Residential segregation
Transit-accessible housing and employment (the share of housing units and percentage of jobs that are located within a half-mile of transit)
In what areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
County of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles
LAUSD
Describe in greater detail how your proposal will make LA the best place to CONNECT?
Bloomberg projects that Los Angeles will become America’s densest city by as early as 2025 with an estimated 38% population growth. Will our city’s infrastructure and services meet the demand, and sustain viability beyond 2050? EcoMapLA is part of the solution to a tomorrow that is social, economic and environmental sustainable.
This grant would allow EcoMapLA to add additional information such as, Businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, sustainable restaurants (such as Farm to Fork) Local Farmers Markets, Los Angeles City and school programs, and much more, that support sustainable environments in all our Los Angeles neighborhoods.
We will also use the funds to create the EcoMapLA App and upgrade our hosting site. This would enable us to host all pertinent information, in real time via overlay into one cohesive platform. We would then be able to enhance our Transportation category by adding EV Charging stations and transportation options in real time. We currently show all major rail & bus routes however with additional funding we would be able to report running times and current locations adding live data feeds that would report current location of bus routes and or trains with a unique color coding making them easily recognizable. Option to set up Text alerts or provide custom reporting via a mobile app would quickly render this feature invaluable to navigate about the city. This will save users time, money and energy resources.
A sustainable lifestyle is a right, not a choice. Every decision we make, from what we consume to what we obtain, to every step we take, whether it’s to work, live or play has an impact on our ecosystem. So it is only natural that we seek out our options when making informed decisions of where we go, what we do, how we get there, and what we consume. Having a resource like EcoMapLA available to Angelenos, regardless of race, creed, social or economic status allows the community to have a choice, to make more informed decisions about their surroundings and help transition into a more sustainable lifestyle by connecting with the very community they live and work in.
By giving people a voice to identify what is important to them, and have it reflected in the very tool they use, gives a sense of community identity, and a responsibility to one another to care for that community which facilitates engagement, helps create a strong bond where neighbors are no longer strangers, connecting people, neighborhoods and cities. EcoMapLA is designed to assist people in transitioning seamlessly into a more sustainable lifestyle by providing pertinent information, at their fingertips in real time, on the sustainability of businesses, places and spaces along with transportation options in and around LA.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
Because EcoMapLA is a hosted site, we have the ability to document interface analytics that track and report traffic both in counts and duration of visits so as to gauge what works, what doesn’t and what needs improvement. We also have a feedback form where users can provide input and valuable insight into what they wish to see. We will have the ability to set stats for traffic, goal completions, and other metrics to assure we are on target, such as Location demographics of visitors to assure all communities are represented and accurately display. Through strong analytics we are able to establish patterns and learn about what people are searching for on our site and assure we meet the need. We will also continue to log our Volunteers activities and hours.
How can the LA2050 community and other stakeholders help your proposal succeed?
Money
Volunteers
Publicity/awareness
Technical infrastructure (computers etc.)
Community outreach