Latinos from low-income neighborhoods of Southern California are less likely to have access to green space, parks, and other recreational facilities. Robert Garcia of The City Project wants to change this by seeking green justice, through equal access of green space for all. Although, Los Angeles is one of the most heavily populated cities in the country, it continues to have a limited amount of parks, especially in underserved communities. Residents of Maywood, a predominantly low-income, Latino neighborhood, suffer disproportionately from high rates of obesity and have only 0.6 acres of park space per 1,000 residents. According to Robert Garcia, of The City Project in California, parks in California are a civil rights issue, because not everyone has equal access to them. This ...
Despite the voters' rejection of Proposition 21----a tax that would have provided a source of funding for Califonia parks---The City Project, a non-profit organization based out of California, continues to work on plans towards equal access to parks and recreation, for underserved communities in California. Members of the City Project believe that parks would create thousands of job opportunities, and reduce the health burdens of those that lack easy access to parks. According to this blog post, The City Project is working on an equity plan to distribute park benefits. Proposition 21 (2010) would have provided $500 million per year for California’s 278 state parks through an $18 fee on vehicles. On November 2, 2010, voters voted against this measure, and as a result dozens of ...
According to the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) there is a need to update existing policies in order to provide funds for the development and upkeep of parks and recreation facilities throughout the nation. The NRPA believes that a piece of legislation called the Community Parks Revitalization (CPR) Act (2013) could help by allowing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide funds to local communities for: developing new parks and improving infrastructure;
providing matching grants for innovative programming that would target at-risk youth, returning veterans, and military families; and
creating a federal program that would provide loans for larger scale parks and recreation projects. The Community Parks Revitalization Act (CPR) was introduced ...
Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago has launched the Chicago Plays initiative to improve the condition of 300 parks and playgrounds throughout the city. Parks with trails, playgrounds, and athletic facilities can increase the amount of physical activity that people participate in. A recent study found that 81 percent of Hispanic neighborhoods lacked recreational facilities. Through the Chicago Plays initiative, Mayor Emanuel hopes to provide at least one park within a 10-minute walking distance of every Chicagoan. Chicago Plays is a five year playground renovation project that aims to improve the quality of 300 parks and playgrounds throughout Chicago. According to a press release from the office of the mayor, Mayor Emanuel hopes to complete the first upgrades to 50 playgrounds by November ...
In 2010, a group of Latina immigrants living in Granada, a neighborhood of Phoenix, formed Vecinos Unidos Siempre (Neighbors United Forever)---in order to unite residents and bring about improvements to their neighborhood. As a result of forming this group and partnering with Maryvale on the Move (a Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities initiative) residents were able to bring about improvements to the only park in their neighborhood. More Information and Resources Neighbors United Forever for Change (Vecinos Unidos Siempre para el cambio) Phoenix, AZ At the end of 2011, the Phoenix city council released a $1.2 million bond to be used for improvements to Cielito Lindo Park--located in the predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Granada. A steering committee comprised of local residents was ...
After years of working with city departments and groups around the community, organizers from Living Streets L.A. finally celebrated victory, with plans for four parklets across the city underway. The establishment of these parklets will serve as a pilot program for a city-wide plan to support parklets and complete streets throughout the city. Council members Jose Huizar and Jan Perry both supported the motion for the parklet pilot program in 2011. Still, the effort to bring parklets to LA started at the community level, when Living Streets L.A. and the Downtown Neighborhood Council encouraged Huizar's team to adopt a parklet program for downtown L.A. The first park to be opened was Highland Park Parklet, the second was the Spring Street Parklet, and the third will be at El ...
According to one report, Miami is the fourth most dangerous city for pedestrians in America. Activists seeking safer streets for those who travel by foot, host a series of safety walk events in Miami, in hopes of raising awareness of the issue. As a result, according to a Biscayne Times news report, in February 2013, cyclists and pedestrians gathered for a safety walk which was was held on the corner of Brickell Avenue and SE 15th Road in Miami. One participant held up a sign that read "drive safe, save kids!" Activist Elsa Roberts and others who attended the event received mixed responses from the drivers who passed by. Some drivers who passed by honked their horn in support of the pedestrians, others were hostile. Roberts believes that initiatives like these are the quickest way to help ...
By 2011, Colorado elementary schools were required to provide students with at least 600 minutes of physical activity a month. According to one study, providing daily physical education classes would increase moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels by 23 minutes a day. The study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that classroom activity breaks provided an average of 19 minutes of MVPA and that active commuting provided 16 minutes of MVPA. Park renovations provided children with an extra 12 minutes of MVPA. Although, limited data exists on whether school districts are complying with this policy, according to this EdNews Colorado article, schools like Red Hawk elementary school have started making positive changes. Kyle Legleiter, a public policy ...
Children in Brownsville are staying active by dancing Zumba. In April of 2012, Brownsville set a world record for hosting the largest Zumbatomic event ever. About 1,000 community members were in attendance for the event and from this group 383 children, ages 15 and under, participated to set a new world record. Zumbatomic is a variation of Zumba, the popular Latin dance work-out routine, that is designed for children ages 15 and under. As this video demonstrates, anyone can dance Zumba, even children. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-NRAVIPAyI The Zumbatomic event was created as a spin-off of the Brownsville Biggest Loser Challenge--a free 16-week challenge that serves to encourage adults to eat healthier foods and become more active. During these 16 weeks, free Zumba classes, fitness ...
