Learn more about the Park Equity Alliance and how it is working to ensure equitable access to parks and recreation in L.A. County.
The Park Equity Alliance (PEA) was founded in 2017 with a mission to increase access to green and open spaces in the most impacted communities of color in Los Angeles County through a policy- and systems-change advocacy approach. Over the years, the Alliance has grown its base of member organizations and successfully rallied over 300 representatives from communities in high-need areas.
In this recently released report, the PEA discusses its history and mission, current work and wins, challenges, and public policy priorities. For example, members of the PEA were actively involved in and helped to shape the development of Los Angeles County's 2016 and 2022 Parks Needs Assessments as well as the implementation of Measure A, the countywide parks funding measure that was approved by voters in 2016.
Highlighted in the report are two issues that members of the PEA have prioritized:
- Budget Advocacy to Repair Historical Park Disinvestment: This involves advocating for additional funding to upgrade parks in high-need areas, including investing in maintenance, facility improvement, and recreational and educational programming available.
- Transit to Trails Advocacy: This is to advocate for funding and projects that increase transit access to parks, trails, and green spaces such as those in San Gabriel Mountains.
For more information, please read the report.
FULL STORY: United for Park Equity: Movement Building, Community Investments, and Systems Change
LA County Releases Funding for Parkland Acquisition in Underserved Communities
Los Angeles County has released $14.5 million in Measure A grant funds to support parkland acquisition in high-need areas, aiming to create additional green spaces and advance environmental justice and equity.
Healing Neighborhoods Through Park Equity
Learn more about ways to improve park equity with Norma García-González, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Catherine Nagel, the executive director of the City Parks Alliance.
Improving Communities With Pocket Parks
Construction begins for a new pocket park in Westmont, an underserved unincorporated community in Los Angeles County.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.
Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills
Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.
Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units
Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service