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Parks for People -- LA Case Statement

Two-thirds of children in Los Angeles do not live near a park, playground, or other safe place to play. Instead of joining soccer leagues or playing pickup games at local parks, they too often lead a "couch potato" lifestyle that keeps them indoors, jeopardizes their health, and undermines the vitality of our community.

The Trust for Public Land created Parks for People-LA to help solve the open space crisis and provide new recreational opportunities for children in Los Angeles County by creating 25 new parks over a five year period in the region's most underserved areas. Parks for People-LA hopes to make an immediate impact in Los Angeles and inspire a park creation movement that spreads throughout California and the nation.

The case for new parks in Los Angeles is perhaps the most compelling of any American metropolitan area. More than 1.5 million children in Los Angeles County do not live within walking distance of a public park, and existing park space is disproportionately concentrated in the region's wealthy neighborhoods. As a result, studies based on U.S. Census Bureau data show that Latino, African-American, and Asian Pacific Islander youth are dramatically less likely than their White counterparts to enjoy access to open space, playgrounds, and other exercise facilities.

Los Angeles' parks crisis worsens each day, as the population continues to grow and development claims the region's remaining open space. If trends continue, our already overburdened parks system will soon be stretched beyond the breaking point.

The parks crisis in Los Angeles worsens each day, as population growth continues and new development claims existing open space.

Children growing up in Los Angeles do not enjoy equal access to the region's parks and open space. That's about to change.

There is no better time to reshape the landscape of our community. Los Angeles has been presented with a historic opportunity for change, thanks in part to recent changes in public attitudes toward children's fitness and the current availability of state and federal funding for qualified park projects.

In recent years, Californians have heard experts' warnings that the epidemic of childhood obesity poses an urgent threat to the public health. In addition to eating better, public health officials have urged communities to promote exercise, in part by creating new recreational opportunities and facilities.

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Park Service, National Institute of Justice, and U.S. Department of Agriculture agree that parks:

• Promote exercise and healthy lifestyles
• Fight air and water pollution
• Help keep kids out of trouble by providing safe places to play
• Revitalize communities by bringing neighbors together

Everyone knows the problem: kids today watch too much television and don't exercise enough. Schools are cutting back physical education programs, and children are gaining weight at an alarming rate. It's no surprise that rates of childhood asthma, hypertension, and diabetes have soared in recent years. The costs of the obesity crisis, both human and financial, are devastating.

Experts agree that new parks are part of the solution. Studies show that access to recreational opportunities and facilities are strongly correlated with improved fitness levels. Children who live near soccer fields and baseball diamonds are more likely to exercise, leading to weight loss, increased energy, and better mental and physical health.

In addition to promoting physical fitness, park creation also brings important environmental benefits to paved-over communities. Studies show that parks function as emergency wetlands, helping to control storm water runoff during rainy seasons.Trees and other greenery help filter pollutants from the air, fighting childhood asthma by replacing compounds like carbon dioxide with pure oxygen. Obviously, the impact of a single tree or a single park is limited, but the cumulative environmental impact of a series of new parks will be significant.

Parks also inject a new spirit into communities at risk for blight. When local community members join together to help plan and design a new park, neighbors may work together for the first time and take renewed pride in their communities. Neighborhood watch organizations often form after new parks open, and as a direct result, crime rates drop and property values increase.

Parks for People-LA will improve children's health and revitalize our communities.

The Trust for Public Land's Greenprint system uses powerful GIS-based computer modeling to pinpoint the neighborhoods where parks are most urgently needed. Top priority communities are shaded red on this map and include South Los Angeles, the Northeast San Fernando Valley, and the Pico-Union neighborhood.

Parks for People-LA will launch 25 new park and open space projects over the next five years. Projects will range in scope from lot-sized community gardens to multi-acre recreation centers with athletic fields, picnic areas, and wildlife reserves.

To determine where Parks for People-LA could make the greatest impact, TPL developed a powerful computer mapping application known as the Greenprint. This unique analytical tool processes data about population density, income, poverty, and existing open space resources to pinpoint neighborhoods with the most urgent need for new parks. South Los Angeles, Pico-Union, and the Northeast San Fernando Valley (Pacoima-North Hollywood area) have been designated as priority neighborhoods for Parks for People-LA based on a preliminary Greenprint analysis.

Aided by the Greenprint, Parks for People-LA staff will work with municipal leaders to identify prospective park projects and secure public and private funds for land acquisition and construction.

The Trust for Public Land has an outstanding record of facilitating public benefit land purchases nationwide and has secured more than $200 million in public funding for Los Angeles alone over the past two years. Recently, TPL helped save the 32-acre "Cornfields" site in downtown Los Angeles from development and protected the environmentally sensitive Ballona Wetlands, ending a bitter 20-year controversy.

The Trust for Public Land has earned a reputation for keeping fundraising and operational costs low while meeting mission goals. The Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney magazine, Money, Forbes, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy have all rated TPL among the most efficient charities in the United States. The Trust for Public Land has conserved 1.9 million acres in 46 states.

Studies show that two of the key obstacles to park creation in underserved communities are a lack of development expertise and insufficient financial resources. Parks for People-LA aims to remove these barriers by serving as an expert resource, emergency funding source, and project facilitator for municipal governments.

Parks for People-LA will focus on three core activities:

Project Development-Guided by the Greenprint, Parks for People-LA will work with local governments and nonprofit organizations to identify the areas of greatest need within their communities. When potential sites are identified, Parks for People-LA will conduct feasibility assessments that evaluate acquisition costs, environmental cleanup requirements, and long-term stewardship needs. Once new parks are developed, Parks for People-LA will transfer ownership to local governments or qualified community-based organizations capable of implementing ongoing maintenance plans.

Fund Development-Once a project has cleared the feasibility phase, Parks for People-LA will generate a site-specific funding analysis, identifying resources available for the project and developing a strategic plan to secure the necessary public and private funding. Park naming rights may be available for selected Parks for People-LA projects.

Marketing-Finally, Parks for People-LA will direct an aggressive marketing program aimed at encouraging local philanthropists to sponsor park development projects. A second key component of the marketing plan is the creation of a high-profile donor acknowledgment program to generate positive publicity for major supporters.

Parks for People-LA must raise $8 million from private sources to achieve its goals. These privately raised funds will be matched by $40 million in state grants and support from other sources.

Parks for People-LA is seeking gifts in the following categories:

The Lead Donation ($2.5 million)-Support from the lead donor will allow the Trust for Public Land to fully implement the Parks for People-LA program. The lead donor will follow in the footsteps of philanthropists like Andrew Carnegie, whose challenge to communities throughout the nation to build and support public libraries is widely credited for the creation of the modern library system and is today regarded as one of the great charitable acts of our time.

Groundbreaker Gifts ($100,000 per project)-Park Groundbreakers will "greenlight" individual projects by providing seed funding for acquisition and park development.

Parks for People-LA is seeking 25 Groundbreaker donors capable of sponsoring park and open space projects with a gift of $100,000 or more.

Community Support Gifts ($50,000 per project)-Community Support Gifts may be presented by individuals and organizations located inside Parks for People-LA priority neighborhoods. They will help Parks for People-LA achieve its development goals while fostering a sense of local ownership of individual projects.

Major supporters of Parks for People-LA are eligible to participate in the project's donor acknowledgement campaign.

Parks for People-LA must raise $8 million from private sources to achieve its goals.

Children living in Boston have far greater recreational opportunities than children in Los Angeles. Areas shaded green on these maps are located within one-quarter mile of a park or other open space.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places. Since 1972, TPL has worked with willing landowners, community groups, and national, state, and local agencies to complete more than 2,700 land conservation projects in 46 states, protecting more than 1.9 million acres. TPL has helped states and communities craft and pass 192 ballot measures, generating more than $35 billion in new conservation-related funding.

TPL's work depends on the generous support of donors and volunteers who share our mission of conserving land for people to create more livable communities. The Wall Street Journal's SmartMoney magazine, Money, Forbes, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy have all rated TPL among the most efficient charities in the United States for keeping fundraising and operation costs low while meeting mission goals.

Updated 8/2006