Hi Everybody...

My dear friends at the Community Health Councils (CHC) who began The Coalition for an Active South LA, have been working to find ways to repurpose vacant and underutilized lots in South LA to address the shortage and inequities in parks and open space. The work they've done so far in an effort to create healthy living in our community is to be commended!!

Recently, CHC has formed an exciting partnership with Columbia University C-Lab and 596Acres.org to help advance the vision of a greener South LA by giving communities the tools they need to reclaim and re-purpose empty, vacant, underutilized spaces in LA. They have submitted a joint application to help fund the project. The selection process includes a contest that is powered by votes and comments from the online community. 

So, PLEASE...

Check out their contest page and proposal here:  LA Open Acres Project   

And SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY VOTING HERE: http://myla2050.maker.good.is/projects/LAOpenAcres

Overall, HERE's WHAT THE PROJECT WILL DO: 

• Map LA’s vacant lots and underutilized land.
• Create an online platform for residents and community members to share information about vacant land.  
• Create a platform for community members to organize around specific vacant lots and transform these into green spaces.
• Decode the process to transform vacant spaces into parks, community gardens, and green space.  
• Launchpad for communities to address disparities in open space access.
• Provides tools for communities to transform their environments and work together to create more open space.
• LA has LOTS of potential.

Ultimately...WE NEED MORE GREEN SPACE

• Open-Space, parks, and community gardens are not equitably distributed in Los Angeles.
• Parks, open-space, and community gardens are not within walking distance for many communities in LA.
• Thousands and thousands of vacant, underutilized, vacant spaces exist in LA that could be better used for green space.
• Vacant land impacts the livability of neighborhoods and the health of communities, particularly those with little green space.
• No one knows just how much vacant land exists in Los Angeles.

I thank you in advance for your support!

Sending Out Much Love for the Community,

HP