The City Project (formerly a part of The Center for Law in the Public Interest) has been fighting for social and environmental justice in Southern California for over 30 years. Over the past two years a major project of the group has been the Healthy Parks, Schools, and Communities: Green Access and Equity for the Los Angeles Region.

Robert García, Executive Director, and the Center staff have supported a collective vision for a comprehensive and coherent web of parks, schools, beaches, forests, and transportation that promotes human health, a better environment, and economic vitality for all, and reflects the cultural diversity of Los Angeles.

GreenInfo Network was asked to assist in a variety of mapping tasks to accompany the work done at the City Project. Their interest was in creating a visual display of disparities in park access based on demographics, an overall lack of open space in the Los Angeles region, the historic Olmsted vision for the region, and the importance of schools in children’s health.

Demographics for the region were presented in tabular and map format for the entire county as well as by political districts and city boundaries. Details included poverty/income, racial or ethnic composition of neighborhoods, concentrations of youth, and lack of access to a personal vehicle.

These maps became the framework for the equity analysis that showed which areas of Los Angeles were well provided with parks and which were not, all in relation to the race and income of residents. The main map in this series was used at a key press conference with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa (at right).

Vision maps included a rendering of the classic report “Parks, Playgrounds and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region” by the Olmsted brothers and Bartholomew & Associates (1930). While the report's recommendations were never put into action, the ambition for large regional parks, scenic byways, greenways, parks, natural lands and public beaches remains the same.

Booklets of the maps and spreadsheets were produced, providing staff with a comprehensive set of tools to illustrate both the challenges facing the region and a positive vision for the future. The maps were important elements in the City Project's campaign, which so far has led to the acquisition of two major new park sites. Working with a diverse coalition, the City Project's efforts led to the creation of El Rio de Los Angeles State Park at Taylor Yard, a 40-acre park, and the 32-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park at the Cornfields. The City Project's work also helped save the Baldwin Hills, a planned 2-square-mile park that will be the largest urban park in the United States in over 100 years. Several other locations are also under consideration. These sites are some of the first new urban state parks in decades and will benefit hundreds of thousands of residents.

The City Project's experience applying GIS to its project advocacy has encouraged the organization to build a partnership with GreenInfo Network that provides it with maps and analysis in support of grants and other proposals. It has also enabled them to create maps and data that show issues in elected officials' districts, as well as to use GIS to refine program objectives.

Through an evolved working relationship with GreenInfo Network, the City Project is able to quickly turn around new demographic statistics for a variety of proposed park locations. This allows them to apply for last minute grants that require such statistics, respond promptly to elected officials who have particular demographic interests and further refine potential areas to focus their efforts.