Advocates of greenspace equity work to make parks and gardens accessible in underserved, park-poor communities.
Although Los Angeles is renowned for its beautiful beaches, mountains and amazing weather year-round, one thing the city is not known for is for it's equal access to lush, open and green spaces. The truth is that most low-income communities in Los Angeles, getting to a safe, quality park is not easy.
Compared with the rest of the nation, Los Angeles and its neighboring cities have a lot of catching up to do. Parkland makes up only 10 percent of the city, while other major cities like New York boast double that. At $82 per resident, Los Angeles ranked 45th in a 2015 survey of park expenditures in the nation's top 100 cities. In many of the region's poorest communities, disproportionately low rates of park space exist alongside disproportionately high rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity.
Parks are the heart of a healthy community and part of the complex fabric critical to creating healthy, economically viable, thriving communities. While other infrastructure needs tend to dominate the headlines - broken water pipes, pothole repairs, schools, sidewalks - community health, social justice, business and environment advocates are raising awareness about the need for park funding. But in order to build more green space, Los Angeles needs another kind of green: park funding.
Here in Los Angeles, for example, county parks lost hundreds of millions in revenues. Without that money, youth programs, maintenance and construction of new parks are at risk. A coalition of organizations that includes From Lot to Spot, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, Trust for Public Land and Parks Now is working to restore those funds and make the case that investment in our parks is an investment in the future health and safety of our communities.
For the past eight years, From Lot To Spot (FLTS) has been fighting for greenspace equity and ensuring these spaces will have lasting impacts by putting the transformative power of green space in pockets of the region that don't have enough park space to play. Currently, FLTS is planting 100 trees in Lennox, a low-income park-poor community underneath the LAX flight path, to absorb carbon emissions and clean the air that residents breathe and ensuring that the community has the same tree canopy other areas of the County have. With creative partnerships FLTS has also built parks in previously underused lots in Hawthorne, Lawndale, Los Angeles and Lynwood, park-poor communities where many residents don't have a community park that they could easily walk to from their home.
FLTS has counted on the support of local governments and grants, but future investments need to be supported with a dedicated source of funding that will make it easier to give all Angelenos access to the quality parks that they want and deserve.
By building parks and gardens with community members, residents become more invested in the future of their parks.
Fixing pFof how we pay for park space. In Los Angeles, park funds are generated where construction takes place, creating an imbalance of resources for low-income communities that don't receive a lot of private investment. State parks are going through a transformation process focused on bringing in diverse users, but that will require thinking about how to build more park space in urban communities that need them the most.
An adequate level of resources is necessary for the maintenance of existing parks and construction of new spaces. Some of those resources will have to come from voters, as support from federal and state government has dwindled. It's an investment worth making, but voters need to feel like they are getting a fair share in the deal. That will require building parks in communities that need more green spaces, keeping parks safe, and using parks as tools to revitalize neighborhoods.
It is likely that in 2016, voters will have the opportunity to approve a dedicated funding stream to build new parks in Los Angeles County, support youth and senior programs, and help maintain and enhance the existing park resources that we enjoy today. FLTS is working with many partners so that voters understand that parks are good for the health of our families and environment, the vibrancy of our communities and the economic vitality of the region.
People need to feel that nature is theirs to enjoy and protect. Previous state park bonds passed with overwhelming support from communities of color, and in order to continue engaging the future face of California in protecting our natural resources, resources need to be fairly distributed so that all Californians can enjoy the outdoors. It's time to create that same and necessary support here in LA County.
Every time we help convert an empty lot into a vibrant park or community garden, we are planting the seed of conservation among the residents who now have a safe place to enjoy nature. Every resident should be able to easily walk to a neighborhood park. Every child should be able to enjoy local programs and recreational activities. Every family should be able to get away from the bustle of city life and have a safe place to meet their neighbors and enjoy the refreshing respite that parks provide. In order to achieve this vision, we need to make sure we are properly investing in local parks. It's an investment worth making and one we can no longer ignore.
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
21/10/2025
Visual Data announces the appointment of Maz Al-Jumaili as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Localization, to advance client engagement, strategic partnerships, ...
21/10/2025
As Amazon's Prime Video prepares to launch its coverage of NBA basketball under a major new deal, Grup Mediapro has announced that it is working with the st...
21/10/2025
ATLANTA Good news for consumers using an Atlanta DTH receiver to watch ATSC 3.0: with a new software update, they will be able to blanket their homes with Wi-Fi...
21/10/2025
While recent news has been heavily focused on Hispanic migration into the U.S., The 2025 Hispanic Market Report from Claritas highlights the fact that this gr...
21/10/2025
MAIDENHEAD, UK RWS has hired Michael Wayne as its head of media and entertainment in Los Angeles where he will lead the company's media localization busines...
21/10/2025
Imagine Communications and Rohde & Schwarz today announced a definitive agreement under which Imagine will acquire Pixel Power Limited, a wholly owned subsidiar...
21/10/2025
Atlanta DTH (ADTH) today announced a major update that will expand the functionality of its NEXTGEN TV receiver by enabling gateway capabilities allowing viewer...
Advocates of greenspace equity work to make parks and gardens accessible in underserved, park-poor communities. 
