Recap of Los Angeles County Active Transportation Coalition Meeting on 3/27/13

Los Angeles County Active Transportation Coalition Meeting March 27, 2013

Last Wednesday over 35-45 people came together at the Wallis Annenberg Science Center to discuss policy needs and goals for the Los Angeles County Active Transportation Coalition.  It was an exciting afternoon with lots of great discussion and feedback.  Multi-modal/complete streets investments and equity were a key and recurring part of the entire afternoon.  Please see our meeting notes here and pictures from the afternoon here.

In order, to fully leverage these co-benefits of walking and bicycling and their connection to riding public transit, Los Angeles County must build out the active transportation network around its expanding rail system and largest public bus system in the state. Active transportation is crucial to the success of implementing projects that support state and regional policies, such as the Sustainable Communities Strategies from state legislation SB 375 and Active Transportation Program from the implementation of MAP-21, forthcoming Cap and Trade revenue, acceleration of Measure R investments (motion at Board this month) and other pending opportunities.

Los Angeles County Active Transportation Coalition Meeting 3/27

Save the Date for the Los Angeles County Active Transportation Coalition Meeting on Wednesday March 27th at 2pm at Exposition Park in Los Angeles

Join the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Prevention Institute, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Los Angeles Walks and partners and friends from all over Los Angeles County to discuss Transportation Policy and Investments to improve the built environment for our communities.

This event is open and free for all to attend, but RSVP’s are required and space is limited so sign up today!

Spare the Air Youth Site Launched

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), in partnership with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District),  announced the launch of a new website, sparetheairyouth.org, to teach students about the benefits of walking, biking, carpooling or taking transit to and from school.

   

The website provides resources for parents and teachers to teach kids and families about improving air quality around schools. Program providers will be able to access a wealth of information about best practices, idea sharing, available programs, as well as lesson plans, events and contests that teach youth about safety, clean air and transportation. Providers also will be able to connect with others in their field through the website.

Launched to coincide with international “Walk to School Day,” the website is part of MTC’s Climate Initiatives Program, a partnership effort between MTC and the Air District to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions.

Strengthening the relationship between Community Development and Schools

Community Members Plant Trees near School
photo courtesy of Alliance for Community Trees on Flickr

The relationship between community development and school achievement often goes hand-in-hand: the safer, healthier, and more economically stable the community, the better the educational performance in their schools.

A report by Laura Choi, a research associate at the Community Development Department, examines the link between the two, focusing on how better collaboration across multiple sectors can improve academic achievement among low-income students. She notes that both federal and local programs to develop broader partnerships between public schools and their surrounding communities all work best when aligned across many sectors – MPO’s, school districts, local businesses, and families.

Using public schools as a hub, relationships are fostered between educators, families, community-based organizations, local businesses, and youth development organizations which together promote high educational achievement in the community.

K-12 school infrastructure for sustainable communities – new report

The University of California, Berkeley Center for Cities and Schools recently released a detailed analysis of policies, regulations, and funding patterns for California’s K-12 infrastructure.  This report gets to the heart of an issue that goes hand in hand with Safe Routes to School.  In communities all across the state not only do we have problems of unsafe and crumbling infrastructure on the way to school, but the schools themselves are in a state of disrepair.

This report takes a deep look at the last ten years of school infrastructure planning and policy in the state, including the School Facility Program, identifies key challenges at the state level, and makes specific recommendations for state policy to improve school facilities.  Key recommendations include increasing collaboration between local educational agencies and local governments in land development, particularly through implementation of the Sustainable Communities legislation SB375, and ensuring equitable distribution of infrastructure investments.

The full report can be found here: http://citiesandschools.berkeley.edu/reports/CCS2012CAK12facilities.pdf

Joint Use & School Siting Action Team Meeting – Sept 4

Please join our Statewide Action team on joint use of school facilities and school siting, meeting via conference call on Tuesday, Sept 4th.  All are invited and encouraged to join.

Tuesday September 4th 10:00-11:00am
Conference Call Number: 1-866-394-4146
Access Code: 553816012#
Mute/unmute: *4

This meeting will be an open dicussion on the value and challenges associated with adopting and tracking joint use policies.  Following a brief introduction, co-chair Mikaela Randolph (LA County Department of Public Health) will provide an update to the group on evaluation by the CDC of joint use efforts in LA County.  We will also revisit the past goals of the action team and update them if necessary.

Please join the conversation!

Complete Communities and Transit Oriented Development

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has become a label for any mixed-use development with access to city transit. However, it is the creation of “complete communities” centered around these TOD hubs which actually fulfill the promises made by transit developers and city officials. These communities provide affordable, convenient, and attractive access to quality housing, education, places of employment, open space, retail, grocers, places of worship, healthcare, and transportation. They are appealing to individuals and families as high quality, safe neighborhoods which accommodate the needs and preferences of their residents and visitors.

New Research on Joint Use Policies

Bridging the Gap, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded research program dedicated to improving the health and wellness of America’s youth, recently released a research brief with updated statistics on joint use policies in American schools. The 2009-10 document examines the characteristics of joint use agreements among 157 national public school districts.

Upcoming Webinar (5/17): Joint Use Agreements 101

One of the biggest obstacles many communities face in encouraging children and their families to be physically active is a lack of accessible open spaces and athletic facilities. But addressing the issue won’t necessarily require building parks or fitness centers. It could be as simple as unlocking a gate.

Most local schools have playgrounds, gyms, fields, basketball courts and open space, but school officials often close these facilities after school because of legitimate concerns over cost, vandalism, security and liability in case of injury.

Unfortunately, that means kids have a harder time being active after school — but there is a solution. Many schools and local governments have partnered to create shared-use agreements that allow school playgrounds and gyms to be used after-school to support physical activity among all community members.

PreventObesity.net is scheduled to host a free webinar at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday 5/17 about these agreements, also called joint use agreements. Speakers will explain the basic concept of the agreements, talk about how they help address childhood obesity and provide insight into navigating local laws and regulations to craft them.

PreventObesity.net’s Rebecca Frank will moderate the session alongside Manal Aboelata of the Prevention Institute. Scheduled speakers include Dr. John Spengler from the University of Florida, Dr. Jamie Chriqui from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Genoveva Islas-Hooker of the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program.

Click here to register for the webinar. Registration is free!

You can also take part in the webinar on Twitter by using the hashtag #shareduse.

May – Joint Use and Community Based Schools Action Team Meeting

Joint Use and Community Based Schools Action Team Meeting

Meeting via conference call on  Wednesday May 9, 2-3 pm. 

Conference Call Number: 1-866-394-4146
Access Code: 553816012#
Mute/unmute: *4