Green Pockets - Greening a Parking Lot

The DLANC Sustainability Committee is considering a partnership with the Downtown Los Angeles Youth & Cultural Center to help them "green" their parking lot. It will be a BIG POCKET of green space that we hope will set the example for the rest of Downtown. Get involved as we kick-off this exciting initiative!


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Harlem Place Project - Starting a Conversation about Green Alleys Downtown

At a community presentation of the Harlem Place Project, the graduate student team from the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management discussed the impacts of transforming small-scale open space on both a local and regional level. With more than 900 miles of alleys and many park-poor neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, the DLANC Sustainability Committee is interested in understanding more about what can be done to enhance our urban environment, improve stormwater quality and quantity, air quality, reduce heat island effect, and create a more livable neighborhood.

Click here for a full update on the project and copies of the reports from the Bren Team.

Harlem Place Project - Integrating Small-Scale Urban Greenspace into Downtown

On Monday, May 3 the UC-Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science & Management graduate student team will present the results of their investigation of the impacts of “greening” small-scale open space to the community.

What are green alleys? What do they look like?

The Bren team has developed a few scenarios, with Harlem Place as a model, to help the community visualize how transformative a green alley can be. Other great cities such as Chicago have green alley programs that have truly redefined what these in-between spaces can be - what would a green alley look like in Downtown Los Angeles?

What are the benefits of green alleys? How does it improve our environment?
The Bren team has designed a calculator tool to give us more information about making even the smallest changes to these spaces - giving us real data to analyze the benefit of green alleys. How does a green alley improve stormwater and air quality? Can it really help us reduce our heat island effect? How cost-effective is it really to make these changes?

Community Presentation & Conversation
Monday, May 3, 2010 starting at 7:00pm
Lost Souls’ Café (124 W. 4th Street, off of Harlem Place)

For more information on this project, check out the student project website by clicking here. A very special thank you to Lost Soul's Cafe and Michael Ferguson of The Loft Exchange for their help and support of this event.

DLANC Board and Sustainability Committee endorse the Cyclists' Bill of Rights

At the March 2010 Board of Directors meeting, DLANC voted to support the Cyclists' Bill of Rights which outline key principles that we feel are important to ensuring cyclist safety for a more bike-friendly Los Angeles. Read more on the Cyclists' Bill of Rights, including other organizations who have supported these 12 values at the Bike Writers Collective website.

Whereas, cyclists have the right to ride the streets of our communities and this right is formally articulated in the California Vehicle Code; and

Whereas, cyclists are considered to be the "indicator species" of a healthy community; and

Whereas, cyclists are, first and foremost, people - with all of the rights and privileges that come from being members of this great society; and

Now, therefore, we the cycling community do hereby claim the following rights:

1. Cyclists have the right to travel safely and free of fear.
2. Cyclists have the right to equal access to our public streets and to sufficient and significant road space.
3. Cyclists have the right to the full support of educated law enforcement.
4. Cyclists have the right to the full support of our judicial system and the right to expect that those who endanger, injure or kill cyclists be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
5. Cyclists have the right to routine accommodations in all roadway projects and improvements.
6. Cyclists have the right to urban and roadway planning, development and design that enable and support safe cycling.
7. Cyclists have the right to traffic signals, signage and maintenance standards that enable and support safe cycling.
8. Cyclists have the right to be actively engaged as a constituent group in the organization and administration of our communities.
9. Cyclists have the right to full access for themselves and their bicycles on all mass transit with no limitations.
10. Cyclists have the right to end-of-trip amenities that include safe and secure opportunities to park their bicycles.
11. Cyclists have the right to be secure in their persons and property, and be free from unreasonable search and seizure, as guaranteed by the 4th Amendment.
12. Cyclists have the right to peacably assemble in the public space, as guaranteed by the 1st Amendment.

And further, we claim and assert these rights by taking to the streets and riding our bicycles, all in an expression of our inalienable right to ride!

The Sustainability Committee is looking to identify where there should be more bicycle racks for safe bike storage around Downtown. Please help us with our effort - attend a meeting or email us at sustainability@dlanc.com to get involved!

Regular Committee Meeting - This Tuesday, March 2

Join us for our next DLANC Sustainability Committee meeting this Tuesday, March 2. We have a lot of great things to discuss - check out our agenda and we hope to see you soon.

Sustainability Committee Meeting
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 6:30pm-7:45pm at the Central Public Library (Meeting Room A)
630 W. 5th Street

1. Public Comment.
2. Approve meeting minutes from February meeting.
3. Neighborhood Council elections registration for candidates begins later this month. You are encouraged to sign-up as a candidate and run for a seat on the Board of Directors.
   
4. Mobility and the Cyclists' Bill of Rights (see bikewriterscollective.com). Should DLANC adopt these guiding principles? Action to be considered to help create a more cyclist-friend Downtown.
5. Mobility: Electric Community Car Share Program is a proposed plan to install electric car charging stations along Hollywood Blvd and advocate to create parking variance option for developers. Action to be determined.
6. Mobility: Wireless Internet Accessibility project to help create free wireless hotspots throughout Downtown. Update on status.
   
7. Green Space: Green Pockets Project to build small urban pocket gardens throughout the neighborhood has launched with two community information meetings and we are moving forward with planning for Big Sunday. To discuss a date for a survey day in March 2010 and introduce project team members. We need volunteers to help coordinate the first survey day.
   
8. Green Space: Urban Garden Guide to be presented - it is a pamphlet with information about building your own urban garden guide. Action: Committee to consider reallocating funds to print brochure. Translation of text to come.
   
9. Green Space: Tree Planting Project is ongoing with the Wells Fargo Foundation application submitted for maintenance funding for the Skid Row Pilot. Awaiting feedback.
10. Green Living Education opportunity has been presented by Green Beacon, to potentially create a partnership with the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council. The goal is to develop green living education programming for Downtown Los Angeles. Will need volunteers to help coordinate.
11. Sustainability Committee Chair office hours are designated opportunities to work on projects for the community. Come visit!
    

The public is requested to fill out a “Speaker Card” to address the DLANC SUSTAINABILITY Committee on any item of the agenda prior to the Committee taking action on an item. Comments from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on other matters not appearing on the agenda that is within the Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the public comment period. Public comment is limited to 2 minutes per speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Committee. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of services, please make your request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you wish to attend by contacting Committee Board Chair Ashley Zarella at ashley.zarella@DLANC.com. SI REQUIERE SERVICIOS DE TRADUCCION, FAVOR DE NOTIFICAR A LA OFICINA 3 dias de trabajo (72 horas) ANTES DEL EVENTO. SI NECESITA ASISTENCIA CON ESTA NOTIFICACION, POR FAVOR LLAME A NUESTRA OFICINA AL 323-224-2316.

Introducing the 2010 Community Projects

Through a process of outreach and community meetings, the Sustainability Committee has chosen the following projects for 2010. We welcome your involvement in any of these initiatives. Or, if you have other ideas, please email us at sustainability@dlanc.com

We've categorized these initiatives based on the general subject matter: Energy/Water; Green Business; Green Space; Mobility; Waste/Recycling.

Proposed 2010 Projects: Developing Community-Based Initiatives for the Neighborhood

As discussed in December 2009 and January 2010, here are the community ideas to date for projects to be considered at Thursday's workshop (see post below).

Thursday's workshop will focus on identifying a few key projects for 2010 from this list, developing project goals and other information, and start working towards the successful implementation of some community-based initiatives organized by the general topics of Water/Energy; Waste/Recycling; Mobility; Green Space; and Green Business.

You are welcome to attend - please RSVP to sustainability@dlanc.com if you are able to attend.

Project Ideas (Community Volunteer)

Accessibility, Partnerships & Community Vision
Universal Wi-Fi Access (Oscar)
Online Toolkit (?)
Nonprofit partnerships (Stan)
Community Greening Strategy & Microloan program study (Veronica)
Sustainability Vision Meeting (Gunnar)
SDAT Outreach & Partnerships (AZ)

Green Business
Engage Schools – UCLA, USC, LACCD (AZ)
Green Business Information (India)
Sustainability How-To Workshops

Green Space
Tree Planting, Schools & Gardens (Gunnar, Azya, Sean)
Community Gardens & Urban Gardening Workshops(Dawna, Marc, John, Skid Row Housing Trust?)
Green Alleys: Small Open Space Calculator Tool & the Harlem Place Project (Bren Students/Matt)
Model Green Block & Events: Margo Green Block – Block Parties and Urban Lab (Zane)

Mobility
Caltrans Grant – Community Assistance Program, Transportation (Veronica)
Congestion, parking buy out and other urban strategies (Stephen)
Pedestrian/Bike-Friendly Urban Advocacy (CicLAvia, Park[ing] Day LA, and other events)

Waste/Recycling
Trash & Storm Drain Research (Matt)
Styrofoam Research (Stan)
Survey Recycling Downtown (Maral)

Downtown and walkability - A Walkers' Paradise

Out of cities across the country, Los Angeles ranks 9th overall for walkability according to Walk Score. Surprised? We were too. We were pleased to see our neighborhood, Downtown Los Angeles, ranked No. 2 within the entire city for walkability.

So what does this mean?

In 2010, the Sustainability Committee would like to focus on issues of walkability and help foster a more bike-friendly environment. What can we do to further enhance walkability Downtown?

New DLANC Event for 2010? Ciclovia to be presented to Sustainability Committee

Jonathan Parfrey, the director of Green LA Institute, will be presenting Ciclavia ("seek-low-VEE-uh") to the Sustainability Committee at our next meeting January 5. They are seeking the support of DLANC for an event downtown this year.

Ciclovía started in Bogotá, Colombia over thirty years ago as a response to the congestion and pollution of city streets. Now it is happening all over Latin America and the United States, giving people a break from the stress of car traffic. The health benefits are immense, bringing families out to enjoy their streets in a new way, getting them to walk and bike together.

To read more about this event, go to their website: http://ciclavia.wordpress.com/

Check out the East Hollywood to Boyle Heights concept:
View cicLAvia East Hollywood to Boyle Heights in a larger map

SDAT to be presented at LANCC Saturday, January 2

FYI: Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition
Info@lanccoalition.org
www.lanccoalition.org

The LANCC meets on the first Saturday of each month. See our web site for details and agendas.

REMINDER: LANCC MEETING JANUARY 2ND.

A reminder that our next LANCC meeting will be next Saturday, January 2nd, 10:00 a.m. at the Hollywood Constituent Center on Fountain, west of Vine St. DLANC has received a grant from the American Institute of Architects to study sustainability and the role of NC involved in such efforts. Ashley Zarella Hand from DLANC will give us an overview of the ongoing processes toward that goal. We will get an update on the BONCs efforts to “standardize” NC bylaws. I hope we can get a report from Chatsworth on their efforts to resolve the conflicts between their bylaws and the City Clerks election procedures for their NC. As we all know the city is in big trouble because of the budget shortfall. The results of the ERIP are finally hitting home with the city council. It’s time to explore the changing role of NCs and their relationship with the city. Come to the meeting with your thoughts and ideas on how NCs may have to reinvent themselves and how they might move forward as a major force in the political life of the city.

We’ll get the agenda out sometime tomorrow or Wednesday. Hope to see you all for a successful NC start of the New Year.

FROM: Leonard J. Shaffer, Chair, LANCCoalition
info@lanccoalition.org
www.lanccoalition.org

*This presentation will also be made at the January 2010 DLANC (Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council) Board meeting, January 12 at 6:30pm (Click here for more information: www.dlanc.com).

AIA SDAT Visit - An exciting process has begun!

The full SDAT visit was hosted DLANC on December 2-4, 2009. The national team of experts toured the neighborhood, met with stakeholders, and explored the many opportunities they identified Downtown.

Our partners during the process included: DLANC, CRA/LA, Department of City Planning, Urban Design Studio, Melendrez Partners, South Park BID, Metro, Historic Downtown BID, Council District 9, Gilmore Associates, Bureau of Sanitation, Department of Public Works, County Department of Regional Planning, DONE, AIA/LA, Fashion District BID, CK Architecture, Bike Writers Collective, USC, USGBC, AECOM, and the Rotary Club of Los Angeles.

The SDAT presented some concepts and ideas they will take into consideration as they build their final plan and recommendations for Downtown Los Angeles. The final report, anticipated in March 2010, will incorporate implementation strategies and tools for DLANC to use in advancement of our community sustainability goals.

It is recommended that DLANC take a 5-E approach: Empowerment, Equity, Environment, Economy, and Example. As Los Angeles is a polycentric city with a series of competing nodes, the SDAT sees Downtown as a regional center with an impact beyond our neighborhood boundaries. Here's the PowerPoint that was presented to the community on Friday, December 4:

AIA SDAT Preliminary Report

View more documents from Ashley Zarella Hand.

Community-driven change: What will Downtown Los Angeles look like in five years? The SDAT recommends that DLANC help develop a VISION for our community. With so many competing interests and organizations taking on signficant projects, the community should drive change and focus the results based on our goals for a more livable, walkable and affordable community.

The team will continue to work on their recommendations for DLANC and will present us with a final report in March 2010. In the meantime, the Sustainability Committee will be meeting to discuss the SDAT process, review our 2009 projects and begin planning for our 2010 projects. We hope to see you on Tuesday, December 15 (Location TBD)!

Sustainability Committee Meeting - Tuesday at the Central Public Library

Join us this Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30pm at the Central Public Library (Meeting Room A) for our final regular meeting of this year. We'll be starting our planning process for the 2010 projects, discussing the details of the upcoming SDAT visit, and much more. For the complete agenda, please click here.

Community Feedback on Energy Efficiency Block Grant

The City of Los Angeles is seeking public input on how to spend the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant from the federal stimulus package – approximately $37 million which can be used in various ways to reduce energy use, reduce fossil fuel emissions, improve energy efficiency, and maximize benefits for local communities – public health, good jobs and equitable business opportunities.

It is critical that energy efficiency programs are built with the expertise, creativity and innovation of the green business community, with integrity, and with the understanding that programs and initiatives will be held to high standards.

The public meetings are nearly over but there is an opportunity to complete an online survey where you can give feedback about our City priorities. Go to this link to complete the survey as soon as possible: http://www.environmentla.org/EECBG/EECBG.htm

Here is a link to a recent letter of support by the Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council for the Los Angeles Convention Center application.

LA Bike Plan now available for public review

From the City of Los Angeles:

We are pleased to announce the availability of the complete Bicycle Plan draft for public review and comments. The Bicycle Plan draft includes the bikeway maps released to the public in May, as well the plan text and appendices. They are posted on the LA Bike Plan website (www.labikeplan.org). Due to budget constraints, we are unable to produce as many hard copies as needed. There will be sufficient hard copies however, for regional libraries and Department of City Planning offices.

As the attached letter indicates, four public workshops will be held in October throughout the City. We will accept comments through November 6, which will be addressed in a final draft that will be the subject of public hearings at a later date.

All comments or questions should be directed to Jordann Turner via email: jordann.turner@lacity.org or via phone: (213) 978-1379.

It's starting! AIA SDAT this Thursday & Friday

The Sustainability Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council is pleased to announce that the first stage of the SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) grant starts this Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 9am.

This $15,000 national grant is from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and will fund a team of professionals to help with the development of a community greening strategy and resource toolkit. We have only had a short amount of time to get ready for this visit but the Sustainability Committee would like to invite you to participate in this exciting planning process.

Please NOTE: I am updating the itinerary frequently - please check out our website for a link to the latest version of the schedule.

You are welcome to join us for any of our community walks - as indicated on the schedule. Thank you to our community partners who are participating in the preliminary visit. We are hoping to visit all parts of the neighborhood represented by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. Introduce yourself to the team, hear their first impressions, and discuss your thoughts about walkability, livability, affordability, efficiency, and sustainability in your neighborhood.

We hope to see you this Thursday, September 10 - Friday, September 11 as we introduce the SDAT to Downtown Los Angeles. Thank you!

www.downtownsustainability.com

Park[ing] Day LA 2009 - next planning meeting this week!

Park[ing] Day LA Planning Meeting
Thursday, August 27, 2009
6:30PM - 8:30PM
Lost Souls Cafe (124 W. 4th Street)

Parking Day LA is now less then a month away and we can use your help getting ready for the big day!

We have secured the permit and support of the Gilmore Associates for use of Harlem Place but we still need to do some additional outreach to local groups regarding activities and entertainment for the day - as well as recruiting volunteers to support the event. Please join us this Thursday from 6:30pm to 8:00pm to see how you can help!

DLANC considering a partnership with Village Green - public comment requested

Community Feedback Requested
Monday, August 17 6:30pm-8:30pm
NC Office (453 S. Spring Street, Suite 1020)

During the public comment at our monthly August Sustainability Committee meeting, Jude Hannah from Urban Glue invited the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council to consider a community partnership with the company Village Green as applicants for grant money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The proposed $250,000 project would go towards the development of a Small Business Environmental Management Program for Downtown. We are still trying to learn the details of this proposed partnership and welcome you to a community meeting next Monday.



This is the information Jude Hannah has provided to us thus far (see the image - a summary of the partnership roles). She has disclosed that she would be one of the people hired to run this initiative downtown by Village Green if the grant application is successful. We will continue to post more information as it is made available to us and we encourage public comment on this opportunity.

We plan to host a presentation by Jude Hannah of Urban Glue and community forum on this proposed community partnership. The Sustainability Committee will formally consider this at the September 2009 meeting and we have invited the Economic Development Committee to consider this prospect as well. Post your comments!

Tree Planting: Community Partner Update

Here's the latest update on our project.

Park[ing] Day LA 2009 - Next meeting this Saturday

Park[ing] Day LA Planning Meeting
Saturday, August 1, 2009
11:00AM - 1:00PM
639 S. Spring Street, Unit 5C

There is an informal meeting this Saturday, August 1, 2009 at Spring Tower Lofts Unit 5C, starting at 11:00am, to discuss the third annual Park[ing] Day LA. We will recap our last meeting's discussion about what happened last year, lessons learned, and then focus on identifying tasks and partners associated with hosting Parking Day LA 2009 at Harlem Place. We will be closing with a brief conversation about other event and outreach programming for this year.

Spring Tower Lofts is located at 639 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles CA 90015. Someone will be posted by the door to let you in but if you arrive after 11:05AM please call 310-614-5756 to gain entry.

This is the second of several meetings so if you are interested but can't attend this weekend, please let us know by emailing us at sustainability@dlanc.com.

Our Role as Neighborhood Advocates: Energy Block Grants

Via an email request, the Los Angeles Convention Center asked the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council to support their application for the Energy Block Grant. This funding is available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. At our July 2009 meeting, the Sustainability Committee discussed and agreed to bring a letter of support to our upcoming Board of Director's meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 (6:30pm at the Los Angeles Theater).

The Los Angeles Convention Center has made significant strides to improve their operations and overall efficiency. As a large stakeholder downtown, we agreed that it was important to support the Convention Center as they hope to "enhance the LACC's environmental stewardship, environmental education, energy conservation, and other environmental programs." We believe these goals are in line with the mission of the Sustainability Committee - and look forward to engaging as they implement these initiatives downtown.

Here is the proposed letter of support - to be voted on at the next Board of Directors meeting.

UPDATE: Letter approved by the Board of Directors (July 2009) and to be forwarded to City of Los Angeles.