Have you ever wondered who makes the decisions of how your community is built? Or why it’s said that where you live affects how long you live? During the fourth session of BHC ECV’s Youth Summer Program 2015, eleven young women and men learned various answers to these questions. Through the lens of land use planning, they were able to see the connection between the places where they live and community health. They also learned how to get involved in the decision making processes of community health. The three-hour session was held on July 23rd at the Mecca Library in Riverside County.
LUPA’s team members, Miguel Vazquez and Daisy Ramirez, lead a discussion about the importance of knowing why land use planning is a key ingredient for building healthy communities. They began the session with the question: “If you had a super power to change your community, what would it be and why?” The participant’s answers ranged from having the ability to communicate effectively to having the intelligence to make a difference. As the youth became immersed with basic components of land use planning and the importance of thinking analytically to solve community problems, it became apparent that all of them were already equipped with many of those “super powers.”
While analyzing the natural and built environment through a series of aerial maps of the Mecca Library, the youth began using planning terms to describe what they observe on a daily basis in their own neighborhoods. For example, terms such as “circulation” and “open space” were used to describe the lack of sidewalks and roads needed for adequate transportation in the community. To assist them with this conversation, one of the tools the LUPA team created for this workshop was a word cloud with basic land use planning words that were integrated throughout the session.
While analyzing the natural and built environment through a series of aerial maps of the Mecca Library, the youth began using planning terms to describe what they observe on a daily basis in their own neighborhoods. For example, terms such as “circulation” and “open space” were used to describe the lack of sidewalks and roads needed for adequate transportation in the community. To assist them with this conversation, one of the tools the LUPA team created for this workshop was a word cloud with basic land use planning words that were integrated throughout the session.
This workshop was particularly relevant for the LUPA team as the youth participants were able to use and test the newly developed Walkability Assessment Checklist (WAC) that the Department of Public Health has created as part of its Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 1 grant activities.
Although the sun burned brightly and the temperature reached well above the 100 degree mark, the youth walked bravely into the summer heat to assess the walkability environment around the Mecca Library. This activity was intended to further emphasize the importance of understanding the natural and built environment’s components through observation. This simple action is the first step into identifying the positive and negative effects that both environments can have on any community. Equipped with a neon-yellow safety vest, a clip board and water, the youth assessed two blocks along Mecca’s 66th Avenue and marked their checklist, noted observations, developed recommendations and included photographs of their findings.
Although the sun burned brightly and the temperature reached well above the 100 degree mark, the youth walked bravely into the summer heat to assess the walkability environment around the Mecca Library. This activity was intended to further emphasize the importance of understanding the natural and built environment’s components through observation. This simple action is the first step into identifying the positive and negative effects that both environments can have on any community. Equipped with a neon-yellow safety vest, a clip board and water, the youth assessed two blocks along Mecca’s 66th Avenue and marked their checklist, noted observations, developed recommendations and included photographs of their findings.
Through a collaborative partnership with the UC Davis Center for Regional Change, the students were introduced to ESRI Story Maps. This great resource will allow them to effectively present their information by combining data, maps and stories. With the guidance of Sergio Cuellar, from UC Davis, and the LUPA team, the youth will be putting together a Story Map that will highlight key findings from the walkability assessment in the following weeks.
The youth learned that those who know planning can be powerful and that small steps can make a difference. The act of picking up litter, for example, can be a simple, but effective way to get started. This is something the youth did after identifying a discarded cardboard sheet along the sidewalk during the walk audit. After folding it, carrying it and putting it in the recycling bin, they cheered with excitement for their small, but great improvement of community health. They unexpectedly demonstrated using one of their superpowers: the power of leadership.
The youth learned that those who know planning can be powerful and that small steps can make a difference. The act of picking up litter, for example, can be a simple, but effective way to get started. This is something the youth did after identifying a discarded cardboard sheet along the sidewalk during the walk audit. After folding it, carrying it and putting it in the recycling bin, they cheered with excitement for their small, but great improvement of community health. They unexpectedly demonstrated using one of their superpowers: the power of leadership.