A Rose from the Concrete: Urban Parks in the LA Area

#1 Wasteland to Wonderland: Sustainable Brownfield Redevelopment Projects in Low-Income Areas of Los Angeles by Rachel Warburton

The first and best primary source I've found for this topic is a senior thesis paper by Rachel Warburton, who was earning her masters degree in environmental analysis. She provides #3 case studies in which she had conversation with multiple people and got their accounts on the debates surrounding the lack of care and funding for brownfields in urban areas. While my project will focus heavily on the development of Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Area (KHSRA) I want to also loop in the broader topic of the effects of brownfieds in urban Los Angeles. 

#2 A Report on the "Public Dialogues on Urban Revitalization and Brownfields: Envisioning Healthy and Sustainable Communities"

This is my first secondary source from the EPA discussing brownfields, environmental justice, and some solutions to the problems that come up. This report came out in 1996 so it's bit dated and it's a national report, not specific to California, however I believe that this report is great for multiple reasons. It shows that the government was completely aware of the problems that arise from brownfields. This report also shows that this is a national issue. In urban areas all across the country, brownfields are extremely common. This report will provide some concrete facts and statistics that will help me flesh out my project. 

#3 Contribution of Public Parks to Physical Activity

This is another primary source that does a case study on eight public parks in Los Angeles that are brownfields and a few that have greenfields and their correlation to physical activity. Some of the statistics are interesting including the usage of these parks by race and the average duration people stay based on race. This case study is extremely thorough and will be a perfect guide to keep me on track with the racial aspect of this topic. Environmental racism is prevalent in Los Angeles and it's personally important to me to point out those disparities in this project. 

#4 

Many people including myself grew up playing on a field that looked like this. Nice in certain areas, horrible in others. As kids we didn't care, we were just having fun. Now as an adult with nieces and nephews I realize that they shouldn't have to settle when there are nice parks in the "whiter" areas of town and they shouldn't have to travel outside of there own area to do it either. Children should have a safe place to play and have fun that is nice. I grew up with it and turned out fine so imagine how much better the next generation can be if they grow up with something better.

#5 

I wasn't able to transfer the photo for my fifth visual source in time. I went to my own park here in Menifee, CA. The park is similar to that above. A large brown, unkept field with a basketball court and a playground next to it. The nets on the basketball hoops are broken and tangled on one court and the other side has no net at all. The court itself is covered in dust making it difficult to play on. The playground is covered so it still looks relatively new but no one wants to take their kids there to play because of the quality of the rest of the park. The park is still used mostly in the afternoons but like I said earlier, they shouldn't have to settle for anything less than the best. 








Comments

  1. David BiggsMarch 9, 2021 at 12:39 PM

    Hey, this is Jorell, right? Cool sources! sorry it took me a while to get back to you, but I really likje this project on brownfields revitalization and urban parks!

    ReplyDelete

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