Breathing Life into the Alleyways of Boyle Heights

GREEN ALLEYWAYS

SHEELA BHONGIR WITH MARJORIE PHAN | SAMYRHA SABA

BREATHING LIFE INTO THE ALLEYWAYS OF BOYLE HEIGHTS

Trees are the lungs of a city purifying the air we breathe. California Proposition 84 defines greening as a “community-based effort to plan, plant, care, and manage flora, structures and spaces, which lead to increased forest canopy, reduced storm water runoff, improved air and water quality, energy conservation, open space and ultimately, more sustainable communities.”1 The urban greening strategy team picked greening alleyways as a way to expand greening. Greening alleyways is a popular strategy which cities such as Chicago have successfully implemented.

“Alleys could offer enormous environmental and public health benefits—if they could be turned green.”2 This solution can close the disproportional gap of park access in Boyle Heights, increase the percentage of surface area covered by trees and permeable surfaces, reduce the heat island effect, encourage recreation and ameliorate asthma. Additionally, green alleys reduce stormwater runoff which pollutes Los Angeles’ receiving water bodies with grease and oil from vehicles and waste from poorly contained trash and rubbish.

THE POTENTIAL

“Los Angeles has enough alleys to make for quite a workout—900 linear miles in total. That’s enough pavement to run 34 marathons. If you laid these alleys side by side it’d be 3 square miles—twice the size of New York’s Central Park.”3 Within Boyle Heights, there are approximately 176 alleyways totaling 17 miles. The majority of the alleyways (116) are located in residential areas, meaning residences are on both sides of the alleyway. Figure 1 depicts the 176 alleyways by adjacent land use. For fifty-five alleyways, one side of the alleyway is adjacent to homes and the opposite side is adjacent to stores. Lastly, five alleyways go through commercial uses. The sources used to determine the land uses for Figure 1 were ZIMAS and Google Street view.

FIGURE 1: ALLEYWAYS IN BOYLE HEIGHTS, DEPICTED BASED ON ADJACENT LAND USES

Alleys in Boyle Heights

Legend

Commercial (5) Residential (116) Residential & Commercial (55)

0 0.25 0.5 1 Miles

The initial analysis set out to identify 5 to 6 alleyways the community should prioritize. The analysis then aimed to propose specific implementation solutions with associated costs. Further analysis can use the estimated cost figures to extrapolate the cost of improving all 176 alleyways in Boyle Heights. However, because of limited resources, it is important to prioritize efforts.

To prioritize which alleyways to green, various factors were considered in order to categorize the Boyle Heights community into high, medium and low favorability areas. The favorability index signifies the level of investment needed to improve the area. Lower favorability means the improvement is more desirable and needed. The favorability index can also indicate the current conditions and quality of life in Boyle Heights. From this knowledge it becomes easier to determine which alleyways 1) could quickly be transformed 2) need more investment and resources and 3) fall into the most distressed areas.

Using a GIS raster analysis, this study assesses the alleyways of Boyle Heights for their potential to serve as additional civic spaces based on their pathways to public transit, proximity to schools, adjacency to streets with high pedestrian-vehicle collisions, and their relationship to crime rates in the community. The expanded report details the GIS analysis taken to produce the final raster, seen in Figure 2, which categorizes Boyle Heights into the three favorability classes. These levels correspond to the colors green, yellow and red as seen in Figure 2. Most of Boyle Heights is colored red meaning the area has lower levels of resources, less accessibility to transportation, and higher crime than the other areas.

“ALLEYS COULD OFFER ENORMOUS ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH BENEFITS—IF THEY COULD BE TURNED GREEN.” - SCOTT GOLD

FIGURE 2: FAVORABILITY INDEX AND DETAILED AREA VIEW

Figure 2 displays the three Favorability Classes which indicate the current conditions and quality of life in Boyle Heights

This study recommends selecting alleyways that fall between medium and low favorability (yellow and red zones in Figure 2). For example, the alleyways highlighted on Figure 2 are located on East 4th St. between South Chicago St. and South Breed St. This area can leverage the strengths of the medium favorability area to compensate for some of the poor (low favorability) spots. Executing an alleyway renovation in a higher favorability area, which has more resources, ensures the sustainability of the green alleyway compared to renovating an alleyway in a lower favorability area. Furthermore, executing a successful alleyway renovation is important to show the community immediate benefits in order to encourage more green alleyways. The alleyways located on East 4th St. between South Chicago St. and South Breed St. could potentially serve as a safe corridor for students to walk to Breed Street Elementary School and Hollenbeck Middle School. Alleyways are also located near the Promise Hospital of East Los Angeles. Patients of the hospital could potentially walk through the alleyway as a form of exercise.

The challenge however is community support. Community support ensures the sustainability of a green alleyway. If the community actively supports the alleyway, for example with regular clean-ups, then a level of ownership is developed which can ensure the sustainability of a green alleyway. Secondly, strong community support potentially could mitigate the risks of gentrification. For example, homeowners could support the alleyway renovation under the condition that it will not impact rental rates. Ensuring community support however should not prevent the construction of green alleyways. Initially the support may not be present, however, the green alleyway can create the space to facilitate community engagement. Theater performances, art murals and clean-up activities can take place in the alleyways. These activities can promote liveliness and activity leading to opportunities for community support.

Once the alleyways are chosen, various greening treatments are available. Tree planting, bioretention and infiltration, as well as permeable pavement are all proven methodologies to increase green space and reduce storm-water pollution within the area. The following methodologies provide the benefits listed below:4

METHODOLOGY BENEFITS:

TREE PLANTING BIORETENTION & INFILTRATION PERMEABLE PAVEMENT

Reduces storm water runoff Reduces energy use Improves air quality Increases groundwater recharge Reduces atmospheric CO2 Reduces urban heat island Improves community livability Improves habitat Cultivates public education opportunities Reduces storm water runoff Increases available water supply Improves air quality Increases groundwater recharge Reduces atmospheric CO2 Reduces urban heat island Improves community livability Improves habitat Cultivates public education opportunities Reduces storm water runoff Increases groundwater recharge Reduces salt use* Reduces energy use Improves air quality Reduces CO2 Reduces heat island Improves community livability Cultivates public education opportunities

*Salt is not significant factor in Southern California, therefore this is not a relevant benefit.

FIGURE 3: CURRENT ALLEYWAY CONDITION

FIGURE 4: PROPOSED ALLEYWAY CONDITION

According to a study by the City of Los Angeles’ Public Works Department, the cost to renovate a 75’ long section of 20’ wide alley (wide enough to accommodate driveways and trucks when needed) can range from $16,462.50 for a basic improvement (that is, pavement and a concrete swale) to $57,957.50, which incorporates a drywell and stormwater filtration system to better deal with both the volume of urban runoff and the water quality.5 This is approximately $220 to $772 per linear foot.

Funding alleyways can come from a variety of sources. For example, in 2012 the Elmer Paseo alleyway project in Sun Valley received funding from four sources, which Boyle Heights is also eligible for: the Urban Greening Proposition 84 from the State’s Strategic Growth Council, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Proposition O from the City of Los Angeles’ Bureau of Sanitation, and the City’s Department of Water and Power.6 Since alleyway greening is a recognized strategy for stormwater management and GHG reduction through urban heat island effect mitigation, this strategy may be funded through the SB 535 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

NEXT STEPS

Gentrification is “a change process in historically low-wealth communities that results in rising real estate values coupled with shifts in the economic, social and cultural demographics and feel of the communities.”7 Future research on gentrification can provide the community with a clearer picture of the consequences from greening alleyways. The research can determine whether greening alleyways encourages displacement. Elizabeth Blaney from Unión de Vecinos, a Boyle Heights-based nonprofit, highlighted that alleyway renovations may lead to gentrification if the physical improvements lead, for example, to increased rents. Further research can determine whether to choose alleyways in low favorability areas or in medium favorability areas. In conclusion, this report is the start of a larger effort which can breathe life into the alleyways of Boyle Heights.

ENDNOTES

1 California Natural Resources. 2007. “California Resources Agency - Proposition 84 - Urban Greening.” http://resources.ca.gov/bonds_ prop84_urbangreening.html. 2 Gold, Scott. 2008. “Bringing L.A.’s Alleys out of the Shadows - Los Angeles Times.” September 12. http://www.latimes.com/local/la-meoutthere12-2008sep12-story.html#page=1. 3 “Green Alleys : Curbed LA.” 2014. Accessed June 2. http://la.curbed.com/tags/green-alleys. 4 Center for Neighborhood Technology. 2010. “The Value of Green Infrastructure A Guide to Recognizing Its Economic, Environmental and

Social Benefits.” 5 City of Los Angeles Sanitation Department of Public Works. 2009. “Rainwater Harvesting Program.” 6 “How to Create a Clean Water Alley.” 2013. February 1. http://inthewatershed.org/category/elmer-avenue/. 7 Neighborhood Works America. 2005. “Managing Neighborhood Change: Best Practices for Communities Undergoing Gentrification.”

FIGURE 5: IMAGINE GREENING THE 176 ALLEYWAYS OF BOYLE HEIGHTS.