Pacoima is squeezed between two freeways, a private airport, and surrounded by some of the city’s most heavily polluting industries. More than 50,000 people live within these 4.3 square miles in Northeast Los Angeles. Decades of disinvestment have left this small predominantly Latino community with crumbling sidewalks, polluted air, and a dilapidated city park. Residents have some of the highest rates of asthma and childhood obesity in region. In the summer, vast expanses of asphalt bake the neighborhood because there are few trees to provide shade. When it does rain, the streets flood because there is limited soil to capture stormwater. Knowing meaningful change could only come from within the community, a group of neighbors, calling themselves Pacoima Beautiful, lit the spark that has turned Pacoima into a model for change.

They started by creating one small, pocket park out of an unused side street. This little stretch of native plants and shaded seating has become a much loved public space, known as Bradley Plaza, where neighbors meet for picnics or Zumba. Pacoima Beautiful worked with Trust for Public Land to build the park and a turn an adjoining alley into a safe passageway for pedestrians that does double duty as a drain for millions of gallons of stormwater. This success helped this community realize they could do so much more. Once again, Pacoima Beautiful turned to Trust for Public Land to undertake an even more ambitious effort.

The two organizations teamed up with Community Partners, GRID Alternatives, Los Angeles Business Council, LA Conservation Corp, and the City of Los Angeles to create a holistic program with a constellation of health and environmental benefits for the people of Pacoima. Working hand-in-hand with neighbors through intensive community outreach, with help from workers hired from within the community, big changes are in the works.