PLAYCicLAvia: Open Streets bring Healthier Connections
An LA2050 grant will support a large-scale polling activation during CicLAvia-Heart of LA on 10/11/20 featuring workshops and a voting opportunity that explores using open streets and public spaces to foster community under any circumstances. CicLAvia will share the outcomes with city officials and stakeholders to make these ideas reality. Currently we are all experiencing isolation and anxiety to combat Covid-19. When this difficult time ends, CicLAvia will lead in rebuilding joy around public gatherings with our signature open street events.
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
Central LA
East LA
County of Los Angeles
In what stage of innovation is this project?
Expand existing program
What is the need you’re responding to?
Historically, everyday Angelinos have been left out of planning of their communities resulting in dangerous civic infrastructure that costs lives. Recently, Covid-19 has ended community gatherings causing isolation and anxiety, pushing ALL Angelenos to see their neighborhoods as places to exercise and play locally. However, not all neighborhoods have equitable opportunities to do so.
Since launching in 2010, CicLAvia has grown into an unparalleled community-building experience creating a unifying social fabric, connecting people to each other through a spirit of play. CicLAvia is now positioned to become the cities’ largest community organizing tool to joyfully bring people together and make LA streets safer for all.
Our 10/11/20 event will gather people from zip codes across LA. This project will give voice to a diversity of residents in how they want to live and play in their own neighborhoods while producing timely and measurable data to share with high level decision makers.
Why is this project important to the work of your organization?
CicLAvia began as a grassroots initiative in 2008, led by a group of passionate individuals who recognized that open street events could address a variety of needs in Los Angeles. Inspired by Bogotá’s weekly ciclovía, CicLAvia temporarily closes streets to car traffic and opens them to Angelenos to use as a public park. Free for all to participate, CicLAvia connects communities and people to each other across an expansive city, creating a fun and safe place to bike, walk, roll, and dance through Los Angeles.
Since October 2010, CicLAvia has produced 35 high quality and impactful car-free street events and has become a recognized leader in the global open streets movement championing a more equitable, healthy, joyful and connected Los Angeles. CicLAvia events have opened over 200 miles of LA streets to 1.6+ million people catalyzing personal and collective change, inspiring a shared passion for Los Angeles while cultivating shared responsibility in creating the region’s future.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this proposal?
Direct Impact: 7,000
Indirect Impact: 50,000
Please describe the broader impact of your proposal.
CicLAvia has become a beloved institution in Los Angeles, and many mark their calendars for our open street events. We expect approximately 50,000 people to attend CicLAvia—Heart of LA and engage in an experiential education in creating healthier communities while enjoying a day of fun. This large-scale polling activation will offer a more direct opportunity for many of them to be active participants in their built and social environments. The follow-up report will impact Angelenos across the county when shared with decision-makers and community residents alike. More empowered residents combined with measurable data will equip civic leaders with the tools to work harder to enact dramatic changes and improve the quality of life for all.
Please explain how you will define and measure success for your project.
CicLAvia’s goal is to shape a new narrative for a more inclusive and sustainable LA – one that works with all Angelenos to improve the quality of life in our region. Project success will be marked by community residents in greater LA once again feeling confident about connecting safely with each other in public gatherings. It will also mean residents having a voice in the planning of their neighborhoods resulting in more safe, accessible and inclusive public spaces that promote health, community wellbeing, and sustainability for all.
With the support of LA2050, we can introduce a large-scale public polling activation at our Heart of LA event. This event is expected to be one of the best-attended of the year, providing the largest opportunity to engage the greatest number of Angelenos. We hope to achieve the following outcomes with this project:
* Engage thousands of LA County residents in a conversation about safer streets in a fun yet meaningful way, measured by attendance at outreach events, event day workshop participants and votes cast.
* Collect measurable data around how neighborhood residents want to use their streets to strengthen community as evidenced by online and activation poll results.
* Share actionable results with decision makers from LADOT, Mayor’s Office and key local stakeholders along with non-profits and community groups working on this issue to aid their efforts in making use of streets and public spaces more equitable in Los Angeles.
Which of the PLAY metrics will your submission impact?
Walking and biking
Access to open space and park facilities
Open streets gatherings
Are there any other LA2050 goal categories that your proposal will impact?
LA is the best place to CONNECT
Which of LA2050’s resources will be of the most value to you?
Access to the LA2050 community
Communications support