The Evergreen Jogging Path

In 2002, the Evergreen Jogging Path Coalition sought to improve the access to and safety of a particular community area, in Boyle Heights, California, commonly used for physical activities.
Boyle Heights is a densely populated urban community east of downtown Los Angeles. The residents are predominantly bilingual with about three-quarters of residents born in Mexico or other Latin American countries. The median income for residents of Boyle Heights was just under $21,500 in the year 2000.

The Evergreen Cemetery provided a convenient location for residents of Boyle Heights to walk and jog; however, in 2002 its sidewalks were cracked and broken, with holes in the sidewalk measuring half a foot deep or more, and tree roots causing the sidewalk to buckle. Moreover, there was trash strewn along adjacent dirt paths, few pedestrian crosswalks or traffic stops to protect the pedestrians using the space.

The Evergreen Jogging Path Coalition in conjunction with the Latino Urban Forum organized community members to rally behind the idea to transform the Evergreen Cemetery. They approached a city council member with a clear statement about the problems and their proposed solutions. The council member was instrumental in getting $800,000 to the Boyle Heights community to replace the cracked and broken sidewalks with continuous, rubberized jogging path that is safe and comfortable for pedestrians and joggers. In June of 2003, the rubberized jogging path was installed.

To create a place for the citizens of Boyle Heights, CA to exercise which is safe and easy to access and thus promotes regular physical activity.

The Latino Urban Forum recognizes the need for formal, observational studies to evaluate and document the impace of the Evergreen Jogging Path but laments the lack of resources to do so. What is known is that since the path was built, daily use has increased from about 200 to more than 1,000 people who use the path for jogging, walking, and socializing. Anecdotal evidence suggests the path has contributed to the decreased local crime rate largely owing to the increased sense of ownership in the community stimulated by the Evergreen Jogging Path Coalition.