Boyle Heights

Boyle Heights is located to the left of unincorporated East Los Angeles and below Lincoln Heights. It is one of the four neighborhoods that make up the Eastside.

Boyle Heights is a predominately Latino community (93%) where 74% of residents are renters and 26% are homeowners (Los Angeles City Planning, 2021). Of these renters, about 55% are rent burdened, meaning that they spend over 30% of their income on housing costs ( Climate Plans LA ). While there is no data on the number of severely rent burdened households, ¹  it is known that the number of people who have been unable to pay rent has increased since the 2019 pandemic. Unfortunately, this is not an issue unique to Boyle Heights, in fact the whole state (and country) can be said to be in a housing crisis.

In the case of Boyle Heights, the lack of affordable housing is something that resulted following the 'founding' of Los Angeles, though it did not become a visible issue until much later (Maldonado, 2023). ²  Following the Watts Riots and East LA Walkouts, residents of Boyle Heights learned that unless they took matters into their own hands, the City would not take action to address the increasing crime and lack of community investment. As a result, they established several community based organizations, including the East La Community Corporation (ELACC).

In its initial years, ELACC focused on the development, rehabilitation, and sale of single family homes. Today, ELACC focuses on the development of affordable multi-family housing and on the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing affordable homes. Although real estate development continues to be an essential aspect of ELACC, it is not the only way ELACC is involved in the community. Through community organizing ELACC has been able to advocate for economic and social opportunities while opposing violence and gentrification.

Although organizing is no longer a major component of ELACC, their goal of increasing economic and social opportunities continues to be the same. ELACC works towards this goal through their Community Wealth program which offers tax preparation, financial counseling, and first time home buyer workshops among other services.

In the following sections, we will further explore what motivated ELACC to be founded and its current impact on the community.

 ^{1 Severely rent burdened: when over 50% of household income is spent on rent.} 

 ^{2 The history of this won't be covered in detail here. If interested in a brief history look at page 10 of cited source. Studies are further referenced in source.} 

Despite it not being safe to live near the highway, these areas are zoned as residential because people were living there long before the highway was constructed. Under the guise of urban renewal, these highways were built, displacing several families (Read more about this  here ,  here , and  here ).

Most residents within Boyle Heights are 75 to 86 percent more likely to have asthma in comparison to other residents within California.

The average age-adjusted rate of emergency department visits for asthma is 66.027 while the average for California is 51.909.

Consider: Why is the prevalence of asthma rates higher than the state's average?

Studies have shown that traffic/air pollution is responsible for triggering and exacerbating asthma symptoms (Guarnieri M & Balmes JR). Therefore, there might be a correlation between these two factors.

Use the slider in the map below to identify the relationship between asthma percentiles and pollution burden.

In addition to outdoor triggers of asthma, there are also indoor triggers. These include secondhand smoke, dust mites, mold, pests, and household pets. Learn how to control these triggers  here .

While the triggers above are easy to identify and address, the same cannot be said for the pollutants produced from cooking. Regardless of what heat source is used, harmful air pollutants will be produced. It is important to know how to reduce the risks of exposure.

Over half ( 70% ) of households in California use gas stoves, meaning that these households are likely to be exposed to carbon monoxide and formaldehyde when cooking. Additionally, when oil, fat, and other food ingredients are heated up, it further increases one's risk to being exposed to harmful air pollutants, especially if cooking at higher temperatures ( California Air Resources Board ).

ELACC has begun to decarbonize their buildings with the goal to provide tenants with a sustainable and climate resistant way of living. Part of this process includes replacing the tenants' stoves with induction cooktops. ELACC anticipates to have completely electrified one of their buildings by the end of 2024. While the impact of decarbonization may not be immediate, tenants will benefit in the long term. It is important to ELACC that tenants have access to a clean environment which is why staff also ensure hallways, lobbies, and parking lots are clean.

The existence of green spaces is necessary to (a) mitigate the effects of climate change and (b) provide community members with a space to socialize, relax, and improve their wellbeing.

Green spaces have proven to lower premature mortality, extend life expectancy, and decrease cardiovascular disease among other things ( Nieuwenhuijsen, 2021 ). However, residents in Boyle Heights cannot enjoy any of the benefits mentioned when several of these green spaces are within the 500 ft and 1000 ft highway buffer.

See the map below below to explore more

In the map below, the green areas and dots represent all the green spaces publicly available.

There is both a lack of green spaces within Boyle Heights and lack of consideration for their placement. Consider: How does the proximity between green spaces and highways affect the health of community members?

Considering how close green spaces are to highways, one can conclude that those who utilize these spaces are more likely to be exposed to pollution and subsequently be at risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

In fact,  OEHHA  explains how "there are many risk factors for developing CVD including diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and air pollution. In scientific statements made by the American Heart Association, there is strong evidence that air pollution contributes to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (Brook et al., 2010; Pope III et al., 2006)."

Thus, it makes sense for residents in Boyle Heights to be 44% and up to 92% more likely to have cardiovascular disease in comparison to other census tracts in California. For Boyle Heights, the average age-adjusted rate of emergency department visits for heart attacks per 10,000 is 16.039 compared to 13.421 for the state.

Use the slider in the map below to identify the relationship between CVD and pollution burden.

One of the ways in which ELACC is trying to reduce the risk of CVD and other conditions is through the creation of community gardens. As explained by Twiss et al., "Community gardens enhance nutrition and physical activity and promote the role of public health in improving quality of life. Opportunities to organize around other issues and build social capital also emerge through community gardens." ELACC recognizes these benefits and is working with several organizations to create the necessary material to engage tenants. ELACC expects to have completed its first community garden by the summer of 2024.

The  Los Angeles City Planning  describes Boyle Heights as "one of the City’s most transit-accessible communities." Indeed, as shown below, there are various bus routes (dotted & colored lines) and bus stops (white dots) in Boyle Heights. The symbols with the letter "M" are the light rail stops while the bright yellow lines are bikeways.

Consider: Is public transportation located where needed?

According to the Department of Transportation, most people are willing to walk 400 meters (or 1/4 of a mile) to a bus stop. To find whether public transportation is visibly accessible, I created a 400 meter buffer (area shaded pink) around the bus stops.

Although most of Boyle Heights is highlighted in pink suggesting that public transportation is accessible, it cannot be determined if public transportation is physically accessible. Plus, considering that travel time, wait time, and costs are also important factors for determining accessibility, we cannot conclude public transportation is accessible.

In the map above, we also get a clear picture of the location of bikeways. Considering how many only extend for only a few blocks, one can infer that bikeways are not accessible.

Use the slider in the map below to identify the relationship between transportation and green spaces. Consider: Where is there no access? What can be better?

It is common for students and parents to use public transportation to get to school. Zoom in to get a clearer picture of how close bus stops are to schools.

There are approximately 42 affordable housing developments in Boyle Heights. The following map displays the location of these developments, including those that have yet to be completed.

The purple dots (n=17) are ELACC owned properties while the cyan dots are affordable housing developments owned by other organizations. The red star displays ELACC's location.

Click on the colored dots to get information on each property.

Over half (62%) of the housing stock in Boyle Heights are multifamily units while 26% are single family units.

There are several affordable housing developments within the 500 ft and 1000 ft highway buffer. Consider: What are the long-term (health) consequences of living near the highway?

Zoom in to get a better picture of the distance between affordable housing developments and schools.

ELACC offers an afterschool K-12 program known as S.T.A.R.S. to their tenants with the purpose of providing students with the necessary space and tools to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students are supported by a youth coordinator or other staff member from ELACC to ensure their needs are met.

There are approximately 70 vacant parcels in Boyle Heights. This is 1.6 times more than the number of affordable housing developments. The following map displays the location of these parcels as yellow dots.

Using Google Maps and  LA's Assessor Portal , I was able to identify whether the parcels were already owned or simply abandoned.  ^{Note: Using the Portal you can also find more info on each parcel, simply input the address or APN.} 

Consider: What can these vacant parcels be used for?

Vacant parcels have been used to develop community gardens, playgrounds, and much more. If you would like to learn more about what others are doing, click  here . Some of the completed projects have been done in partnership with nonprofits and/or the city.

ELACC itself is partnering with two organizations to develop their community garden, which will to be located in what is currently a vacant parcel. ELACC has owned this parcel for over a decade and it is not until recently that they began to consider how to use the space due to not having enough capacity or funding. These are two important factors that must be considered if one plans to transform a vacant parcel into a community asset. The proximity between the parcel and spaces must also be considered. For example, the site at which the community garden is ideal because it is adjacent to one of ELACC's affordable housing developments.

In the following map, consider the distance and potential relationship between these vacant parcels and affordable housing.

There are 6 high schools and one continuation school in Boyle Heights. Some schools have existed for over twenty years while others have recently been created within the last five years. The following figure shows the graduation rates for the school year of 2021 to 2022.

The average graduation rate for Boyle Heights surpassed that of LAUSD, LA County, and the state. In fact, over the years graduation rates have steadily rising since 2017 (see figure below).

The following figure displays these schools and their individual graduate rate for the year of 2021-22. Please note that the graduation rates from the continuation school in Boyle Heights was excluded due to greatly skewing the data.