ACTIVE SGV: COMMUNITY OUTREACH & POSITIVE IMPACT

ActiveSGV's mission is to support a more sustainable, equitable, and livable San Gabriel Valley.

ActiveSGV envisions a San Gabriel Valley where:

• People of all ages, incomes, abilities and backgrounds have the opportunity to thrive.
• Decision-making accounts for the needs of current and future generations.
• Local and regional investments help address our most pressing challenges, including climate change, housing affordability, and inequity.
• Elected leadership reflects and accurately represents one of the United States’ most diverse regions.
• Communities pilot best practices in public policy, health, sustainability and governance.  

Active San Gabriel Valley (ActiveSGV) is headquartered in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley at the Jeff Seymour Family Center in the City of El Monte. In 2016 ActiveSGV worked with El Monte City School District to develop the SGV’s first “bicycle campus” as part of the redesign of the decommissioned Mulhall Elementary School campus. 

Underpinning ActiveSGV’s work are core values that include a strong commitment to build local capacity to effect long-term, sustainable change. Some ongoing and completed project of ACTIVE SGV are:

•  The Bike Train 

•  Bicycle Education Center 

•  emPOWER 

•  ​  GoSGV 

•  SGV Greenway Network 

This is one of major programs of ACTIVE SGV on the whole, they want to establish an active and healthy living environment for the residents of San Gabriel Valley. For this purpose they do events and perform community outreach in order to educate not only the residents and businesses there but higher authorities in order to approve funding needed to progress towards their vision of a healthier SGV. Some of these plans are:

•  626 Golden Streets 
•  Arrow Highway: Multi-modal Regional Plan 
•  Bike Friendly Business Districts 
•  Bicycle Education Center 
•  Bicycle Education Safety Classes 

626 GOLDEN STREETS:

Modeled after the thousands of other "open streets" or "ciclovia" events that have been organized around the world and across the United States, 626 Golden Streets temporarily opens stretches of roadway for people to walk, jog, skate, bike and more.  ActiveSGV  event organizers are excited to bring this event to the San Gabriel Valley. 

Event Goals:

1. Promote sustainable, active modes of transportation.
2. Encourage play, community connections, and exploration of the San Gabriel Valley's diverse communities.
3. Improve the health of people of all incomes, abilities, and backgrounds.

BIKE FRIENDLY BUSINESS DISTRICTS:

Bicycle Friendly Business Districts (BFBDs) promote, encourage, and incentivize residents and visitors to make local trips by bike, on foot, or via transit. These districts enhance services and amenities for cyclists, walkers, and transit riders within business districts and commercial corridors by developing partnerships that include local governments, businesses, residents, and community groups.  

Benefits for San Gabriel Valley businesses include: 

• Free Branding
• Free Marketing
• More Customers
• Receive a Bike Rack
• Free Up Car Parking for Driving Customers
• Healthier Communities

The ACTIVE SGV team over the years have made significant efforts to create positive impacts and change the lives of residents of San Gabriel Valley by providing healthier alternatives. Below is a dashboard to display their efforts and how they have impacted the San Gabriel Valley community.

If we look over the maps it is visible ACTIVE SGV have been making efforts in order to establish a healthier San Gabriel Valley and fulfill their vision of helping the residents. If we look at the maps just above it is visible how their efforts of outreach have increase over the years and how much more impact they are creating.

Some of the recommendations I would give the organization is to focus on areas where there are less outreach, for example West Covina region have visibly lower out reach events, they can focus in that region. Most of their events are centered in El Monte this could be because their head office is, maybe they can establish small offices in other regions just to create a practice of having events in the other parts with less hot-spots so that there is better outreach. Another thing I will suggest if they can conduct a yearly Carbon Footprint study, it will help them show visually or by means of Data that how the environment and air quality has improved in San Gabriel Valley due to their efforts.