Bells motto We cannot plan from our desks reflects his own lived experience.
That awakened an urge to transform the built environment more fundamentally.
Transferring to Cal State Los Angeles, he earned a bachelors in political science.
Bell went to work for the county after grad school, enforcing zoning codes in South Central Los Angeles.
When I went to someones house, I would start a conversation about the planning process, he recalls.
It was like, this is where I need to be.
A related problem is a lack of affordable housing.
you might see that rendered tragically in the high number of unhoused encampments in Los Angeles County right now.
When new affordable housing is built, it often lacks green spaces.
Our priority is to develop green spaces in a way that strengthens these neighborhoods instead of destroying them.
In about half of our projects, we continue to initiate the park after its built.
When thats the case, we hire folks from the neighborhood as park stewards.
They’re in charge of day-to-day operations.
How has the project advanced or addressed the vision for the community?
Bell:First, some background.
Westlake/MacArthur Park is an extremely dense, low-income neighborhood with lots of apartments and multi-family housing.
The site of Golden Age Park is about halfway between those parks.
It had been a vacant lot for decades a dumping ground and a nuisance.
One priority that emerged was that the neighborhood has a high population of seniors.
It also has a high population of young people.
It was important to create a design that reflected both demographics.
So …
Another key element of Golden Age Parks service to the community are the stewards.
(Scroll down to see before-and-after images of Golden Age Park.)
AARP:What do you see as the role of parks and other green spaces in a community?
Parks and gardens have always been spaces for communities to come together.
Theyre quite literally spaces for healing, because green spaces provide access to nature in highly urbanized places.
Parks provide a place for socially distanced exercise and recreation and meeting up with friends and neighbors.
For seniors, isolation was a danger even before COVID-19.
I also want to mention the importance of reducing the urban heat island effect.
Our projects are designed by and for the communities they serve.
Engagement is also central to the ongoing operation of our parks and gardens.
We bring job creation with our green spaces, which are managed by the users themselves.
We often draw from PELAs graduating classes for folks to become our stewards.
Ive learned that we cant rely solely on time-tested methods.
We need to be bold and we need to be different.
One of my heroes is Ron Finley, who calls himself theGangsta Gardener.
That was illegal, because the parkway belongs to the city.
When I was a county planner, we connected, and he invited me over.
And he said, There is no box.
Throw out that metaphor.
Dont constrain yourself to self-imposed boundaries.
His words continue to inspire me to this day, and so does his work.
What, if any, progress have you seen so far?
And what, related to the work you focus on, do you want to see done going forward?
Bell:ThePurposeful Aging Los Angeles Initiativemakes eight recommendations aimed at enhancing the age-friendliness of the L.A. region.
The one thats specific to my work is No.
6:Ensure county and city parks and other public spaces are age-friendly and culturally relevant.
What I want to stress is that the need for safe, well-maintained parks isnt just limited to seniors.
Before the parks opening in December 2019, the site was vacant for nearly 30 years.
AFTER: The 7,500-square-foot Golden Age Park
The entrance to Golden Age Park.
A statement on the park’s signage reads “Health and Equity Rooted in Community Parks and Gardens.”
The small park provides visitors with places to sit in the sun or shade.
