So what is the deal about parks? Why are they needed? Why are they so valued and valuable? Is it because they enhance the quality of life; to sooth the mind or just to give us more space to breath? So what is a better time than now, to explore all the values and ways that parks can enhance our lives. So which is the most important? Is it public health? Environmental?  Clean air?  A reduction of global warming? How about the the ways parks contribute to education? What about the way that parks drive economies, or is it the way that parks contribute to community values and a sense of place?  Maybe it is ALL of these things!

Check out the video above by the Trust for Public Land www.tpl.org that for 40 years has been conserving land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places for generations to come.

We had perfect weather for the picnic in Clover park which was attended by a group of intrepid and playful park ‘visioners’, and led by internationally known urban planner James Rojas. Tarps were placed on the lawn for the creators, and another tarp contained our stash of building materials, thousands of small every day objects such as hair rollers, buttons, plastic bottle tops, game pieces and much more that were provided to promote creative thinking.

The first exercise tasked each participant to build a model of their favorite childhood memory, and then explain it to the group.  We each had twenty minutes to self-reflect and build by choosing from hundreds of small objects.  Clearly this was designed as an icebreaker, and after a few bewildered looks, the scene soon looked like a children’s play group as colorful, but to others unidentifiable, memories emerged.  We were given no constraints and quickly began choosing and assembling pieces.  Some went for a minimalist approach, others constructed complex scenes full of symbolism.

After ten minutes the flurry of activity slowed down as people became satisfied with their models. We began to talk and look around at the others dioramas created, pulling out our cell phones to take pictures of our masterpieces.  Shortly thereafter we were told to stop and the explanation phase began.

It turns out many of the participants were from the United Kingdom while others were natives of Santa Monica. We heard great stories of far off places, and local stories of places long gone.

• One woman’s memory was an Australian beach where her family went camping every year for Christmas and opened their presents.
• One man created a muddy Welsh beach where he and his friends would walk and get filthy.
• Another man created a forest near his school in England that was littered with WW2 trenches and pillboxes.
• One Santa Monica native created her walk to the beach and a place where she played volleyball.
• One man created the marshy Santa Monica ball field were he played with some Dodger greats.
• One man created an natural amphitheater in a Philadelphia park were he and his friends listened to free concerts.
• One woman spoke about her car trip through Chicago and the strange contrasts between ugly tall buildings and the neighborhoods.
• One man created a ditch covered by a door in a vacant lot were he would play, and at one point got trapped.
• One man created a tree where he would sit for shade and hear the airplanes from the local airport.
• One woman created a train where she went on trips with her dolls.
• One man created a ravine in a Pasadena Park where he played as child.

We all listened with enthusiasm to each other’s stories and once we had all finished, Mr. Rojas pointed out that nearly everyone’s favorite memory involved the outdoors in some way, and that clearly this is why nearby park and open un-developed space is so critical to a community.  It seems many of the participants had ‘free range’ childhoods allowing them to roam around and discover the wonders of nature.

Next the participants were placed in teams and asked to create their ideal park together. Participants pulled together their best ideas compromising and building off each others inputs. Another twenty minutes of team activity building larger more complex park models based on the airport layout followed.  Once completed each group presented their concepts to everyone else.

Lessons Learned

• People have an easier time building their ideal place rather than talking about it.
• Park and open un-structured land is a critical part of favorite childhood memories.
• Physically representing a park out of what is mostly junk, forces an abstract approach and avoids drowning in practical details.
• Park building through play provides a visual language and breaks down typical barriers such as language, age, etc.
• Hair rollers are not particularly useful building blocks for park building.
• Playing and building with a pile of toys and junk in a public park definitely attracts attention.

Airport2park would like to thank James Rojas for organizing and running this exercise.  Hopefully he will come back and do it again some time so that others, particularly kids can enjoy it like we did.

“Re-Imagine Santa Monica Airport” Community Picnic this Sunday at noon!

We are looking forward to seeing all of you this Sunday Nov.2 at Noon in Clover Park for an Airport2Park Community Picnic and “Re-Imagine Santa Monica Airport” a creative community engagement project facilitated urban planner James Rojas.  This is potluck so bring your own food, drinks, utensils and blankets for a chance to meet other people who are interested in transforming Santa Monica Airport into a grand park for all.

As you might have heard, the City of Santa Monica has filed a lawsuit against the FAA to resolve issues of control over the future use of the airport land. This is a major move by the city and if successful would move the city one step closer toward helping us realize our dream of a new park.

We will have lots to talk about for sure.

We will meet at 12:00pm, look for the Airport2Park banner and around 12:30pm we will have a few very brief words and then introduce you to James Rojas who will lead interested participants through a fun process that will help you envision what a park could be in order that we can further capture your ideas for what we can do here in Santa Monica to create a healthy, sustainable great park open for everyone.

So come get involved and enjoy a Sunday in the Park and don’t forget to set your clocks back!

See you all there!

The City of Santa Monica on Thursday issued the following statement to the press regarding the future of Santa Monica Airport. The statement is published here in full, unedited. (also see post on Santa Monica Mirror)

The City of Santa Monica has sued the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish the City’s right to control future use of the Santa Monica Airport property, which the City has long owned.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, asks the court to declare that the City holds clear title to the land. And, it also challenges, as unconstitutional, the FAA’s claim that the City must continue to operate the Airport indefinitely, even after contracts establishing the City’s Airport obligations expire.

In 1984, the City and FAA entered into a Settlement Agreement with the FAA that obligates the City to operate the Airport until 2015.

In anticipation of the expiration of that contract, the City undertook a three-year Airport Visioning Process, intended to identify options for the Airport’s future.

Hundreds of community members participated in this three-phased process – the largest ever conducted by the City. In April of this year, the Council received a comprehensive report on the results.

After considering the report and conducting a lengthy public hearing, the City Council directed City staff to report back in March of 2014 for further public discussion and a decision about the future use of the Airport land.

Meanwhile, the Council also directed staff to continue to explore any and all possibilities for a voluntary agreement with the federal government that might modify Airport operations so as to significantly curtail adverse impacts on the community.

Since then, City representatives have continued to meet with FAA representatives in Washington.

City Manager Rod Gould explains, “We met in Washington many times, and conveyed community concerns and proposed possibilities for changes, including operational changes, that could significantly reduce many of the Airport’s adverse impacts. The FAA representatives were polite and respectful.  But, they were simply unwilling or unable to agree to any changes that could bring significant relief to Airport neighbors.  They believe that the City is legally obligated to continue operating the Airport as it now operates and to keep operating it forever because of the post-War transfers.”

The City has owned and operated the Airport since the 1920′s.

During World War II, the City leased it to the federal government for a nominal amount in support of the war effort.

During the War, the City and the federal government worked together to expand and improve the Airport; and, after the war, when the federal leases expired, the Airport was returned to the City through an Instrument of Transfer.

The federal government claims that the Instrument of Transfer obligates the City to operate the Airport “in perpetuity” (forever) or forfeit its ownership interest to the federal government.

The City disputes this claim based, in part, on the City’s near 100-year ownership of the Airport land, the fact that the Airport was merely leased (not sold), and constitutional guarantees that prohibit commandeering property without compensation and forcing local governments to perform the federal government’s work.

Speaking of the lawsuit, Santa Mayor Pam O’Connor said, “We need to get these legal questions answered. The community expects us to protect their health, safety and welfare.  And, of course, the community’s demands for relief from Airport impacts have only increased since last month’s terrible crash. We need the court to decide whether the City has control over its land so that, next year, we can make a decision about the Airport’s future.  Because this dispute is unique and incredibly important, the City Council directed the City Attorney and her staff to partner with the best outside legal team they could find.”

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The City has now posted the full details on the lawsuit here: http://www.smgov.net/Departments/CMO/content.aspx?id=44740

This action was recommended to the Council in 2012 by the airport commission (‘declaratory relief’) and CASMAT subsequently ran a supporting petition which received 1,687 signatures from the public – see here for details.  We would like to sincerely thank the City Council for taking this essential step.

The same action was also advocated by Frank Gruber (one of Airport2Park’s founders) in an October 2011 article entitled “Air Tactics”.

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Related news articles:

City files lawsuit regarding the airport (CASMAT, Oct 31, 2013) — CASMAT constantly updating this with later news links

City Hall Sues FAA Over Future of Santa Monica Airport (SM Lookout, Oct 31, 2013)

Santa Monica sues FAA to gain control of embattled city airport (LA Times, Oct 31, 2013)

Breaking news: City Hall sues FAA to gain control of SMO (SM Daily Press, Oct 31, 2013)

Santa Monica Sues Feds Over Control of City Airport (LA Weekly, Oct 31, 2013)

City To Challenge FAA In Court Over Future Control Of SMO (SM Mirror, Oct 31, 2013)

Airport2Park, the coalition formed to turn Santa Monica Airport into a park, has announced its next event: a potluck picnic in Clover Park (2600 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, adjacent to the airport, bring your own food, drinks and utensils), Sunday, November 3 from noon to 2 PM. The picnic will be a fun follow-up to Airport2Park’s first highly successful event, its October 3 workshop where 150 members of the public envisioned what it would mean to turn the airport into a great park

Picnickers will participate in a creative community engagement project facilitated by well-known urban planner James Rojas, who will conduct one of his signature model building workshops in which participants use interactive models and colorful and tactile objects – such as wood blocks, tiles, plastic game pieces and jewelry – to translate conceptual planning ideas into physical forms and free their imaginations. Mr. Rojas has used this playful technique with great success in 250 workshops around the country.

In Mr. Rojas’ words, “Re-Imagine Santa Monica Airport will harness the power of the collective community imagination through creative community engagement planning. Residents, tourists, visitors – the public – will reflect on, explore, experiment, and ultimately build their image of Santa Monica Airport Park. My approach allows participants to self-reflect by investigating their environment around them by using their hands and minds. This creative method will turn the airport into a canvas where people build their image of it. Interactive planning creates a powerful tool to bring together all ages, races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds to participate in creating a vision for the future park.”

James Rojas holds an MA in City Planning and an MS in Architecture Studies from MIT. He works as a city and transportation planner, and is the founder of the Latino Urban Forum, a non-profit dedicated to increasing awareness of planning and design issues facing low-income Latinos. He has written and lectured extensively about how culture and immigration are transforming the American front yard and landscape, and, through Place It!, has organized an hundreds of on-site model installations and interactive workshops.

You can download a PDF of the flyer if you want to print it out and post some or hand them out.

Also see: Featured Event: The Clover Park Creative Community Engagement Project (SM Next, Oct 29, 2013)

Airport2Park walked today with the American Lung Association’s 2013 Fight for Air Walk.  What can be cleaner than creating a new grand park on the site of the Santa Monica Airport?  Airport2Park joined the American Lung Association in the fight for healthy lungs and healthy air in order to save lives today and keep America healthy tomorrow. Hundreds of people took part in this year’s walk from the 3rd Street Promenade and along Palisades Park to promote Santa Monica as a clean and healthy community.  City Council member’s Bob Holbrook and Assembly Member Richard Bloom were on hand to lend their support in the keynote speeches.  Airport2Park’s banner received high fives and honks from passing motorists with many coming up to us to hear about our plans and to sign up for our mailing list.  Event sponsors included the South Coast AQMD, the United Long Term Care Workers and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Airport2Park kickoff meeting and park design workshop on Thursday October 3 was attended by over 150 people, and the energy, creativity, and excitement shown by those attending was truly inspirational.  The highlight of the night was a talk by noted landscape architect Mark Rios surveying what has been done to transform other post-industrial relics around the world into vibrant and unique community parks (Mark’s talk begins at 20:42 in the Part 1 video below).  After the talk, people broke up into ten small working group tables, each of which marked up a large map of the airport to reflect the park ideas of the group participants.  The evening ended with each group presenting its thoughts and design ideas.

This was an hugely successful first meeting, and we are heartened by the enthusiasm showed by all who attended, as well as the many elected officials or their representatives who turned up to show their support.

This park is coming, you can feel the energy!

Watch the videos here and see for yourself…

A reminder that our Community-Vision Workshop is tonight!

Please join us for our first-ever Community-Vision workshop on the ideas for park use at Santa Monica Airport come the end of its lease agreement in 2015.

Community Vision Workshop
Date: Thursday , Oct. 3rd
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Where: Mount Olive Church – Ocean Park & 14th
Everyone is invited. Free to attend.
Refreshments will be served.

At the workshop noted landscape architect Mark Rios, who recently designed Grand Park in downtown L.A., will give a talk about other great parks around the world that have taken the place of airports and other previously industrial landscapes. Mark’s talk will be followed by breakout sessions where members of the public can share their ideas about what a park at the airport could be. We will also be discussing financing options for the park.

We hope to see you there!

— Airport2Park.org

Between 50 to 60 people including adults and kids went on the Airport2Park bike ride today.  After assembling in Clover Park next to the airport, the group set off on a lovely sunny day making a series of stops around the perimeter of the airport to listen to Michael Brodsky and Frank Gruber outline the history of the airport, the pollution and health issues it causes, its costs to the city and taxpayers, but best of all to envisage its future as a great park.

The ride was very well organized and safe, despite the large numbers on some busy roads.  Our thanks go to Santa Monica SPOKE members who organized and led the ride and volunteered to make sure the rest of us amateur bikers came to, and caused, no harm.  They have posted pictures of the ride here.

Highlights of the ride included the ‘visioning’ talk from the flight observation deck at the airport while the riders got a clear sense of the massive scale of the land and the incredible and unique potential it represents.  At Clover Park we witnessed literally hundreds of people using the park for various sporting and other uses and the stark contrast as we looked through the wire fence over the virtually deserted concrete wasteland that serves the few (maybe a few hundred a day compared to literally thousands per day at the adjacent Clover Park which is less than 1/10 the size).  Despite the need for numerous pauses in the talks due to the deafening noise of jets and other takeoffs, participants learned many useful facts.  For example the airport currently drains the City coffers to the tune of millions per year, and has been loosing money for decades.   Once again the speakers contrasted the City’s losses on well over 200 acres at the airport, with the sustainable bike center in downtown which occupies virtually no space, serves hundreds of people each day, and is a net revenue generator for the City (around $200,000 in the last 2 years).  Even the Big Blue Bus makes money for the City.  Not the airport however.

Perhaps my favorite funny moment was when we were all milling around the Centinela entrance to the airport listening to a description of the huge costs to the City of subsidizing the airport and its users in order to keep it running.  In the middle of the talk, we all had to part to allow one of the subsidized airport users, to enter through the gate in a magnificent blue brand new convertible Aston Martin DB-9 (a car who’s base price is around $200,000).  It was a hilarious moment much appreciated by those present, and it did much to underscore how ridiculous it is that the City continues to loose money keeping the airport open.

Time to build a great park.  It will be a net revenue plus to the City of between 5 and 12 million dollars annually compared to the airport.

Santa Monica SPOKE -

Sunday September 15th,
10am, Clover Park.

Meet at the southwest corner, next to the Santa Monica Airport fence.

Come for a short 4.5 mile ride around the perimeter of Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in order to see and learn about some of the current issues relating to this facility and hear about potential creative new uses for this property.  There are two short hills. Bring a lock, helmet and picnic if you like.

Ride hosts will make presentations, offer views & options for this space at different stops along the ride.

Michael Brodsky, Professor at Loyola Marymount University

Frank C. Gruber, Attorney and blogger at http://thehealthycitylocal.com