Walkability Around a Riverside Community Organization

Riverside County, August 2024-June 2025

Project Goal

  1. Citizen scientists focused on assessing environmental factors to improve healthy living behaviors and identifying potential strategies to promote healthier lifestyles
  2. Improve walkability around the Riverside community organization
  3. Identify factors that made it easy or difficult for adults attending the Riverside community organization to be active

Project Description

Adults attending the Riverside community organization for events such as nutrition classes and food distributions explored the walkability of the surrounding neighborhood and ability to access fresh fruits and vegetables in the area.

Discovery Tool Guiding Question

  • What makes it easy or difficult to eat healthy and be active in this community?
  • ¿Qué hace que sea fácil o difícil comer saludable y estar activo en esta comunidad?

Insights

8 adults participated in 2 Discovery Tool walks using two pre-identified themes to focus on (1) Physical Activity and (2) Nutrition. In total, the adults collected 50 photos with accompanying rankings (positive or negative) and 40 narratives. Participants then engaged in community meetings and identified 5 themes that emerged from the data, as well as key areas of improvement and strengths of the community. Aftwards, community members generated several solutions based on their data analysis.

  • Themes Identified:
  1. Sidewalk repairs 
  2. Marked pedestrian crossings 
  3. Add bike lanes
  4. Add more light posts
  5. Keep pathways clear

Strengths Identified: 

  • Visible stop signs are present
  • Numerous trees are present in the park that offer shade
  • Sidewalks throughout most of the town and neighborhoods 
  • Bus stop within walking distance 

Identified Areas for Improvement: 

  • Enhance the visibility of the crosswalk lines and light up signs and reflectors as pedestrians step off the curb
  • Provide additional light posts around the community organization to enhance lighting
  • Repair the uneven or fractured sidewalks surrounding the community organization
  • Provide bicycle lanes to enhance transportation alternatives

Solutions Generated Based on Each Theme:

  • Theme 1: Sidewalk repairs
    • Repair cracked and uneven sidewalks surrounding the community organization perimeter to ensure safety
    • Eliminate tree trunks on sidewalks, which result in the concrete cracking and lifting. Eliminate grass growth occurring between the concrete
  • Theme 2: Marked crosswalks
    • Enhance the visibility of stop lines and or incorporate light up crosswalks to allow pedestrians to safely cross the street.
    • Add wheelchair ramps for accessibility access 
    • Add speed bumps in areas where people cross the street to slow cars down where people cross the street
  • Theme 3: Lack of bike lanes
    • Add bicycle lanes around the community organization perimeter to enhance safety for cyclists
  • Theme 4: Lack of light posts
    • Add additional light posts to provide enhanced illumination for safe passage during the evenings or when the sun is setting around the perimeter of the community organization 
  • Theme 5: Keep walkways clear
    • Keep walkways clear to allow for safe walking and cycling
    • Trim trees and grass regularly
    • Clear junk kept near the sidewalks

 

Activities and Outcomes

Participants met with a Riverside Council Member and presented their data, findings, and brainstormed solutions. Following the meeting, the Council member shared information from the presentation with the Public Works department of Riverside. 

Additionally, the Council member recommended the 311 Riverside App to the citizen scientists, a mobile application that allows community members to take and submit photos of the community for service requests. Based on this recommendation, the councilman’s assistant connected the group to a 311 representative to meet with citizen scientists and explain the app in more detail. Afterwards, the eight participants who met with the Council member went on another walk around the perimeter of the community organization using the 311 Riverside App to take photos of and request the same solutions proposed to the Council member. 

People and Collaborators

Project Leads: 

  • CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California Cooperative Extension Riverside County Facilitators 
    • Marlen Gaspar
    • Claudia Carlos
  • CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California State Office 
    • Barbara MkNelly
    • Kelley Brian

 

Collaborating Organization:

  • CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE Riverside County
  • Riverside Community Organization
  • Stanford University
  • CalFresh Healthy Living, UC

This material was funded by USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Visit www.CalFreshHealthyLiving.org for healthy tips.

Our Voice Impact

"This experience has changed my life.  I see inadequacies everywhere I go as it relates to pedestrian access and safety.  I even stop [at] construction sites to remind them to be considerate of the handicapped in our community.  Thank you all so much for this awareness and empowerment to require change."

~ Pam Jiner, GirlTrek Advocacy Leader, Denver CO