2014 Earth Day Green Up Day of Action. Click here to view pictures from the event.

HOPE Collaborative convenes the Elmhurst Neighborhood Planning Initiative, a collaborative effort among residents, community-based organizations, City and County government, schools, churches, and the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils (NCPC's) to develop and implement a community-based plan for the lower Elmhurst area, an underserved community plagued by blight, poor air quality and lack of shade trees.

On April 26, 2014, HOPE Collaborative, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), Urban Releaf, Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project (ANV), and other environmental justice organizations joined community residents for another "Green Up Day of Action", an Earth Day celebration, at Tassafaronga Park in East Oakland. Though the event engages volunteers and neighbors to plant trees and pick up trash in the Elmhurst, the vision "is about a community coming together to make their vision of a healthier neighborhood become a reality," says Angela Hadwin, Project Associate at HOPE Collaborative.

Over the past two and a half years, HOPE's Built Environment Action Team (BEAT) has been working to develop a new model for neighborhood planning in Oakland, a model that starts with community ideas and leadership. This past year, BEAT compiled 2 years of community meetings and participatory mapping into a Neighborhood Plan document that captures the vision, process, neighborhood assets, challenges, and opportunities. The plan outlines a way toward creating a healthier more resilient community that reflects the needs and wants of local residents. Based on this community vision, BEAT partner organizations and resident leaders have been working to implement elements of the plan in a way that continues to build community leadership. Through a recent round of mini grants, HOPE will support partners to engage in community-centered projects that promote Civic Participation; Beautification, Greening, and Anti-Dumping; Safe Streets; and Healthy Food Access. Projects include:

• Neighborhood Plan Outreach & Town Hall - Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) will lead outreach to continue build community input and involvement in the planning process.
• WE ACT: Neighborhood Beautification - a 3^rd grade teacher at Acorn Woodland Elementary School will lead a group of 18 students along with parent volunteers in regular work sessions to pick up trash, paint over graffiti, and install plantings around their school.
• G Street Transformation Project - Block By Block Organizing Network - District 7 will engage residents and business owners to transform G Street from an illegal dumping ground to a community asset.
• Community Greening Project - Urban Releaf will plant 35 additional trees in partnership with residents and local partner organizations.
• Peace Banner Campaign - Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm will create a visual and online campaign to address community violence and connect residents and youth to resources and programs that help address residents needs and increase the peace.
• Traffic Circle Program - Bike East Bay will develop an implementation plan to locate and pilot a low-cost, community driven traffic circle to address issue of speeding traffic and improve safety for walking and biking in the neighborhood.

For a summary of the neighborhood plan, click here. For more information on the neighborhood planning initiative, please contact Angela Hadwin at angela@hopecollaborative.net.