Evergreen Park and the adjacent neighborhood lie in the heart of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles. Working with the non profit organization, LANI (Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative) with the assistance of a Bank of America grant, Meléndrez has guided the Evergreen community through a successful public design process.

In this public process, Meléndrez first listened to what the community had to say about their park and neighborhood. Staff then presented the community with a range of design solutions that addressed the issues at two levels. The neighborhood wide plan proposed interventions that included making safer crosswalks, improving sidewalks and planting additional street trees, and also proposed novel ideas such as a Boyle Heights History Walk or an Evergreen Fitness Trail. Meléndrez also presented the concept of ‘green streets’ and the added benefit of storm water collection and increased infiltration within the right of way. At a park level, Meléndrez listened to the community’s concerns and created proposals that delved into the level of detail that the community desired. The proposals ranged from improving visibility through the park to adding more shade, to improving the surfaces of existing courts, to creating a community fitness zone.

With continued community support, and this plan as a tool for implementation, the future of this neighborhood is a series of safe, well-connected public spaces and streets centered on a revitalized Evergreen Park that will encourage the community, more than ever, to live beyond its front doors.