I-710 is the backbone of a road and rail transportation network linking the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the surrounding region. Within this goods movement corridor, connecting overseas markets to the rest of the United States, are situated some of the most dense and impacted neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. The City of Long Beach has conceived of this Community Livability Plan in order to envision local and corridor-wide improvements that will mitigate the impact of the freeway on local neighborhoods. The planning process has been supported by a project working group made up of staff members from a wide range of City departments and agencies, as well as the Port of Long Beach, and regional entities like Metro and the Gateway Cities COG.

At the neighborhood scale, Meléndrez's strategy has been to work with community stakeholders to identify and understand the various community assets that give each I-710 neighborhood its own unique character and strength, and to devise strategies and solutions for increasing livability to respond to and build on these assets. A series of neighborhood improvements projects have been conceptually planned and illustrated. Including pedestrian connections and streetscape enhancements, bikeways, parks projects, improvements to freeway and LA River bridges and overpasses, and livable schools concepts.

At the corridor scale, improvements have been envisioned that will be fed into the EIR/EIS process for the I-710 project itself. As it is implemented, this Plan can result in a better balance between residents' exposure to environmental and health hazards, and the benefits and investments they want and need in order to maintain a healthy environment in this corridor in which to live, learn, work and play.