The Californer - City of Long Beach Implements Community Technology Pilot Projects in Willmore, Westside, Ramona Park and Hamilton Neighborhoods

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Above: LB Co-Lab participants gathered in neighborhood groups during a session at Future LB to discuss technology pilot solutions as part of the LB Co-Lab program.

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach has implemented community technology pilot projects in the Willmore, Westside, Ramona Park and Hamilton neighborhoods as part of its Smart Cities Initiative. These pilot projects are derived from LB Co-Lab, a community-driven civic technology program that engages community members in immersive collaborative workshops to design technology solutions to address challenges in their neighborhoods.

"Our City team is committed to bringing together members of the community and exploring technology solutions that bring value to Long Beach residents and improve City operations," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "As technology is a greater part of our day-to-day lives, it is our job to ensure technology and innovation projects are co-designed alongside our most traditionally underserved residents."

The City analyzed data on internet access, unemployment, age and COVID-19 cases to identify four neighborhoods of focus: Hamilton, Ramona Park, Willmore and Westside. Each of the four selected neighborhoods was allocated an initial budget of $35,000 to design and implement a technology pilot project in their community. Each technology pilot solution selected was uniquely designed and vetted by community participants from each neighborhood based on community-identified needs. Community participants defined a challenge based on their neighborhood's biggest needs, evaluated and selected the technology pilot solutions, and defined key pilot details such as location and performance metrics.

Three technology pilot projects have launched at various locations across the city, with the fourth project currently in the implementation phase. These projects include:

The Willmore neighborhood project launched in May 2024. Participants sought to promote pedestrian and cyclist safety to create a sense of community well-being. They selected a solution to deploy three privacy-compliant sensors to measure multimodal activity at key neighborhood intersections, such as bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle movement. All data collected, such as vehicle counts, paths, heatmaps, speed and other trends are anonymous and secure. The sensors are located at Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue, 3rd Street and Maine Avenue, 7th Street and Chestnut Avenue. Data collected will be made publicly available and used by City officials to guide future street safety improvements and grant applications.

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The Westside neighborhood project launched in May 2024. Participants chose a technology pilot solution to propel park utilization and improve safety at Silverado Park. The City installed two people-counting, privacy-compliant infrared sensors at Silverado Park and created a custom data dashboard for the City and members of the public to visualize information about park visits and time spent at the park. City officials will use data to understand park operations and planning needs and inform capital improvements to Silverado Park.

The Hamilton neighborhood project launched in July 2024. Participants sought a street improvement solution to promote pedestrian safety, enhance visibility and encourage positive neighborhood experiences. To address this need, the City installed three smart, energy-efficient lights with people-counting and air quality analytics features on the pathway between the parking lot and the exercise area at Houghton Park. Data collected will be used by Houghton Park staff to evaluate usage trends and determine whether smart lights are a viable solution throughout the park.

Ramona Park neighborhood project participants chose a technology solution to provide efficient and reliable internet connectivity at Ramona Park and the adjacent community center. Residents in the neighborhood have low rates of home internet access and shared that previously there were no accessible public Wi-Fi points in the neighborhood. Nine high-coverage Wi-Fi routers are being permanently installed at Ramona Park to provide reliable service to all park areas, as well as educational signage and resources to learn about W-Fi. The City anticipates the public Wi-Fi will be available in the coming weeks.

"Our Smart City Initiative team continues to pioneer community-centered approaches to advance our vision to address civic challenges by engaging the community, staff, and private sector to explore, design, and implement emerging technologies in the City," said Chief Information Officer and Technology and Innovation Department Director Lea Eriksen. "We are committed to ensuring people come first, and we will continue connecting with community members to design and deploy technology that serves the public good."

LB Co-Lab workshops ran from March to October 2023 and required participants to attend a monthly technology design workshop and complete a self-paced technology certificate training program from the Long Beach Workforce Innovation Network, previously known as Pacific Gateway, the City's workforce development bureau. Participants also received a $1,000 stipend for their participation and time commitment. The LB Co-Lab and pilot projects are part of the Long Beach Smart City Initiative. Established in 2021 with principles that guide the use of data and technology to improve the lives of Long Beach residents, the initiative is built on principles of equity, inclusion, resilience and community collaboration. The LB Co-Lab was funded by the Long Beach Recovery Act and a grant by the Long Beach Community Foundation.

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After the completion of each pilot, a community brief will be shared with the public to review the results and evaluate the impact of the solution in the neighborhood. The City will continue to work alongside community members to foster a public dialogue about emerging civic technologies and piloting technology in the City that provides solutions to urban challenges. To learn more about the LB Co-Lab, residents are encouraged to check-out this video and read the latest Inside LB blog post. More information about the Smart City Initiative, including guiding principles, pilot programs, and exciting new projects, is available on the Smart City Initiative webpage. Those interested in staying informed about the progress of the Data Privacy Policy, Digital Rights Platform or Smart City Initiatives can sign up for this newsletter.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. To learn more about Technology and Innovation, visit: longbeach.gov/ti.

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