Eastside HEAL Zone Receives Prestigious Award from the American Planning Association 

Riverside, Calif., May 21, 2025 — On May 14, 2025, at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center in Rancho Cucamonga, the American Planning Association, Inland Empire Section (APA-IES) hosted its annual awards gala. During the event, the Eastside HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) Zone, a program operated by Riverside Community Health Foundation, was honored with the prestigious Advancing Diversity and Social Change Award.

The Eastside HEAL Zone Initiative is a community-driven effort to improve health equity in one of Riverside’s oldest and most historically underserved neighborhoods. The Riverside Community Health Foundation, in collaboration with the Residents of Eastside Active in Leadership, the City of Riverside, Riverside University Health System-Public Health, the Riverside Art Museum, and the Resident, with funding from Kaiser Permanente. The initiative focuses on addressing obesity and chronic disease. The Eastside HEAL Zone prioritizes the needs of disadvantaged groups and promotes inclusive and ethical planning practices that uplift residents often excluded from traditional public health and planning systems.

The collaborative includes planners, health professionals, educators, artists, and community-based organizations. Engagement is prioritized by empowering residents through bilingual Resident Leadership Academies, Promotoras (trained peer health educators), and hands-on activities such as the Community Altar Project, which engaged justice-involved youth and multigenerational families.

This inclusive approach has led to tangible improvements in community health and built environment conditions. Resident-led community improvement projects have enhanced walkability, created safer parks, and promoted healthier school zones. In partnership with local clinics, the initiative has also established referral systems linking patients with community-based programs that support nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease management. These outcomes demonstrate a successful model of health-centered, grassroots planning that brings measurable benefits to at-risk populations.

The Eastside HEAL Zone has elevated the role of community-based planning and shown how cross-sector partnerships can dismantle health disparities. Its success has inspired deeper investment in the Eastside and serves as a replicable model for communities seeking to connect planning, public health, and equity. By shifting power to residents and embedding health in everyday decisions, the HEAL Zone is transforming both systems and lives.