Sponsor

Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) is a catalytic program dedicated to jump-starting community-driven neighborhood revitalization and improving transit access in challenged Los Angeles communities. Utilizing its nationally recognized community engagement process, LANI achieves this through:

• Community Consensus Building
• Business District Revitalization
• Urban Greening
• Transit Corridor Improvements
• Organizational Training, Development and Support

Going beyond “community input” to substantive stakeholder decision-making, LANI has earned recognition as a model for community engagement and empowerment. In the 12 years since its inception as a groundbreaking demonstration project, LANI has delivered unprecedented results, revitalizing 18 challenged low- and middle-income communities. LANI'S $15 million in catalytic public improvements (such as façade improvements, pocket parks, bus shelters, transit amenities, street lighting and street furniture) have attracted to its project areas new businesses, customers, jobs and an additional $30 million in leveraged private and public investments.

Project Description

LANI requests assistance with the development and coordination of a comprehensive database for its unique program. LANI is an unusual non-profit entity in that rather than delivering social services or engaging in advocacy work, LANI provides hardscape improvements from design through construction throughout the City of Los Angeles . The breadth and scope of the LANI program has expanded significantly over the last few years, resulting in the need for a database system that effectively captures all relevant project information to facilitate more effective project management.

The system would track:

• Status of multiple contracts with government agencies and vendors;
• Numerous government contract requirements;
• Budgets for multiple projects funded by various sources, both private and public, and secured at different points throughout the project's duration;
• Vendor invoices;
• Purchase orders and change orders;
• Project schedules;
• Issuance and payment of draw requests from government funders; and
• Significant project closeout information.

All of the above must also be coordinated with LANI's QuickBooks program.

Information compiled by the system will be featured on the LANI website, in promotional materials and in various types of funding applications.

Existing Data Management Process

LANI staff time is presently occupied by the tedious repetitive input of data in various areas and formats, none of which is coordinated. For example, each of four LANI Program Managers tracks contracting, budget, draw request and closeout information however they see fit. The formats are inconsistent and do not collect the same degree of data among them. We seek a system that would streamline all of the information for each project in a central location and consistent format.

Benefits to Students/End Users

Because the database is intended to capture information relevant to turn-key projects, students will become familiar with all of the elements that are included in a design and construction project, from initial consensus building and conceptual plan development to permitting, construction and project closeout. Students will learn how data in budgets, timelines and contracts all tie together to make a project come to fruition. Rather than focusing on data relevant to only one portion of the process, LANI projects require the incorporation of data for every phase of a revitalization project, allowing one to fully grasp the entire process. Students will also gain the satisfaction of significantly increasing the efficiency of a small non-profit organization, ultimately resulting in the implementation of additional physical improvements in their local community.

A streamlined system that accurately captures a broad spectrum of project data will make LANI Program Managers far more efficient, expediting project completion and increasing the time they have available to interface with community stakeholders. Program Managers will be also be able to relay consistent and reliable information at all project stages to members of the community and funding agencies. A centralized database will also minimize the impact that inevitable staff turnover has on any given project.

LANI's marketing efforts will be greatly enhanced by a centralized database, as captured data will be used in presentations and written marketing materials to clearly display the effectiveness of the LANI model.

Concrete data regarding the elements implemented, associated costs and quantifiable project outcomes is critical to LANI's fundraising efforts. A comprehensive database management system will strengthen LANI's funding requests and applications, resulting in an increased number of improvement projects throughout the challenged neighborhoods of our shared community.