Los Angeles River Revitalization Plan

LA Residents have seen a variety of efforts to improve the Los Angeles River in the last couple of decades, such as the creation of bike-paths, parks, and the restoration of native habitats.  In 2007, the City adopted a master plan for the revitalization of the 32-mile long river with visions to “reconnect, re-imagine, and re-claim” the forgotten watershed.  The plan details strategies to realize the City’s goals of revitalizing the river, greening neighborhoods, capturing community opportunities, and creating value.

With over 200 proposed river revitalization projects within the City of Los Angeles, the Plan has incorporated interesting and feasible possibilities into the document.  Some notable ideas:

1. Paseos and “Green Streets” would create intimate entryways to the river from adjacent neighborhoods.  Pedestrian and bicycle access would increase pedestrian activity and bring the river into neighborhoods.
   

   River Greenway

2. The River Greenway would be downstream of Canoga Park, and would provide pedestrian and bicycle trails that link pocket parks together.
3. River gateways would mark rivers along major access points, making the river more visible and inviting.
4. Another River Greenway proposed downstream of the Sepulveda Basin would restore natural ecosystems.
5. A River Greenway downstream of Studio City would feature shaded pedestrian pathways that connect to commercial streets.  The river would act as a destination, increasing commercial activity and reviving urban life.  Parking lots in these areas would be designed to capture storm-water runoff.
6. River Promenades along the river would provide casual destinations where pedestrians could view local artwork.
7. A Neighborhood Park in the Cornfields-Chinatown district would open up a critical LA area to increase urban activity.
   

   Cornfields-Chinatown Neighborhood Park

With increased participation between the City, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local residents, and other key project partners, the project seems less like a plan and more like a movement.  Revitalizing the Los Angeles River would address not only the need to rehabilitate the ecological functions of the watershed, but would also target the city’s dearth of neighborhood parks.  Furthermore, the plan’s focus on public outreach, job creation, and youth participation shows efforts to be culturally sensitive and economically relevant.  The successful implementation of the plan will bring about meaningful public spaces, create inter-community connections, and foster economic equity and viability.

Shaped around its highways, Los Angeles has always been the city of anonymity and independence – an isolated dystopia.  Our dependence on the automobile has lent itself to an urban life that is practically devoid of the public realm.  The ensuing seclusion is manifested in stark physical divides between neighborhoods and between classes.   The lack of opportunity to “see how the other side lives” has bred fear and further isolation.  The LA River is easily one of the largest natural and infrastructural assets the city has, and meanders through various neighborhoods and geographies.  Its revitalization would catalyze profound changes to the physical and social landscape of the city.  And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

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