The Los Angeles River: Intro to a Case Study in Urban Revitalization

If there is one environmental movement that can gain near-unanimous support, it is the revitalization of visible, past human impact. Climate Change needs evidence beyond scientific fact in order to become a larger accepted issue - there is no doubt about that. But closer to home, something we at least recognize, are mistakes from past undertakings, which today, make sense to pull back in time in order to benefit the future.

This is an introduction to restoration and revitalization, which go beyond just making things ‘pretty’ again; they aim to restore the integrity of once functioning ecosystems.

Engineers look at the Los Angeles River and see an elegant work of design. It does what it was supposed to do beautifully: Keep flood water away from the city. But to many, it’s mostly an eyesore, and they want it to do more than just speed water out to sea. The City of Los Angeles is hoping to redesign some of the 32 miles of river channel that run through L.A. Over the next year, city engineers and consultants will be developing a master plan for the river. (source)

Creating more parks is the primary goal - for human use and enjoyment - and getting communities involved is integral to that goal. Second, is attempting to create functioning systems so that the area of impact can begin to live again, and even attract natural renewal and species diversification. It should come as no surprise that functioning ecosystems and biodiversity are very important to the health of a city. It was the water which flowed through the flood basin that gave the land its original appeal: fertile soils, functional systems and drinking water. But they were constantly meandering and variable steams. So when repeated floods in the 30’s killed as many as 50 people - between the 1950’s and 60’s the Federal Government deepened and reinforced the river with concrete to create the 32 miles of river as L.A. sees it today.

Unfortunately the vital (flood control) areas of the river may never see soil again, and I believe that they are instead choosing parts of the river closer to communities and existing parks to focus their efforts. I’ve read that up to 45 percent of communities (primarily Hispanic) near the River itself have no access, or are not within walking distance to parks of any kind. Many people generally have no way (and hence limited desire) to experience nature as we know it.

For me, this project represents a milestone in the area of restoration of natural systems. Restoration has seen some hard times, primarily due to lack of funding. I see this first hand in the forest industry where standards are designed to be met (and barely), and those rarely include restoration and revitalization of damaged ecosystems. But I now see a revitalization in the field of restoration - especially with increased funding of urban renewal - so seeing a city such as L.A. charge headfirst into such an endeavor is absolutely enlightening.

This massive project is more than just the revitalization of an old eyesore: it is an attempt to reintroduce the beauty of green space and riparian zones, something which many Angelenos are truly unaware of. I plan to follow and occasionally report on the undertaking as it progresses and evolves.