LA River - The Spine of the City

There's been a lot of positive press about the LA River recently. GOOD and the LA Times ran stories recently discussing the EPA's decision to officially designate the LA River a "traditional navigable waterway," which apparently paves the way for federal money to be put toward restoring the river to a semi-natural condition. This is great news and a positive first step to undo the concrete channelization of the river and realize the potential of the waterway put forward by the LA River Master Plan.

And projects like the one on Elmer Avenue in Sun Valley (part of LA's Green Streets Initiative) will enable the naturalization of the LA River to occur by capturing and retaining stormwater on-site, reducing peak flow in the river channel during heavy storm events. Greening LA's streets also holds tremendous potential for reducing the city's reliance on distant sources of water. Local acquifers could be replenished through on-site stormwater retention techniques, making more water locally available for use. (note: about 19% of California's carbon dioxide emissions come from pumping and transporting water throughout the state).

Model of a proposal to redevelop an existing train yard into open space and housing.

A much bolder plan to naturalize a portion of the LA River was unveiled last month. Friends of the LA  River (FoLAR), together with a team of advisors, put together a proposal to turn 130 acres of industrial land into a verdant development with open space, housing, commercial and retail thoughtfully integrated into a lush riparian setting that reconnects the landscape with the existing fabric of the city. It's a bold proposal sure to draw fire and attention from all sides. At first glance, it appears to kiss the ring and pay homage to the easiest to achieve and least controversial principles of sustainability. A more critical assessment will have to wait until the details of the project become clearer but for now it's focus on water, neighborhood connectivity, transit, mixed-uses, recreation, open space and agriculture is comprehensive in scope and holistic in approach. A laudable project to be sure. There is plenty more to read here and I encourage you to do so. Become involved in the discussion by commenting on their site or this blog.