Two, loss of green space, and of park space, public space, and connecting space. All of which the L.A. area has always notoriously lacked. L.A. has long enjoyed less park space per capita than most American cities. You cannot have healthy neighborhoods, socially or ecologically, without parks and green space. Our low- income communities, with little private green space, suffer often unconscionable deficiencies. And it hasn’t helped that in the 1940s and 50s, the city turned its verdant public 51-mile river corridor into an all-concrete Grand Sewer.
Three, waste of water, of phenomenal proportion: Our concrete infrastructure — gutters, driveways, sidewalks, streets and freeways — rushes L.A.’s rainfall very efficiently into the river and out of Los Angeles. Think about it like this: The City of L.A. uses the water we get from the sky for free to water the Pacific Ocean. And it spends $1 billion and 20% of its energy use annually to import 200 billion gallons of water via 950 miles of aqueducts from eastern Sierra, western Sierra, and Colorado River watersheds. And that’s just the City of L.A. And that’s just... nuts.
In sum, if you think about it, entombing the L.A. River in concrete has either caused directly or is substantially implicated in three of the L.A. area’s most difficult and notorious troubles: severe water and air pollution; severe deficiencies and inequities in parks and public space; and an insatiable desire for the West’s water.
That’s a Grim Scenario. What’s the Good News?
If paving the L.A. River has caused these troubles, then we can tackle them substantially by bringing the river back to life. Just think of the three huge benefits of revitalizing the river:
First, green space! Imagine a 51-mile, park-studded Los Angeles River Greenway and Bikeway—the logical backbone for a county- wide network of greenways and bikeways. It’ll green and connect a lot of L.A.’s neighborhoods and make them a lot more walkable and bikable. It’ll bring abundant park space to countless communities, and especially to those that need it most.
Sounds Amazing! How Much is Actually Happening?
A lot! In 1985, the river was a no-green, no-trespassing zone. Since 1995, public agencies, nonprofits, and adjacent communities have built more than 25 public parks along the river. And the City of L.A. and L.A. County have built or renovated 25 miles of riverside bikeways.
Altogether, the funding going into revitalization projects now totals tens of millions annually. Which, of course, is zillions less (approximately) than we’ll eventually need to do it all.
Still, nearly every relevant stakeholder, public and private, is working on L.A. River projects large and small: city, county, state, and federal agencies; a trainload of nonprofits; and almost every riverside community. In 1986, Friends of the Los Angeles River
Our favorite spots
• Marsh Park (MRCA site)—stormwater park with play area. 2960 Marsh St., Elysian Valley.
• Elysian Valley Gateway Park (MRCA site) - our first park along the river. 2914 Knox Avenue.
• Richard Lillard Outdoor Classroom (MRCA site)— has a walking park with interpretive dislays and an outodoor amphiteahter. Valleyheart Drive between Coldwater & Fulton.
• Tujunga Wash Greenway (MRCA site)—and the 1/2-mile Great Wall of Los Angeles mural just south of it. Coldwater Canyon Blvd. between Oxnard & Vanowen.
• Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve— almost Tom-Sawyer-like. Park on Woodley at corner of Burbank, enter on S side of Burbank just E of the bridge over the river.
• Valleyheart Greenway—designed by local 5th-graders—with snake wall, butterfly garden, great toad gate. Studio City, between Laurel Canyon & Radford.
• Yoga Park—mini-parks w/yoga course, and check out the footbridge at Sunnynook. Atwater Village, between Los Feliz & Sunnynook (entrances at Dover St. & Sunnynook).
• Dominguez Gap Wetland—egrets and herons and ducks, oh my! 4062 Del Mar Ave, Long Beach
Bike it!
• Glendale Narrows—8 miles, between Riverside (Griffith Park, off Zoo Dr.) & Figueroa
• Lower Los Angeles River—17 miles, between Vernon (@ Atlantic Blvd) & Long Beach harbor
Summer 2011 5
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