today, the effort to restore the lifeblood of the river to Los Angeles is gaining momentum. Community activists—and, increasingly, government agen- cies—are reimagining the waterway as more than a mere drainage system. In- stead, its supporters see the river’s potential to provide a living, flowing connec- tion between parks and green spaces for the neighborhoods that need it most. “The Los Angeles that my daughters grow up in is going to be very different


T


than the Los Angeles that I grew up in,” says Omar Brownson, executive direc- tor of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation. “They are going to be urban, city kids—but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have the chance to develop an appreciation of nature and the environment, to have that breathing space.” Advocates for both the natural resources and human communities along


the river, Brownson and others like him envision a far-reaching greenway that will make all of Los Angeles more livable. They believe that by emphasizing continuity, access, and features that reflect the cultural diversity of the city it traverses, the Los Angeles River Greenway—slated for completion in 2020— could become a model of restorative urban planning. “We have an opportunity to redefine what a global city looks like in the 21st


century,” says Brownson. It’s within our capabilities and it’s definitely our re- sponsibility. “What’s exciting to me these days is that when we cross the Los Angeles


River, my daughters point it out,” he says. “It’s part of their vocabulary, which means it’s part of their identity—part of what it means to be an Angeleno.”


56 · LAND&PEOPLE · SPRING/SUMMER 2015


your donation at work: miami river The Miami River Greenway begins at the 2,000-year-old Miami Circle archaeological site, a legacy of Florida’s Tequesta Indian heritage.


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