Undoing Damage To The L.A. River

The Los Angeles River can be considered either the most neglected or the most scrutinized and engineered waterway in the nation. Long entombed in concrete, the river is gaining a new lease on life thanks to a master plan process that seeks to reinvent the resource.

2 minute read

March 25, 2006, 7:00 AM PST

By Josh Stephens @jrstephens310


"This effort is by far the most comprehensive. It covers the entire course of the river through the city, which is about 60 percent the total length of the river. So you can begin to think about these larger issues. Up to now, the accomplishments have amounted to a small number of park spaces along the river."

"This plan will not only deal with creating park spaces but will also deal with flood detention, wetlands restoration, water quality, and development. We see parkland creation as working quite well in areas where the river is still heavily industrialized."

"There are tremendous opportunities for redevelopment in those areas and creation of entertainment zones, apartments, lofts, more housing along the edges of the riverfront parks. This is a pretty big plan, and as far as I can tell, the team in charge is up to the task."

"We issued our first report, which, hopefully will be an annual report, on the water quality of the river. Its title is, 'Towards a Swimmable, Fishable, Boatable River,' and that’s our goal. We want the river to be healthy enough that the steelhead trout run can resume after it's been cut off for the last 75 years or so. That's obviously a hard goal to reach, but on the way to that, we can have a much healthier river."

Thanks to Josh Stephens

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 in The Planning Report

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9 - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation