Our Project summary
Throughout the dense urban sprawl of Los Angeles, community parks are few and far between. Marginalized, low-income communities, which are often heavily polluted and industrialized, still lack access to high-quality parks and the benefits they provide. This issue is abundantly clear in neighborhoods along the Los Angeles River, a concrete channel that follows a 51-mile course across the county. Once a meandering river with a thriving ecosystem, this barren channel now represents a major opportunity for urban greening. Accordingly, LA County has drafted a Master Plan aimed at restoring the river for public use. One of the more controversial aspects of the plan is a proposal to build artificial platform parks, or concrete bridges over the river topped with plants and attractive features. While this plan is intended to provide green space to nearby residents, it does not consider pocket parks as a potential solution. Pocket parks, or small, dispersed urban green spaces, could be a viable alternative due to greater feasibility, lower cost, and easier accessibility. However, choosing where to place these parks is a complex undertaking, and there is currently no systematic, integrated method for doing so.
Our team is partnering with the nonprofit Los Angeles Waterkeeper to establish a framework for identifying potential park locations that meet community needs.
We produced a series of maps and tables to assist decision-making on three different scales: regional, local, and site-specific. Using considerations of environmental justice cases, community health, current park access, hydrology, funding information, walkability, and legal feasibility, our report recommends specific communities and vacant lots that might benefit the most from new parks. We hope this report may serve as a resource to those involved in the park planning process, creating a greener and healthier environment for all river-adjacent communities.
What is a Practicum?
The Senior Practicum is a year-long capstone program for all IoES Environmental Science majors at UCLA wherein groups of students are given the opportunity to work directly with a range of stakeholders to help them achieve their goals.