From its mountain tributaries, to the San Fernando Valley, through Downtown, and across the basin into the Pacific Ocean, Christian MilNeil tells the story behind the ecological and recreation rehabilitation of the Los Angeles River.
Unarguably one of the region's most photographed and filmed landmarks, the Los Angeles River's miles of concrete-lined channels have appeared in numerous films, advertisements, and music videos. Now advocates are hoping to rehabilitate the river's post-apocalyptic appearance by tying in aspects of ecology and livability.
Christian MilNeil, writing for Grist, takes the reader on a four-part tour of the river, from its start in the mountains above the San Fernando Valley to its mouth in Long Beach. Perhaps most interesting are his comments regarding how residents and visitors to the city interact with their river, from the sprawling and busy Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area, where the unpaved river returns to its wild roots for a short stretch, to the lifeless Confluence Park in the Glassel Park neighborhood, near the tangle of highway interchange viaducts that fly over the historic confluence of the L.A. River and the Arroyo Seco.
Then there's the famed stretch just east of Downtown Los Angeles, with its art deco bridges, power lines, railroads, and near-complete isolation from the rest of the city. Here, many of the most interesting and largest plans to rehab the river are taking place. Plans include "re-wilding" the river with an unpaved bottom and lining its banks with parks and redevelopment. And though "[a]ll this sounds pretty good to sustainability advocates - and to a growing number of political leaders..., until Los Angeles embraces those broader changes...restoration efforts like the one at Tujunga Wash [in the San Fernando Valley] will end up spending more tax money...to achieve less."
Read more about the Los Angeles River in MilNeil's four-part series in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
FULL STORY: Los Angeles River checks into rehab

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie