Wild LA: An Excellent and Beautifully Illustrated Resource for L.A.’s Biodiversity

Los Angeled has plenty of urban wildlife, but people don’t usually associate the city with the term biodiversity. L.A. County park planner Clement Lau offers a book review on the a book on that subject, "Wild LA."

1 minute read

June 17, 2019, 12:00 PM PDT

By wadams92101


Mountain Lion

National Park Service / Flickr

Los Angeles—both city and countyis one of the most biodiverse metropolitan areas in the country. This biodiversity is beautifully documentedboth by text and imageryin Wild LA, according to Clement Lau, a Los Angeles County park planner. The book is from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and its authors are Lila Higgins, Dr. Gregory B. Pauly, Dr. Jason G. Goldman, and Charles Hood. It describes where to go and what you’ll see there. The book also gives some historical information on the subject. Some of the facts that make Los Angeles unique in the country are:

  • Los Angeles is the only city in the United States with a major mountain range running through it.
  • L.A. County has the greatest difference between its lowest and highest elevations of any county in the United States, ranging from sea level to 10,064 feet at the top of Mount Baldy.
  • L.A. is the birdiest county in the country, with more than 500 recorded species.
  • L.A. is part of a biodiversity hotspot called the California Floristic Province, which stretches from southern Oregon to Baja California and includes most of California except the deserts.
  • L.A. sits in the middle of 4,000-mile bird migration "highway" in the sky, which is used by at least a billion birds annually.

For more details about the book, see the source article.

Sunday, June 16, 2019 in UrbDeZine

Sweeping view of Portland, Oregon with Mt. Hood in background against sunset sky.

Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary

Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.

March 12, 2024 - Housing Wire

Aerial view of green roofs with plants in Sydney, Australia.

Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024

A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.

March 10, 2024 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Cobblestone street with streetcar line, row of vintage streetlights on left, and colorful restaurant and shop awnings on right on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts

From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.

March 12, 2024 - Strong Towns

Aerial View of Chuckanut Drive and the Blanchard Bridge in the Skagit Valley.

Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding

The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.

March 18 - The Seattle Times

Historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles with large "Pan American Lofts" sign on side of building.

Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly

The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.

March 18 - Beverly Press

View from above of swan-shaped paddleboats with lights on around artesian fountain in Echo Park Lake with downtown Los Angeles skylien in background at twilight.

LA's Top Parks, Ranked

TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.

March 18 - TimeOut

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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.