During the COVID-19 pandemic, public gardens like the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden have become very popular destinations, serving as places of respite and recreation for a weary public.
The 127-acre Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is an arboretum, botanical garden, and historical site located in Arcadia, California. The facility is managed through a private-public collaboration between the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The mission of the Arboretum is to cultivate its natural, horticultural and historic resources for learning, enjoyment and inspiration.
In this essay, writer Yxta Maya Murrary discusses her experiences and observations of the Arboretum which she and her husband became members of during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, she adopts a new hobby of "therapeutic photography" and talks about her interesting run-ins with the peafowls which are commonplace at the Arboretum. According to the Arboretum's website, the species of peafowl at the Arboretum are Indian Peafowl which are members of the pheasant family. The species is named Pavo cristatus with cristatus referring to the peafowls’ crest. The male birds are called peacocks, the female birds are peahens, and the offspring are peachicks. Although the term “peacock” is often used when referring to the species as a whole, the collective term for both genders is peafowl.
FULL STORY: Where I Go: L.A.’s Arboretum, Where the Peafowl Hunt You In Packs
Creating a New Regional Park by Restoring Degraded Lands
Los Angeles County is transforming 142 acres of the Puente Hills Landfill into parkland, creating the first new regional park in the county in over 35 years. The recently released concept plan and renderings show what the park will look like.
The Importance of Accessible Trails
Not all trails are accessible to those with limited mobility. This article highlights eight trails and nature walks in Southern California that can be enjoyed by just about anyone.
South Los Angeles Park Offers Hidden Benefits
Not only does the redevelopment of a large section of Earvin Magic Johnson Park in Willowbrook offer much needed green space and new amenities, it also helps to conserve water and improve water quality.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials
C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.
BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.
The New Parisian Hearse is a Bicycle
Sleek, silent, and sustainable, a green trip to the graveyard has hit the streets of the French capital.
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.
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland