Getting Serious About Greening The Los Angeles River

Los Angeles has hired a team of consultants to study ways to make the LA River a focus of urban revival instead of a flood control system. A series of public meetings may be a prelude to massive public works projects.

1 minute read

September 17, 2005, 7:00 AM PDT

By Brenda Meyer


"Is it the city's most prominent gutter or a river waiting to be reborn?.. As other cities have made rivers the centerpiece of urban revival, the L.A. River has continued to serve largely as a flood control system.

But increasingly, Los Angeles officials believe that, with some smart engineering, the river can serve as an anchor for parks and wildlife habitat while still protecting the region from floods.

...The city has hired a prominent engineering firm as a primary consultant â€" Tetra Tech Inc. of Pasadena â€" and a few ideas have already trickled out. These include terracing the concrete-lined sides of the river into stairsteps that could be planted with trees and used as picnic spots."

Thursday, September 15, 2005 in The Los Angeles Times

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