Since 2009, the L.A. Department of Water and Power's Landscape Incentive Program has convinced 850 area property owners to replace their grass lawns with more sustainable plants, mulch, and permeable pathways. Now DWP is upping the ante.
"Around 850 L.A. homeowners and commercial property owners have pulled out a million-and-a-half square feet of grass since the city started paying them to replace it with more drought-friendly options," reports Molly Peterson. "The city wants to get rid of even more lawns, so the Department of Water and Power is sweetening the pot."
"Four years into the program, the DWP has upped how much you'll be paid to replace your lawn, from $1.50 per square foot to $2," she adds. "Two bucks a square foot can mean a few thousand dollars in the pocket of the average homeowner, and the DWP hopes that will boost interest."
FULL STORY: Rip out your lawn, then rip open an envelope of cash in LA
Denver Plans to Update Landscaping Regulations
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Opinion: The Time for ‘Yard Reform’ is Now
Replacing lawns with native plants and grasses saves water and improves biodiversity, but some cities make the practice illegal.
Coaxed by Cities, Southwest U.S. Homeowners Say Goodbye to Grass
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Nevada and Utah Groups Oppose Public Land Sell-Off Plan
A set of last-minute amendments to the budget reconciliation bill open up over half a million acres of federally managed land to sales.
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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.
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