A majority of Angelenos (91%) support efforts to revitalize the Los Angeles River, even though fewer than half (47%) have ever visited, according to a four-language public opinion survey of more than 600 Los Angeles County residents.
Fernando Guerra, director of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, said that when they began reimagining what a city would look like after the pandemic, the river should be at the center.
During a meeting organized by Ethnic Media Services Guerra, who conducted the research in conjunction with UCLA's Environmental Narrative Strategies Lab and Ethnic Media Services, added that in order to have these outdoor activities, it is necessary to think of a renewed river.
And according to the research, the vision of a river with more parks, green areas, access to trails, as well as cultural and recreational activities, would generate many more people to visit this point, which is currently used for walking, relaxing or cycling, among other activities.
Despite this, there are concerns among Los Angeles residents that taxes could increase, that homeless encampments could grow along the river, or that revitalization could lead to gentrification or displacement of current residents.
According to Anthony Rendon, spokesman for the California State Assembly, significant progress has been made in terms of the uses of the river, however, there is room for improvement in areas such as resource utilization, so that this project can be a bridge and a development pole for the communities.
He also commented that there is unequal development along the river: historically, improvement actions have been carried out mainly in the upper part, and only in recent years have they begun to concentrate on the lower part, so these areas should be promoted much more.
He added that it is thanks to the downriver communities, who have made an effort to speak from their community representations and their visions of what they want to see in the future, that investments such as the $45 million investment to create a Cultural Arts Center in South Gate have been made.
Max Podemski, planning director for Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, said that most of the riverfront residents are from low-income communities, which represents an area of opportunity for the revitalization to benefit them with open space.
"This is an opportunity to reimagine this kind of single-use infrastructure for multiple benefits, where these tributaries can be revitalized in a way that reflects those communities and can combat gentrification."
Meanwhile, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority environmental equity officer Sarah Rascon said many opportunities can be generated with the river, which in 2010 became navigable, so it can bring in many more people.
And 64% believes the tributary could become a world-class attraction, like the rivers in San Antonio, Seoul or Madrid, a goal that could be feasible given that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has deemed it a navigable waterway.
Meanwhile, Mark Stanley, director of Rivers and Mountains Conservation, said that being an important asset for the community, they are continuously working to rescue and maintain the ecosystem, with the goal of generating benefits to the people who live in this region.
Also, how to improve what is already there, how to create better access, how to deal with homelessness, how to create integrated economic development without displacing people who don't have resources, so that everyone benefits from this master plan.
Belen Bernal, executive director of Nature for All, acknowledged the leadership at the state and federal level as they have had conversations with residents to identify their needs, and learn from history to reimagine this space in need of change, and define what it will become in the future.
Damon Nagami, senior attorney and director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Southern California Ecosystems Project, said each area has its specific issues, but this dream of a revitalized river has to become a reality.
He said that in recent years there have been important investments in South Los Angeles, which has generated land speculation and displacement, but these are experiences of growth and learning, so all communities must be incorporated in an equitable manner in these restoration efforts.
Finally, Miguel Luna, president of the NGO Urban Semillas, said that for him and his family, the river was like their church every Sunday, so he believes the Master Plan can "give people that opportunity to reconnect, or learn why that relationship is so important.
The Los Angeles River revitalization master plan is a 480-page document, commissioned by the county board of supervisors, that seeks to transform 32 miles of concrete-lined river into public green space, with a projected investment by the state of California of $$54 million.
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