Back to the Future: Envisioning Urban Ecological Corridors in Los Angeles by Emma Feeney

UCL The Bartlett School of Architecture MArch Urban Design 2009-2010 Unit 2: Tutors Robert Dye and Jason Coleman

Emma Feeney erfeeney@gmail.com

Declaration

I, Emma Feeney, confirm that the work presented in this report is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the report.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my tutors, Robert Dye and Jason Coleman for their guidance and enthusiasm throughout the year. I would also like to thank our course director, Colin Fornier for his commentary during critiques and to Graciela Moreno for everything in between. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends that supported me through it all.

Abstract

The existing water infrastructure in Los Angeles is unsustainable for future populations, and continues to damage the ecological diversity of the region. Through an understanding of the events and decisions that lead Los Angeles to neglect its local water resources this report will determine an alternative solution to the existing urban form. An investigation into recent and historic urban environments that utilize water infrastructures as a basis for design will facilitate the proposal of a future urban water system and development pattern in the Los Angeles region, specifically the area surrounding the Ballona Creek. Upon citing various historic and contemporary case studies, and relating them to key principles of Landscape Urbanism and Low Impact Development (LID) this report also draws conclusions about the role of water infrastructures as a generator of social infrastructure in order to guide a specific design solution. While contributing to the greater regional health of the local watersheds and promoting native ecology, this design introduces an alternative storm water drainage system to the existing mono-functional infrastructure, and an ecologically sensitive model of living that curates an active threshold between nature and the built environment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ultimately to propose an alternative lifestyle to that of the conventional Southern California suburb.

Contents Introduction 09

Evolution of Los Angeles Water System 14

The Paradox of Local Wasted and Imported Water 14

Water Acquisitions 15

Engineers Conquer 16

The Ballona Creek Watershed 17

The Current Water System: Distribution and Perceptions 22

Design Solution

Transforming the Creek 28

Design Rational 29

Strategic 29

Specific 30

The Ballona Creek Eco-Corridor: Open Space, Wildlife, Infrastructure 31

Water Infrastructure 34

Connections 35

A Densified Housing Typology: Around a Resource and an Infrastructure 35

Introducing a Form Based Code 36

Program: Mixed Use/Residential 38

A New Vision 39

Venice, Italy : A Shared Space and A Shared Resource 48

Case Study 1: The Public-Private Realm and Resource Consumption 47

Historic Landscape 48

Design 49

Ownership 51

Critique: Venice & Los Angeles Comparisons 52

California’s Version of a Public-Private Realm: The California Mission Typology 53

Historic landscape 53

Design 53

Critique: Historic Typology Translated to the Present 54

Case Study 2: Cultivation Between the Ecological and Built

Landscape Urbanism 58

Paju Book City, Seoul, Korea: the “territory of coexistence between nature and

artificiality” 59

Historic landscape 59

Design 60

Critique: Paju Book City & Los Angeles comparisons 61

65 List of Images 66 Works Cited 67 Conclusion

Introduction Imagine a place with limitless blocks of mid-century houses decorated by verdant green lawns, tall palm trees and bird of paradise, listen to the sound of children running and laughing through back yard sprinklers while dad washes the car in the driveway on one of the abundant mild sunny days: the stereotypical picture of sprawling Los Angeles. Now imagine Los Angeles as a place constantly trapped under the yellow, hazy sky, where the vast stretches of roads and pavement act as a no man’s land, in which it is an oddity to see more than one or two people walking down the street, where patches of once green lawns are brown from the lack of watering, and where a majority of the citizens can barely tell you where the city’s rivers and creeks flow: the reality. Now imagine Los Angeles again with the sound of bicycle wheels, birds chirping, and people casually laughing around the community cisterns under a clear blue sky; where parents watch their children from the courtyard running across park space, exploring the ground and the trickling stream, where it is common to see a family of deer eating in the distance, where workers from the near by main street can seek a cool, fresh place to rest on their break, where people walk and cycle to their destination, and where people enjoy the consistently pleasant climate Los Angeles has to offer, free from smog: the future… Much of Los Angeles has been built upon myth. After the arrival of Spanish and Mexican settlers from the early 16th century, 19th century Anglo-American settlers migrating from the Eastern United States neglected to understand the arid, environmentally unpredictable region of their preceding settlers. Consequently, the historic landscape of Los Angeles was described as an imagined paradise of ideal living –essentially the dream of the newly immigrated easterners - rather than described as it truly was. The city thus began its journey of misrepresentations. Los Angeles was romantically sold as the land

[1] Artist’s Sketch of the Historic Los Angeles Basin c. 1850

of dreams, one of pleasant climate and fertile soil. A culture was born in which the most influential people had little to no understanding of the regions environmental and cultural past (Orsi, 17). As immigrants continued to arrived seeking this idealized environment, the already settled foreigners began to realize that their misbehaving land, full of seasonal floods that inundated the region, long periods of drought and expansive wildfires could not be suppressed simply by false advertising and minor infrastructural projects. A result of scandalous water acquisitions and neglect of regional character, Los Angeles became what it is today â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a sprawling, repetitive, over-consuming grid. The water acquisitions gave way to the fertile agricultural land and then to suburban sprawl â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both holding the mentality that Los Angeles would never again have to suffer the consequences of drought; and the image of Los Angeles as an oasis of tall palm trees, wide green lawns and a mild climate continued to be perpetuated by the region (most helpfully by Hollywood) and to be understood by the rest of the world. Accordingly, the unruly natural waterways that historically washed away ranchos and development were engineered via channelization and damming to allow the city to sleep soundly at night without the fear of devastating flooding and debris slides. 10

Wholly, Los Angeles has given itself a false regional image. This image, this mentality of carefree paradise, is finally being realized as unsustainable, most urgently through the over-consumption, neglect and control of the regions water resources.

[2]

Propaganda to sell the Deparment of Water and Powerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new take on Greater Los Angeles? The title of a promotional booklet published in 1902 by a magazine called California Homeseeker

The rapid pace of urban development in Los Angeles that originated with the introduction of imported water and the control of the natural ecology has now surpassed the capacity of many of its 19th century infrastructures. Most significantly, the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rigid water infrastructure system does not have the capability to adapt to current climactic and development conditions, nor can it effectively conserve and recycle water for future consumption and recharge. It has been argued that the United States has surpassed its point of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Peak Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, that the value of ecological services that freshwater sources supply, no longer meet the demands that human services require from that water source. Furthermore, the country consumes and contaminates watersheds past the point where they can successfully be recharged for future use (Gleik and Palaniappan, 6). This holds especially true in Los Angeles, where all local aquifers can no longer be adequately recharged as the rate of withdrawal is greater that the rate of recharge. Accordingly, urbanization increases pollutants, which are picked up by local water bodies that further contaminate the watershed system beyond the point of usability. The existing water infrastructure in Los Angeles is a closed, hard system of metal pipes and culverted channels. As such it prevents the population from truly understanding the implications of the current water consumption and waste patterns. Many of the typical Los Angeles urban typologies, especially the single-family home, increasingly perpetuate the overconsumption of resources, most significantly water, and prevent a radical shift in the form and the way in which natural resources are used.

[3] Coastal contamination caused by the flow of urban stormwater runoff into the ocean

Related to the rapid urbanization and engineering infrastructural solutions is the drastic reduction of open space and thus, a lack of biodiversity. Major infrastructural projects (most notably those built for water use) have historically been fueled by the agendas of economist’s and engineer’s agenda, which tend to neglect the value of incorporating open space into growth patterns. As a consequence, Los Angeles has become a city with less open space per person than most other American cities. Currently, the spaces that surround major infrastructures whose edges... “…tend to be dysfunctional places – often a mass of dead-end streets and backs of buildings…these edges have a significant potential, as new thresholds, to engage and leverage a host of urban concerns alongside the development of a park. To formulate a strategy for edges, it is necessary to recognize how the social and natural histories of the site at various scales have produced its differences from its surroundings” (111, Matrix Landscape, Pollak) A new infrastructural form can result in tangible reduction of resource consumption and a more sustainable style of living. The Los Angeles region’s lack of local water, lack 12

of bio-diverse open spaces, and increasing population are all fundamental motivators to change the existing urban form.

[4]

Ballona Creek in the early 20th century

This report provides a basis for a future vision of Los Angeles, one that incorporates its natural watersheds, biodiversity and regional landscape into a vibrant urban fabric that balances live, work and play environments. An investigation into recent and historic ecological approaches to urban design and an evaluation of the role of urban water infrastructures as a generator social infrastructure will facilitate the proposal for a future pattern of development in the Los Angeles region, specifically the area surrounding the Ballona Creek. An evaluation of the relationships between water infrastructures, the native ecology and urban development will lead to an understanding of the events and decisions that lead Los Angeles to neglect its local water resources. Citing various historic and contemporary case studies, and relating them to key principles of Landscape Urbanism and Low Impact Development (LID) this report will draw conclusions about the relationship between urban water use and human activity in order to guide a specific design solution. Envisioning a likely scenario in which Los Angeles is seriously pressured by the lack of fresh water, the proposed design solution provides foresight into a community that results from drastic environmental, water infrastructure and social organization changes. 13

[5]

Access is limited along the Ballona Creek, which is treated more as an infrastructure than a habitat

Evolution of the Los Angeles Water System The Paradox of Wasted Local and Imported Water Since its inception as a city, water has been an integral part to Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; urban success. It has also become one of the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most imminent demises. The fundamental issues surrounding Los Angeles water consumption are twofold: first, for the given population the region lacks a local, potable water source and its historic natural rivers and streams have historically exhibited to be unruly, devastating urbanized land and causing major ecosystem alterations. Prior to population boom and agricultural expansion, the region was principally an arid landscape that had just enough water to sustain its ear-

Los Angeles Average Annual Rainfall

change. The region naturally succumbs to a pattern of environmental events, which allow for predictions to inform urban development.

Total Average: 13 Inches

Rainfall (mm)

ly population without drastic environmental

However the possibility of prediction of natural occurences in Los Angeles was overruled by a preoccupation to sprawl across and control 14

the land.

10 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Water Acquisitions As the region grew, the local rivers and streams were quickly slurped up by agriculture and industry. As such, the City realized its local water sources could not sustain the burgeoning population. Solutions had to be devised quickly in order provide an adequate water supply to the growing population of Los Angeles citizens. The famed film, Chinatown, illustrates the story of the acquisition of water from the Owens Valley, the original source of Los Angeles imported water and its transition from a desert ecology to a fertile agricultural ecology. Once acquired, the image that Los Angeles was an idyllic climate that nurtured dreams was born, and further population increases could occur. From that point, Los Angeles proceeded to acquire various other sources of imported water; namely via the Los Angeles Aqueducts, from the Eastern Sierra Nevada Watershed, the Colorado River Aqueduct from the Colorado River, and the California Aqueduct from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. The development of the various aqueducts along with their need for dams, retention basins, treatment and distribution facilities provided the meshwork of a complex modern water infrastructure (www.ladwp.com). Currently however, all of these distant sources have local users that rely on the water. As other sunbelt cities compete for the same resources, strains between regions have ensued, and have lead to major regulation changes in Los Angeles and elsewhere. This regional struggle has coined water to be the new oil: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;blue oilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

[6] Set of 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front film utilized the healthy, vibrant Ballona Creek as a backdrop

[7] Flood waters at Sepulveda and Sentinela along the Ballona Creek Channel, 1958

Engineers Conquer As Los Angeles usurped water sources from outlying regions, the City also had to mitigate the increase of devastating effects of the flooding of its local rivers. Flooding increased as a result of the expansive urbanization that continued to grown on the alluvial flood plans. The region realized it could no longer continue to grow in the unpredictable face of the local ecology. Minor in comparison to the water being imported from major rivers, the Los Angeles River, Ballona Creek and several other waterways became a nuisance to the rapid development occurring across the land. Rather than devising a growth management plan (a growth boundary that prohibited building within flood plains) and a method of development that utilized the bio-diverse river ecologies for regional character, Los Angeles saw the need to control the unpredictable nature of its waterways with a progressive era method of growth (Orsi, 107). The vigor of major engineering projects that resulted from the WPA, and the strength of the US Army Corps of Engineers, lead to the channelization of local rivers in order to control their flow first in the 1930s (ballonacreek. org). As development persisted and climatic cycles were ignored, the rivers morphed into giant urban flood control systems rather than being maintained as diverse natural ecologies.

A complex network of street gutters and storm drain pipes linked to catch point storm drain channels became of the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s method for urban and storm water runoff. Not having the foresight to collect this water for urban use, the current flood control channels flow directly to the ocean. As development persists, these waterways become increasingly polluted, and thus continue to pollute not only the freshwater environments but also the coastal marine environments. The stormwater system provides another layer on top of the delicate intricacies of the Los Angeles water infrastructure that have rendered the future of the system unsustainable.

The Ballona Creek Watershed Although water consumption and its related urban development pattern is similar throughout all of Los Angeles County, the efforts of this study and the resulting proposal continue specifically with the Ballona Creek Watershed. The Ballona Creek Watershed is one of eight different major watersheds that comprise the County of Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles encompasses about four, including the Dominguez Watershed, the Los Angeles River Watershed, the Santa Monica Bay Watershed, and the Ballona Creek Watershed. The Ballona Creek

Ballona Creek Morphology

Watershed covers approximately 329 square kilometers (130 square miles) and is the largest drainage tributary into the Santa

Monica Bay. Historically, the Ballona Creek, the backbone of the watershed, meandered west, creating various, constantly changing environments along the alluvial flood plane on which it flowed. The region was originally a thriving mixture of riparian

2000 B.P.

woodlands, coastal dunes, freshwater and brackish wetlands. Various biotopes flourished along the Creek â&#x20AC;&#x201C; home to native species, such as pelicans, egrets, herons, mule deer, pacific tree frog, coastal sagebrush, Los Angeles Sunflower, many of which are now endangered or extinct (Varnelis, 44). Prior to

1860

anthropogenic development, the largest salt water and fresh water marsh systems in the Santa Monica Bay area existed in the lower Ballona Creek region. These Ballona Wetlands extended south to the El Segundo San Dunes and Westchester Bluffs, north past the Ballona Lagoon and Venice Canals and east to the convergence of the Ballona and Centinela Creeks.

1890

Early Ranchos settled along the Ballona Creek, optimizing its seasonal flooding and changing course to water their expansive crop and cattle grazing land. Historically along the Creek, life was sunny, a live-off-the-land lifestyle where adobe structures protected Rancheros from intermittent harsh climatic conditions.

2010

Site Boundary

[8] Historic Map of Rancho La Ballona c. 1800

In 1936, after most of the original Ranchos were expelled and subdivided into suburban communities the Ballona Creek, along with the Los Angeles River, was channelized as a result of the Emergency Flood Control Act of 1935. Devastating regional flooding forced city officials to designate a rigid path for the seasonal tempestuous flows in order to protect the surrounding burgeoning development. the 1935 flood was not the first that had inundated the region, but rather the first to affect such a large population. As the devastation was so severe, few alternatives to the concrete structure were seriously considered (Orsi, 103). Los Angeles experienced such rapid population growth during this time that growth control was not regarded as a priority. Instead what resulted was the introduction of new industries: film, military, oil, that required land close to the waterways. Again between 1959 and 1965, the channel was further modified to provide a higher level of flood protection, and developed to its current conditions. (US Army Corps of Engineers). It is paradoxical that the existing stormwater infrastructure is a result of many damaging floods that have occurred over the course of history, and yet still, Los Angeles occasionally experiences seasonal flooding. [9]

The Ballona Creek several hours after a storm

[10] The Ballona Creek several days after a storm

The once a flowing and diverse habitat is now a nine-mile long flood protection channel. The urbanized areas account for 80% of the watershed, and the partially developed foothills and mountains make up the remaining 20% (www.ballonawetlands.org). 64% of watershed is residential, 8% commercial, 4% industrial and 17% is open space (Los Angeles Department of Public Works). The percent of impervious surface in a watershed indicates its health, thus, that the Ballona Creek watershed is primarily urbanized, it can be deducted that the quality of the water and biodiversity within its boundaries are low (Alberti, 82). Ballona Creek collects runoff from several partially urbanized canyons on the south slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains as well as from the intensely urbanized areas of West Los Angeles, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and parts of Central Los Angeles. The Creekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peak water discharge occurs during periods of high rainfall, namely January and February when runoff from the surrounding roads and canyons flow into the storm drain channel and out to the Pacific Ocean. Not only does this

Historic Ballona Creek Watershed, Ballona Lowlands before the Marina was built

waste the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finite resource, but

Franklin Canyon Reservoir

it also pollutes the coastline, contaminating marine environments coastal recreation. Overall, the Ballona Creek has morphed from chasm in the development of urbanized Los Angeles. It is regarded as a piece of infrastructure to be concealed by high fences, backs of industry and backs of residential neighborhoods.

Hollywood Reservoir Silver Lake Reservoir

and preventing the possibility of

a bio-diverse, riparian habitat to a

88.6 square mile drainage basin

Existing Ballona Creek Watershed, Ballona Lowlands have become Marina Del Rey

The Current Water System: Distribution and Perceptions The closed and mono-functional stormwater infrastructure disguises existing problems and prevents future development and ecological adaptation. The process from source to tap is invisible to the citizen, which has resulted in a negligence and disassociation with the water infrastructure. Sprinklers flow freely at the turn of a nozzle, storm water rushes along curbs and quickly out of sight â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a nuisance more than an asset. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day are wasted rather than utilized, primarily the quantities of water that result from storms. There is little differentiation of stormwater and wastewater, as both ultimately end up together flowing into the Pacific Ocean. Rivers and streams are channelized and barriers are in place so that accessibility is permitted only at a few places along the extensive concrete watercourses; when citizens do choose to enjoy the channelized banks of the river, they often interact with wastelands of accumulated debris and harsh concrete slopes. Only in the last decade have Los Angeles citizens realized the magnitude of the regional water shortage. Finally, Los Angeles has instated measures for water reduction â&#x20AC;&#x201C; limited times and amount of water allocated to irrigate landscaping and the installation of efficient, low flow technologies within buildings. However, these measures can only take the region so far.The dependence on imported water from regions 22

that are also facing water scarcity is too great for mild interventions.

The dead end street blocks all views and connections to the Ballona Creek hidden behind the fence

Provided with the eminent scenario of drought, withdrawal of imported water and population growth, it is imperative that alternative planning and design solutions are implemented. In the following sections, a proposal is outlined that seeks to restore the natural ecology of the region and provide citizens with the achievable dream of a lifestyle full of opportunity and pride. The fundamental approach of establishing an adaptable and ecological water infrastructure provides a foundation for the true Los Angeles dream.

[11]

California Central Basin Drought Conditions

Design Solution

Los Angeles consumed over 199

billion gallons of water in 2008. In February 2009, the City reduced its use by 20%, a 31-year low, demonstrating a usage reduction of nearly 30 billion gallons (Barboza, 1). Imagine the savings if the region adds to that the

100 million gallons of stormwater per day that currently flow straight to the Pacific Ocean. It can be achieved through the design of Urban Eco-Corridors.

1. Existing Conditions: looking northeast from Duquesne Avenue to Ballona Creek

2. Existing Conditions: Jefferson Boulevard

3. Existing Conditions: Duquesne Avenue looking north

4. Existing Conditions: vacant lots at the base of the Baldwin Hills

See site plan on page 42 for existing condition photo locations

Transforming the Creek The over arching goal of this design proposal is to restore urban watersheds back into a natural state, in which the natural hydrological cycle can again takes its course through the region in order to conserve local water. Through a network of ecological corridors that facilitate groundwater recharge, slow runoff and reintroduce biodiversity within the urban fabric, the Ballona Creek corridor is one example of a design that can occur throughout the region once a network of eco-corridors is established. As one component in the regional strategy of urban ecological corridors for Los Angeles, the new Ballona Creek corridor will provide a green spine that links the surrounding community to the coast at the only remaining wetlands in Los Angeles County, and inland towards Downtown Los Angeles. Overall, this proposal seeks to reorganize a community around a resource and an infrastructure: to conserve the water that flows through Ballona Creek to recharge it back into the watershed, to maintain a healthier coastline, and reduce the reliance on imported water.

Regional Watersheds and Linked Ecological Corridors Map, the analysis of water flow direction and the Olmsted Vision

Los Angeles River Watershed

Ballona Creek Watershed

Design Rational Strategic: The development of a storm water infiltration strategy along the Ballona Creek corridor is a system that can be integrated throughout all of Los Angeles County. A set of Low Impact Development implementation strategies (LID) such as clustering residential buildings into micro-communities that incorporate rainwater catchment systems, groundwater infiltration techniques, traffic calming methods and cooperative living styles, which connect to the larger system of eco-corridors will provide a local source of water and reduce runoff. Inspired by the Olmsted Vision of 1930 for Los Angeles, which mapped optimum locations for open spaces and advocated the use of hazard zoning to control development within riparian habitats (Orsi, 106), the Ballona Creek Eco-Corridor becomes a component in the pattern of related eco-corridors that span the entire Los Angeles County. Moreover, a map of the existing water flow across the county was overlaid on the Olmsted plan to further justify locations for the regional eco-corridors. In some locations the two maps overlap, in others, they supplement each other to create an intricate and dynamic network of ecological, open space corridors. As such, the greater regional landscape becomes a medium through which human and biological ecologies must pass, and therefore can provide infrastructural, social and scenic significance (Waldheim, Weller, 73). 29

Major Watersheds in Los Angeles County

Ballona Creek Watershed Ballona Creek Subwatershed Malibu Creek Watershed Topanga Creek Watershed LA River Watershed

N 0

[12] The Olmsted Vision: Parks, Playgrounds and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region

20 Miles (32 Kilometers)

Water Flow Direction Significant Ecological Areas

GIS Data Illustrating Los Angeles Water Flow Patterns through Major Watersheds

Specific: The deep Ballona Creek drainage channel currently divides the region, serving as a giant gutter that receives unwanted water and debris, which flows out to the Pacific Ocean, thus polluting the coastline and creating a major barrier through Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; urban fabric. It will be transformed into a natural linear parkway that provides various new links, automobile and pedestrian bridges, as well as trails and paths that traverse the open space. The design of the eco-corridor seeks to provide a series of natural open spaces, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;softscapesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, that will absorb and slow the rate of storm water and urban runoff through the use of low impact development techniques. This in turn, will facilitate groundwater recharge. Over time, this corridor will reintroduce indigenous species of flora and fauna that provide the area with much needed biodiversity and connect the site back to its greater regional character. Accordingly, the eco-corridor will provide a social infrastructure through the reorganization of dwellings and promotion of a lifestyle that shares the limited resource of water, shares open space and creates a more communal style of living.

The Ballona Creek Eco-corridor: Network of Open Spaces and Bicycle Circulation

The Ballona Creek Eco-Corridor: Open Space, Wildlife, Infrastructure The initial step to establishing this design is the de-channelization, the widening, and the re-habitation of native species along the Ballona Creek. The newly established ecocorridor will span from the existing coastal marshes of the Ballona Wetlands that fringe the Pacific, inland towards downtown Los Angeles. After which, a series of linking open space spines coming from the Baldwin Hills and through the existing residential neighborhood will be established to connect back into the Ballona Creek corridor.

Species Reinhabitation Diagrams

The Ballona Creek will gradually be reinhabited by native species with the aid of planting along its banks. Over time, it is hypothesized that the existing endangered species will again be able to flourish and increase in population count. In turn the species will encroach into the surrounding neighborhoods, most consistently along the water routes, blurring the division between the natural and the built, essentially to provide an organic, relaxed atmosphere along the Ballona Creek Corridor. This will be repeated along all of the various established eco-corridors throughout Los Angeles, ultimately creating a network of open spaces that provide habitat, connections and surrounding local communities.

Existing Residential Neighborhood

Community Open Space/Local Water Retention System

(283,325 gallons of harvested rainwater/year)

Bikeway (5m)

Local Road (12m)

Community Open Space/Local Water Retention System

(283,325 gallons of harvested rainwater/year)

Local Road (12m)

Section 1 perpindicular to Ballona Creek Linear Parkway

Perpindicular to Linear Parkway 1:500

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

Storm Water Spine

Community Open Space

Local Road (12m)

Community Open Space

Local Road (12m)

Section 2 parallel to Ballona Creek Linear Parkway, south side of the creek

Storm Water Spine

Community Open Space/Local Water Retention System

(283,325 gallons of harvested rainwater/year)

Local Road (12m)

Jefferson Road (12m)

Bikeway (5m)

Local Road (12m)

New Linear Creek Parkway (140 m)

ater e

Storm Water Spine

Community Open Space

Local Road (12m)

Community Open Space

Local Road (12m)

Community Open Space

Storm Water Spine

Local Road (12m)

Community Open Space

Storm Water Spine

Local Road (12m)

unity Space

Existing Jefferson Road (20m)

Existing Channel Right of Way (70m)

Community Open Space

Water Infrastructure The Eco-corridors will develop a series of systems that seek to mitigate the effects of stormwater runoff and flooding. Rainwater cisterns will capture and store rooftop runoff; it is estimated that for every one inch of rain, a 1,000 square foot roof can collect 632 gallons of water, which will be diverted for infiltration, irrigation and domestic use (Micale, 16). That is 8,099 gallons per year of water per 1,000 square feet. As the cumulative block rooftop surface area is about 3,250 square meters in the future development, 283,325 gallons per year of water can be harvested on half of a block along the Ballona Creek Eco-corridor. As future networks of eco-corridors develop throughout Los Angeles, the water savings will be massive, thus heavily reducing the reliance on imported water. Along with the cistern system, water retention basins will doubly act as communal open spaces that centralize the newly organized communities. Bioswales along the roads and through the courtyard housing that sit at the base of the Baldwin Hills, will provide infiltration points while also creating an oasis-like micro climate within each block. The blocks contrast with the more organic and wild-growing nature experienced along the creek, in that they are capable of allowing more programming and can be more manicured by the surrounding residents, who are collectively responsible for the maintenance of the open 34

space adjacent to their homes.

Low Impact Development Toolkit for a Sustainable Urban Drainage System Bioswales: Along Roads and through Community Open Spaces

Retention Pond: for Community Open Spaces

dry

wet

Permeable Paving: Along Sidewalks and in Courtyards

Rainwater Cisterns: In Community Courtyard Housing

Connections A more connected road system will be established, one that provides a greater number of linkages across the Creek. The narrowed and more connected roads will also reduce the size of the blocks, allowing for the formulation of local communities within each block. As the creek region is now accessible, people can traverse the Ballona Creek parkway during the dry season, or use the bridges during wet season. The creek corridor also provides a bikeway that reaches the Pacific Ocean, and the inland expansion of the Los Angeles Metro into Culver City (and to downtown Los Angeles). The connections further eliminate the divide between communities that exist along the creek and reduce the reliance on the car as the primary mode of transportation.

A Densified Housing Typology: Around a Resource and Infrastructure A new denser, courtyard housing typology will be introduced that emphasize the green spines as linkages, public space and infrastructure. This new denser, housing can accommodate people who work in the nearby film industry, the students who attend the local West Los Angeles Jr. College and other residents interested in a lifestyle alternative to that of suburbia. The courtyard housing typology provides a micro community within each block that is primarily structured around the natural water infrastructure. Each provides further enclaves that share open space and promote a more communal style of living. Influenced by Venetian Campos and historic California Mission, the courtyard typology produces a micro climate that provides a comfortable living condition for its residents.

View into a community open space, a more intimate courtyard experience, in which residents are collectively responsible for maintaining the landscape and the water collected through the rainwater catchment system

Introducing a Form Based Code As a method for regulating development to achieve the desired linking open spaces, a system of Form Based Coding will be enacted. The prescriptive method of regulations will focus on building placement and formation of streets. The new regulations will be especially significant for the north side of the creek, where over time city tax incentives and the form based codes will require new building placement, orientation and form. Much less emphasis will be placed on use. As residents want to move or remodel, they will be required to comply with new building regulations that move individual plots closer to the street edge in order to eliminate front yards, remove vacant space between houses, require a minimum of three stories, and open backyards to create a communal open space in which water can be collectively stored or through which it can pass into the Ballona Creek. On the south side of the creek, the vacant plots, the excess of surface parking and the dominance of low quality buildings allow for the new courtyard typology to be constructed, maintaining a communal open space where water may be stored, recharged or directed into the Ballona Creek. The buildings, now primarily oriented toward the open space, will also create an atmospheric, pedestrian friendly street edge.

Example 1 of Guidlines for new Form Based Code: provided for homeowners & city officials

Building height Min 3 stories Max 6 stories Bioswales along Roads

Dual Entrances: Access via community open space & via road

Local Road Max 12m

Community Open Space/Water Retention System (283,325 gallons of harvest rainwater/year)

Rainwater Cisterns

Example 2 of Guidlines for new Form Based Code: provided to homeowners & city officials Traffic calming at intersections

Sidewalks min 3m

Max 1m between sidewalk & building edge

Road width max 12m

Bioswales along road edges

Paving & softscape blurs at intersection of open space & road

Rainwater Cisterns: Min 1 per courtyard (size dependent on rooftop surface area)

Program: Mixed Use/Residential Along the existing but narrowed Jefferson Blvd that runs parallel along the south side of the creek, a mixed-use corridor of slightly higher density than the surrounding residential will be re-established. Along this corridor, the prior light industry use will be replaced with commercial, office and residential. Many of the existing business can continue to thrive here, just residing in a different building typology and in a denser environment. In particular, an existing business along Jefferson Blvd is the Star Eco Station, a wildlife rescue and education facility shall be expanded. Holding the rational that with the 38

reintroduction of species, the Star Eco Station can provide a destination point that can educate people about the Ballona Creek ecosystem and Watershed and provide additional recreational opportunities related to the re-established creek ecosystem. Accordingly, the introduction of a gondola on the north-east portion of the site will connect to the existing, newly restored Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, which provides stunning views of Downtown Los Angeles and maintains one of the only remaining populations of the native California Coastal Sagebrush. This provides an alternative to driving up the hill, and creates linkage between the Ballona Creek and the adjacent recreational area. It also preserves the pristine experience of the views and the experience without the obtrusion of automobiles.

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

Gondola

Jefferson Blvd

At the Southwest edge of the site, an amphitheater will be introduced that takes advantage of views to the new natural creek region, and can be used both by the West Los Angeles Jr. College that sits at the base of the Baldwin Hills and the surrounding community. This provides another point of activation, showcasing local performers; a place to which people can walk and that enhances the local sense of community. Activity and residences oriented along the creek will deter mischievous behavior, as the area will be lively, visible, and populated at all hours.

A New Vision The vision of the new Los Angeles post-establishment of the urban ecological corridors, is one of symbiotic relationships, cyclical processes of holistic growth. The region continues to be a prime destination point, now providing a myriad of environmental activities within the city borders. Equity, environment and economy all play an integral role in the linked urban ecosystem. A new genre of films begin to be produced, utilizing the freshly revitalized region as a backdrop for the contemporary American lifestyle, that which embodies a consciousness of resource consumption, a closeness to the region and a continuation of the warmth of spirit, and casualness of life that Los Angeles citizens embody.

View looking down Jefferson Blvd: permeable paving and bioswale along the road intersect with the community open spaces, creating a continuous network of open space corridors to facilitate groundwater recharge and to promote connection and interaction.

Site Phasing Existing Site 2010 Ballona Creek is a concrete stormdrain channel that is only accessible by a narrow bike path. The adjacent urban fabric consists of single family detached homes to the north of the channel & low quality, light industrial on the south side. Wide asphalt roads dominate, and minimal open space exists on site.

Phase 1 +10-20 years The channel is deculverted. Creek growth is aided by native planting along the embankments. Buildings south of the creek are demolished or moved to make way for future stormwater runoff spines. Construction begins on the high density courtyard housing.

Phase 2 +20-30 years New high density courtyard housing and mixed use corridor are completed. New form based codes require residents on the left to move plots closer to the street and open backyards to communal access for stormwater catchment. Bike routes are established.

Phase 3 +30-40 years Development of the courtyard housing along the stormwater spines reaches capacity. Residents north of the creek finalize fomation of the communal courtyards and establish rainwater catchment systems (cisterns and retention ponds). The Exposition Metro Line reaches Culver City, completing the link from the beach to downtown, via the creek. Storms demonstrate the new water drainage system effective, water flows freely through the creek bed and along the secondary spines flowing from Baldwin Hills.

Culver City Film Studios

Cisterns & Wells

Playground

Section 1

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook & Gondola Station

Community Gardens

2 Star Eco Station Wildlife Rescue & Education Facilitiy

Ballona Creek Amphitheater & Picnic Area

West Los Angeles Junior College

Section 2 1-4: See page 27 for existing conditions photos See pages 32-33 for sections

The following sections examine particular urban developments that relate both water infrastructures and natural ecologies; within each, mechanisms for a drastic shift in the Los Angeles water infrastructure and community organization are provided. In distinct ways, each of the case studies creates specific social qualities that facilitate the collective consumption of water and the interaction with the existing landscape. The chosen case studies provide inspiration and clues for what might create a more sustainable water infrastructure and built environment for the Ballona Creek watershed and the greater Los Angeles region. As such, each has influenced the design decisions that complete the proposal for the Ballona Creek Ecological Corridor.

The Public-Private Realm and Resource Consumption

Case Study 1

Venice, Italy: A Shared Space and a Shared Resource Historic Landscape: The city of Venice was founded as a trading center on top of a fragile lagoon ecosystem consisting of pristine marshland and swamps. The earliest settlers formed small townships throughout the most stable portions of the scattered islands in close proximity to the most accessible waterways within the lagoon ecosystem. The communities were initially organized around a traditional campo, the edges comprised of a local church and the estates of prosperous citizens. The uninhabited portions of the marshes and smaller islets divided the original settlements, allowing each to develop independently. As more traders arrived in Venice, the township clusters began to grow and to eventually border one another. Generally, the early campos, the focal point of the original townships that developed throughout Venice were not planned with an overall framework; rather, the settlers that comprised the community organized them based upon the required resources needed to sustain long-term settlement (Goy, 22).

[13] Historic Map of Venice emphasizes the most porminent Campos

Design: Without a local source of fresh water: Due to the lagoons lack of a local freshwater source, early settlers quickly developed a method of rainwater catchment and storage. In the center of each parishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campo was a well system that employed a large underground storage cistern. Over the course of development, the campos and the wells that they provided, mutated into various shapes. Some campos became quite large and important, bordered by an important church and large estates owned by wealthy citizens. Others morphed into smaller campos, referred to as campi (singular: campiello), which are stylistically rectangular in shape, usually bordered on one side by a canal, a small church on another and housing on the remaining two sides. Still other campos developed more organic shapes that followed the contours of available land, rather than a geometrical standard that yielded to the built environment (Goy, 24). It is difficult to understand whether the early citizens of Venice consciously considered the existing ecology in order to design all of the early campos or if as the population grew and space became limited,

[14] Section of a typical Venitian well set in the center of a Campo

organic shapes were the only possible layout with the remaining land. However inconsistent their shapes, most all of the Venetian campos and campi incorporate a rainwater well. The variety of shape and size of the campos, illustrates a lack of link to the surface area of the square and the amount of rainwater required to serve the surrounding population. Thus, the amount of water that the surrounding dwellers received was unpredictable, â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś normally the wells were filled by rainwater, but in times of drought, they were topped up with fresh water from the nearby River Brenta. In 1498 an extra one hundred boat loads of water were requiredâ&#x20AC;? (Goy, 48), this difficulty in consistently securing a freshwater source must have required the local campo community to organize and allocate the limited resource. Socially, the wells provided a routine mechanism by which citizens were linked. As a life-source, water collection at the well created a sense of ownership, dedication and community for the people living in the adjacent buildings. Although the very elite and institutional required their own wells, the average Venetian citizen had to share the collected rainwater with his or her neighbors. 50 The seal on a well head denoted which family constructed the well, or who owned it.

A well head becomes the focal point for a social infrastructure: Today citizens continue to gather as children play around the well in the center of the Campo in Ghetto Nuovo, the old Jewish Quarter of Venice.

Ownership: The Venetian wells were owned either by the public or by wealthy citizens who commissioned their construction. Venetian wellheads signified ownership and were often carved with the arms of the family that commissioned them, or if they were public, of the magistrate responsible for their construction. The earliest wellheads were made from ancient Roman capitals and other building remnants that were hollowed out and placed over a well shaft by the township community. However, as Venice grew and wells became even more integral to the survival of the population, they were all purposebuilt and less socially significant(Victoria & Albert Museum, Renaissance Gallery). This illustrates the artistry and the personal care with which the wellheads were associated. Rather than simply a supplier of water, they symbolized a citizenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to the livelihood of the place or of a public officialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact of success on a particular segment of the city. Wells were accessible to either the private or the public. Frequently though, the maintenance of the wells was the responsibility of the surrounding citizens. Although the campos in which they sat were public, and access to the wells was public, the sense of ownership and frequent use developed among the surround community.

Critique: Venice & Los Angeles Compared: Similar to Los Angeles, Venice has always been forced to creatively devise methods for providing water to its citizens. Both cities developed froma strong trading base, Los Angeles having to create its own harbor out of the existing coastal marshes, Venice, essentially floating on tidal waters. Venice, however, is continually forced to mitigate between salt water and freshwater. By maintaining a strong character in each Campo, the historic Venetian system relied heavily on its citizens to control and maintain water levels. As such, the relationship between campo and well campo can hint at a more sustainable future water system for the Los Angeles region. In contrast, Los Angeles channelized all of its local water sources to manage flooding and stormwater. All of the storm water and urban runoff, rather than collected for use, is wasted as it pollutes the coastal environment. An intricate method of rainwater catchment and collection can provide alleviation on the consumption of imported water and reduce the required amount of energy needed to pump and distribute water from distant sources. With careful urban design, rainwater catchment can be an asset to the surrounding community in that the collective resource can foster a social infrastructure out of a water infrastructure. 52

A well head becomes the focal point for a social infrastructure: A resting place, a meeting place, a surface

California’s Version of Public-Private: the California Mission Typology Historic Landscape: The original California missions were situated along the El Camino Real, a linear route that ran parallel to the Pacific Coast. The missions had to be self-supporting because they were isolated from each other and from other development. As a result, most of the missions adapted a communal lifestyle in which resident monks worked on the surrounding land for resources.

Design: In American urban history the development of public-private space for residential use is a rare creation. The suburban single family home dominates the country, and Los Angeles is one of the most notable examples of this. The early California missions, and the courtyard housing typologies that mimicked them, however, are one exception to this. Although designated for use of the church and religious activity, the framework of the typology allows for a harmonious transition and cooperation between space. The unaffiliated citizen could freely roam through entryways and surrounding grounds, and courtyards provided space where only the priests and the monks who ran the mission could reside. From these original mission structures are scattered throughout the state, emerged the ‘mission style’. On first glimpse it is evocative of its Mediterranean roots and 53 [15] Remains of Mission San Diego de Alcala, set within California’s rustic hillside landscape est. 1769

nostalgia of the home of early Spanish settlers, but more deeply reflect the early California method of development and reflect the original structures which provided a platform for future rapid growth. Although mission style can denote a stereotypical brazen form, - from the fast food chains that reside under terracotta tiles, to the McMansions fashioned after Andalucian palaces - there is also a more cultivated representation of early California missions, which can be seen through various morphologies of courtyard housing in Los Angeles (primarily Hollywood) from the 1920s. Most examples of this typology, include a fountain, a feature which creates a micro-climate - inspired by the methods of early settlers. Of this “’Mission Style’, although its importance cannot be overstated... their presence as middle-distance structures adjusted to a landscape that they neither overwhelm nor disappear into” (McClung, 26), is favorable mechanism to mitigate the Los Angeles climate. This notion demonstrates the effective understanding that the California missions provide shelter and adapt to the local regional ecology.

[16] Mission San Juan Capistrano Courtyard San Juan Capistrano, CA

Critique: The courtyard typology can be revisited as a functional sustainable building method that provides an active threshold between the built and the landscape environment. In this way the structure is able to interact with the surrounding ecology and provide a method of living that is more sustainable than the dominant single-family suburban plot. Accordingly, it can provide a more communal, cooperative style of living that helps alleviate strains on limited resources. It can be a solution to densify the current pattern in residential dwellings, to organize individual dwellings around a central point, and a crentral resource (Polyzoides et. al. ix).

[17] 1920s Courtyard Housing mixes with later development West Hollywood, Ca

55 The two discussed methods of urban development, the Venetian Campos and the California Missions, can be considered precursors for the current landscape urbanism ethos in that they incorporate a sense of the local surroundings and fundamental infrastructural components. In the following sections, the report discusses the contemporary notions of landscape urbanism and low impact development (LID) in order to derive methods for the proposed design intervention in Los Angeles. Courtyard Housing Study Model: development oriend towards the creek bed, emphasize intimacy between the landscape and the built environment. Programmed open space surrounding the courtard housing contrasts with the wild, organic nature experienced along the Ballona Creek.

Ballona Creek

Courtyard Figure-Ground Studies: emphasize the relationship between community open space and water resource or feature

Campo di Frari & Campo San Stin Venice, Italy 1200-1500

El Cabrillo Housing Complex Los Angeles, CA 1926

The Andalusia Housing Complex West Hollywood, CA 1926

Courtyard Housing Typology Study for Ballona Creek Eco-corridor, CA 2010

Mission San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano, CA 1810

A Cultivation Between the Ecological and the Built

Case Study 2

Landscape Urbanism The modern discipline of landscape urbanism stresses the use of landscape as a fundamental method to develop infrastructures and social space in the contemporary city. It stresses the intrinsic relationship between the built and natural environment, between human and ecological processes, and the fundamental link between nature, infrastructure and urbanism (Waldheim, ed., 11). As such, it has engendered an approach to design that is ecologically and time sensitive. In this way, it opposes the 19th and 20th century perspectives of man vs. nature, and instead values the holistic system that comprises an urban environment. It stresses that purely engineered public works projects are an outdated solution, which should now be replaced by design strategies that harness ecological processes, natural phenomena such as water cycles, succession and erosion in order to generate a new urban framework (Waldheim, ed., Mossop, 165). As Lewis Mumford said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The re-occupation and replenishment of the landscape, as a source of essential values in a balanced life, is one of the most important conditions for urban renewalâ&#x20AC;? (Mumford, 432-433). Los Angeles has seen development opposite to that which Landscape Urbanism advocates; it is a city of rigid 20th century infrastructures. A glimpse into a particular case study can provide a platform of design on which the Ballon Creek Eco-Corridor can 58

be built upon.

[18] Sketch of the remote view across the wetlands by Florian Beigel and Philip Cristou

Paju Book City, Seoul, Korea: the “territory of coexistence between nature and artificiality” (Spens, ed. 97) The Paju Book City in Seoul is exemplary in following many of the principles of Landscape Urbanism. Many argue that “we cannot understand the structure, function, and evolution of urban landscapes if we focus separately either on the built or natural component”(Alberti, 94), and Paju Book City demonstrates the attempt to bridge the divide between architecture and landscape.

Historic Landscape: The Paju Book City in Seoul, Korea sits in a Valley at the foot of Simhak Mountain and the edge of the Han River. It’s distinctive natural characteristics and undeveloped land provide both a platform for regional character and a new interpretation of urbanization. Book City is an attempt to restore community and the integrity of publishing, that was lost throughout Seoul’s tumultuous history of colonial and authoritarian rule (Yi, Ki-ung). Research and development conducted by Florian Beigel and Philip Cristou of London Metropolitan University’s Architectural Research Unit developed an urban landscape plan that was further implemented as a design guide for the development of the industrial Paju Book City in Seoul, Korea. 59

Design: Despite being created for a specific use, the Paju Book City in Seoul, Korea demonstrates a conscientious design that integrates the native landscape with the built environment. The development of the Book City yields to the natural ecology of the place in order to sustain an environment both suitable for the publishing industry and for the preservation of native landscape. Unique building typologies were developed that facilitated the relationship of the landscape to the built environment through use of the existing terrain, ecology and views; thus it aims to provide an intimate experience of the landscape for the citizens. In consciously linking architecture to the existing ecology, the landscape of Paju Book City becomes an infrastructural element, the existing wetlands act as integral water cleansing mechanisms as well as a link throughout the city. The designers coined the Paju Book City development as an â&#x20AC;&#x153;infrastructural architectural projectâ&#x20AC;? (Spens ed., 97). Rather than controlling nature and manipulating it to adapt to a particular desired architectural form, the existing regional landscape directs the form and function of the buildings. As such, a natural coexistence of nature and man-made can evolve, closely linking the livelihood of each.

Critique: The Paju Book City is an example of what a sustainable integration of landscape and architectural form can look like. It attempts to provide the user an understanding of the local ecology and relate the architecture to the form and the views of the land. The city advocates itself as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Community in Practiceâ&#x20AC;?, a place that considers the common interest first (Yi, Ki-ung). The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope is to bring a positive urban enviroment through the harmonization of healthy publishing and architecture cultures. Successful at promoting a sense of identity, the Book City, has become an icon for the region, and the sense of investment will hopefully attract future development that will expand Book City into more than a publishing industrial city. Unlike the success of the architecture, the interaction between the user and the surrounding ecology is detached. However close the two are, the wetland reed beds which grow throughout the city to emphasize an easy coexistence, do not facilitate the intimate experience of the ecology that was desired. The use and activity is limited to a remote observation, walking along the designated paths, but not fully emersed within the natural landscape. This in part is due to the fact that it is currently primarily a mono-functional publishing city; therefore it is not an accessible place to those who are not associated with the publishing industry and it does not provide all of the services required to sustain a thriving urban metropolis. Particular design strategies undertaken prevent the freedom to roam through the natural landscape at any given point.

Wetland & Key Development Diagram: major roads act as a barrier between development and landscape, reducing interaction

[19] A narrow pedestrial bridge is the only access through the wetlands, creating a remote, distant feeling from the rest of the city

[20] A Bioswale through Paju Book City is essentially inaccessible to users

Los Angeles and Book City Compared: The site of Book City is intriguing, in that it reflects the form of the Ballona Creek Eco-Corridor site and demonstrates effective practices that parallel Low Impact Development (LID). Both share the magnitude of contrast between Mountain and Valley and the existence of a water ecology (although the water system, Ballona Creek, in Culver City has previously been considered a menace to the area rather than an asset). The proposal site in Culver City, Los Angeles, sits at the base of Baldwin Hills, similarly Paju Book City sits at the base of the Simhak Mountain.The site is also adjacent to the Ballona Creek, while Paju is adjacent to the Han River. Lessons can be learned from the Paju Book City that can be interpreted and applied to the chosen project region in Los Angeles. Generally, the human perception of natural ecology and water has evolved over time to be one of detachment and neglect. This results from social, political and economic factors. Low Impact Development seeks to retrofit this perception as it “...attempts to mimic the predevelopment hydrology of a site” (Garrison, 14). “through the use of harvesting water, by either infiltration or capture, LID can increase the local supply of water and therefore decrease the need to obtain water from imported or other energy-intensive sources” (Garrison, 10). The Book City is an example of a new form of urban design that attempts to reevaluate the cultural relationship between the built and natural environment. Rather than strictly water-wise urban design, Paju Book City consciously attempts to develops the spirit and culture of the place.

The discussed case studies illustrate particular relationships between the built environment and the local ecology. Similarly, they all provide a distinct character of social interaction based upon the principle land use, landform and ecology. From this analysis, specific practices and designs are understood to be most effective for the particular region of Los Angeles and the particular design proposal. The various models of urban development that have been discussed interact and relate closely with their water use and the local ecology, in essence they all provide a platform that can inform a design for the Los Angeles Ballona Creek region.

View looking down the Ballona Creek Eco-corridor. The region now allows for the coexistence of humans and nature. Mixed use buildings along the creek create an active, permeable edge that facilitates various recreational activities.

Conclusion The aim of this report was to evaluate the relationships between water infrastructures, native ecology and urban development. Through a series of case studies, and an analysis of existing conditions for a site in Los Angeles, a proposal adequate for the site specifications and regional character was developed. Through analyzing various urban conditions, it can be concluded that the manner in which Los Angeles was developed caused the natural environment and the ecological processes native to the land to become secondary to urbanization. The clear divide between nature and the built environment has produced a region that is unsustainable in terms of its natural resource consumption and growth patterns. After an evaluation of Venice and the Paju Book City, in which infrastructures have alternative forms to that of conventional 20th century systems, and where development is directly linked to the surrounding ecology, lessons have been learned regarding the relationship between infrastructure and natural ecologies that facilitate the creation of spaces for social, cultural interaction. This analysis has provided significant support and methods for approaching the proposed design intervention. A proposal in which a vision of Los Angles that conserves its stormwater, provides a denser and more communal style of living and that is directly connected to the surrounding natural ecology is conceived. Elements of this proposal, although in regards to the discussed species are specific to Los Angeles, can be implemented in any region that suffers from water shortages and suburban sprawl. In essence, this proposal can be a model for the entire Pacific Southwest, a region that has developed in a method that dominates its natural resources for the benefit of rapid urbanization. In this new vision, the future of the city and county of Los Angeles is bright, one in which biodiversity provides environmental, social and physical health to its citizens, where the strain on a local water resource is turned into an opportunity for holistic urban design. Local communities are centered around a natural water infrastructure that cooperate to share a resource and open space in order to rely less heavily on imported water. A greater sense of place and a true vision of Los Angeles will be developed. The new Los Angeles allows for a more conscious understanding of the land on which one lives and a regard for the preciousness of the natural environment which had previously been lost. The co-evolution of man and species is crucial to the balance and future of the region; thus the introduction of ecological corridors throughout Los Angeles is a vital solution to establishing its true essence.

List of Images http://www.sccwrp.org/ResearchAreas/Wetlands/HistoricalEcology/CoastalWatershedHistoricalEcology.aspx [1]

Derek. Historical Atlas of California, with Original Maps. University of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: 2007. [2] Hayes,

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/71617199.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FD6C99BAAB38B009B1A364557FDD5F8D1F731 890CBAF8BC90AF06BF04B24B4128C [3]

[4] http://www.ballonacreek.org/history.shtml

http://lacreekfreak.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/what-to-do-when-bike-path-gates-arelocked/ [5]

[6] 40 Acres

- The Lost Studio Backlot of Movie & Television Fame. <http://www.retroweb.com/40acres_early_years.html> [7] http://www.ballonanetwork.org/presentations/watershed.pastpresentfuture.

php?page=slide26.html [8] CSLA-11 [9]

slide of Historic Ranco La Ballona. <http://library.lmu.edu/ >.

http://citizenoftheplanet.com/2010/05/the-recent-rains/

[10]

http://citizenoftheplanet.com/2010/05/the-recent-rains/

[11] http://www.stopthewaterwaste.org/drought.html

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityprojectca/sets/72157601130687757/> via The City Project LA <http://www.cityprojectca.org/ourwork/olmsted.html>. [12]

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem & the Jewish National & University Library. http://historic-cities.huji.ac.il/italy/venice/maps/stockdale_1800_venice_b.jpg [13]

[14]

http://www.turismovenezia.it/eng/dynalay.asp?PAGINA=3663

The Double Coin Register. Volume VIII Number 1 Fall 2005. California Coast Trails Chapter IV. <http://www.ventanawild.org/news/fall05/chase/chapter4.html>. [15]

[16]

www.galenbeck.de

Polyzoides, Stefanos et. al. Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles. Princeton Architectural Press: New York, NY, 1992. [17]

[18]

http://aru.londonmet.ac.uk/works/paju/resources/distrib_collage-low.jpg

[19]

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/33336864

[20]

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/22982226

All un-numbered images were produced or taken by Emma Feeney during the 20092010 academic year.

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