WILMINGTON PARK, LOS ANGELES

CU Boulder, ENVD

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In 1938, the Los Angeles River was paved over in an attempt to control the shape of the river, but there’s now an opportunity and need to make better use of this space. My goals for this project were river restoration and to create a pedestrian-friendly environment.

In the site I chose, the river was disconnected from the community and pedestrians, which led to higher amounts of trash due to the river being inaccessible. It also is surrounded by infrastructure and roads, adding constraints to the project’s site. 

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Additionally, due to its location on the Pacific plate, it’s prone to a high amount of natural disasters — making it at risk for pollution and environmental damage through oil and gas deposits. There is active rigging from Oxy Oil along the river and nothing’s in place to help prevent the oil from flowing into the river. 

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My goal was to transform this area into an educational park where people could walk through to learn about the operating oil rigs and experience the L.A. River. Connectivity would be created through the restoration of the bike path and pedestrian bridges crossing the river. One bridge would be at river level and the other would be built on tall platforms. Gathering places would be created along the river’s edge with bleachers that stepped down to the river. Native plants would be  planted along the edge, including plants to help filter oils and metals from stormwater runoff. Poles would be added to the water to help stimulate the river’s biodiversity. 

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Overall, my design created pedestrian-friendly areas to improve the ecology of this area while allowing for the Oxy Oil site to continue functioning.