Upper Los Angeles Rivers & Tributaries Revitalization Plan

Upper Los Angeles Rivers & Tributaries Revitalization Plan

The Upper Los Angeles (LA) River and her tributaries are heavily channelized waterways that meander eastward through the San Fernando Valley, crossing multiple jurisdictions, and varied conditions. These unique challenges constrain state and local agencies as they attempt to manage, maintain, revitalize, and re-imagine the River. Assembly Bill (AB) 466 was created to develop a community-centric, watershed based revitalization plan for the Upper LA River and its Tributaries.

As part of the design team, Studio-MLA worked with the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) and the Upper LA River and Tributaries Working Group to develop a Revitalization Plan for the Upper LA River, Aliso Canyon Wash, Tujunga Wash, Pacoima Wash, Burbank Western Channel, Verdugo Wash, and Arroyo Seco.

To understand the potential, Studio-MLA mapped spatial obstacles and constraints including, but not limited to, government jurisdictions, land use, park access, pollution load, ecological habitat, water quality, flood risk, safe access, and connectivity. This information was used to assess economic, environmental, and social impacts and was used as the framework for a distributed approach for selecting opportunities throughout the project area.

CLIENT

Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority

SIZE

17.5 square miles

LOCATION

Los Angeles County, California

COMPLETED

Passed Unanimously June 2020

Project team

  • Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez Multi-Agency ULART Working Group Chairperson
  • Tetratech Prime and Hydrological Engineering Consultant
  • MIG Community Outreach

AWARDS

  • 2023 Los Angeles Business Council Innovation Award
  • 2023 USGBC-LA Sustainable Innovation in Water Honor Award
  • 2021 AZ Awards, Urban Design Visions Award Winner
  • 2021 ASLA Southern California, Honor Award, Analysis & Planning
  • 2021 Southern California Development Forum,
    Landscape, Urban Design & Planning Honor Award

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