The Los Angeles River, once a primary source of water for the City of LA until the Los Angeles Aqueduct was built, doesn’t generally get a lot of flow nowadays unless there is continuous heavy rainfall and snow is melting. Some parts of the river are dried out, exposing the concrete paved basin and making it look the perfect race track or skate park. As I explored parts of the revitalized LA River in North Atwater near Griffith Park, here is my love letter to the beloved LA River…
Dear LA River,
People will see you and say “nah, that’s not a river”, but to Angelenos, you are an important infrastructure to our city. You flow from the San Fernando Valley through Downtown LA and south to Long Beach. You have been an iconic real-life set for many famous movies and shows.
The city promises to restore all of you and hope that water will be able to flow through from one end to the other. As you might know, city projects take a long process. The city is slowly revitalizing you. As a girl breathing in her home city, I am very happy to see life happening in some parts of you. The parts in Atwater Village and Elysian Valley are not as fully developed as many other riverfront projects around the world but the city is working on connecting you to surrounding communities. People are starting to appreciate you through all the connecting systems – bridges, pathways, landscape. Even horses are crossing over the river!
Maybe one day, I will be able to work on one of the LA River revitalization projects to create more public spaces so that people can take a walk outside to breathe in fresh air at sunrise or golden hour. We need to create more beautiful spaces that are convenient for people to enjoy and relax so that the spaces don’t become forgotten, abandoned, and unsafe.
I know you don’t have much water like you used but have faith in the City of LA and you will revived into one of the best places for families to enjoy. Continue to become an icon of Los Angeles.
Love,
Deborah Liu, just a girl from LA.
Hiraeth 