RADICAL CHANGE AND RESILIENCE HABITAT ACTIVITY Site programming is organized by elevation and proximity to the river; passive uses are located in the lower plateaus nearest to the river and increase in intensity moving up in elevation and away from the river helping orientate people, ensure the sanctity of habitat areas, minimize maintenance, provide access, and heighten awareness of the sites relationship to the river. Each type of habitat represented is dependent on the diversion of the river flow and local runoff. Portions of the Upland area will be accessible to the public, while others will be dedicated wildlife areas. The Wetland area will receive the main flows from the river while the Dry Wash will remain predominantly dry throughout the year. The site anticipates water programming such as kayaking and canoeing during the wet seasons. Reflecting California’s natural open spaces, the Meadow serves as a transitional space, creating a large habitat area consisting of native plantings that also offers passive programming and events. Higher elevations are reserved for more active recreation, cultural and civic spaces offering a diverse range of park type environments. URBAN VITALITY AND RESILIENCE The transformation of central city industrial lands to accommodate metropolitan growth is necessary to make our urban centers more vital.The significance of the nucleus of city’s central space and ability to host significant populations within our cities urban centers will outweigh the burden of remediation of land and processes for unlocking historically controlled industrial properties. Los Angeles is actively recognizing the importance of the ability to accommodate for higher and better uses of derelict lands while preserving the industrial zoning. Through efforts like the Cleantech corridor the city is in process of fostering a new industrial landscape that is compatible with urban residential growth and fosters an industrial sector that is cleaner, non-harmful, denser and more economically robust; sponsoring centers for technological advancement and sustainable/regenerative research. Recognizing that the LA River navigates through many conditions of urban places, neighborhoods, and naturalized areas, it should be stressed that the industrial corridor of Los Angele is unique to itself. Through the process of the Feasibility Study, the Piggyback Yard employs these urbanistic tenants towards the revitalization of the river and alignment of future redevelopment of sites along the downtown stretch: (1). Increasing density within the central city, (2). Creating livable places along the river, (3.) Recalibrating infrastructure as “climate-ready” and (4). Reducing liability through environmental design. Planning for the future, our cities must plan to recalibrate its infrastructural systems to handle the compounding effects of 20th Century urbanization combined with more frequent and severe storms as a result of climate change. Super Storm Sandy and Hurricane Katrina serve as incredible examples to the extent and severity of destruction that today’s 21st Century Climatic events can bring. The Piggyback Yard represents the paradigm shift, signaling a departure from the region’s 20th Century process of development (compromising land for the sake of ease of implementation and short-sighted planning) and signals the importance of large infrastructural change that provide long-lasting benefits for both the community and environment (Piggyback Yard Feasibility Study, 2013). BIBLIOGRAPHY Piggyback Feasibility Study. (2013) Mia Lehrer + Associates, Friends of the Los Angeles River, Geosyntec and ELP Advisors. Piggyback Yard Collaborative Design Group. (2010) Piggyback Yard Conceptual Master Plan www.piggybackyard.org.
53. WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN TRANSITION: CHANGING THE FLOW OF WATER Lehrer M, Jacobs M Mia Lehrer + Associates ABSTRACT With its desert climate and subsequent history of water shortage and conflicts, water supply, management and distribution are vital elements to the success of Los Angeles. From the devastating aridity of Owens Lake, to the enclosed drinking water reservoirs and fenced-off concrete river channel, Los Angeles is a prime example of problematic water management practices and their associated issues and outcomes. This paper will examine strategies for sustainable water management practice highlighting different stages in the water cycle from source to storage to conveyance (to use) with projects in the combined area of Owens Lake, the Silverlake Reservoir, and the Los Angeles River creating the single largest networked water infrastructure and most important potential public space in Southern California. Originally constructed with little concern for environmental consequences, this system of infrastructure retrofit projects now aims to address climate change, population growth, sea level rise and land subsidence through increased flood storage, enhanced water quality, improved public access, and a restored riparian ecosystem, thereby increasing overall
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