Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2007 - (Page 14)

SITE DEVELOPMENT soften the river is to install a series of rubber dams that will slow the river current, providing for a more consistent flow of water and allowing greater use of the river’s edge for public use. Speaking earlier this year at the American Planning Association (APA) national conference, Gary Lee Moore, LA’s city engineer, said the revitalization plan would seek to create a sustainable living and working environment along the LA River that will embrace both public and private uses. “The city has already embarked on landmark programs using state-of-theart technologies and practices to provide alternative sources of clean energy, water conservation, and pollution prevention,” Moore told attendees at a workshop on the LA River. “The plan showcases and enhances sustainable technologies, such as water-saving devices, native tree plantings and use of permeable surfaces to preserve underground water.” As important as great urban planning, creative thinking and sustainability are to developing and revitalizing the river, so too is including stakeholders input in an effective and meaningful way. Perry Cardoza, whose firm, NUVIS landscape architecture and planning, created the plan for the Studio City Greenway, a new LA River park that is a component of the revitalization program, says reaching out to local residents and creating a positive atmosphere for the park project was a major objective and challenge 14 September 2007 Sustainable Land Development Today To connect with a diverse population of LA stakeholders, Cardoza, who was also a speaker at the APA workshop, said the park design team worked hand-in-glove with a neighborhood oversight committee, which consisted of a group of many stakeholders, but at one meeting there were more than 100 representatives from the community. Most were in favor of the efforts, but there were concerns about issues such as property values, crime, design, and amenities that needed to be discussed and resolved. “Stakeholders who participated in the public input process had strong ideas about the park design, especially about recreation and how public space should be devoted to recreation,” he explains. He notes that public input is a necessary and worthwhile step to establish consensus on project concept and design. Vaughan Davies, a principal with the LA office of EDAW, Inc., and head of the land planning firm’s urban design initiative, says the LA River has “good bones” and offers the opportunity to create something special for the city and all of Southern California. Davies, another speaker at the APA workshop, pointed out that historically rivers that run through urban areas have been ignored or abused. But more recently cities such as Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and Washington, D.C. have been turning their attention and resources on how to clean up their rivers and water- fronts to make them a valuable community asset. Davies notes that other cities across the country which have implemented successful water regeneration projects include San Antonio, Texas, Riverwalk; Charles River Master Plan in Boston, Massachusetts; and the Allegheny Riverfront in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Internationally, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Berlin and London are a few of the world-class cities that have undertaken comprehensive programs to revitalize their urban rivers and waterfronts. “Water is gold that creates value,” Davies exclaims. “The challenge is how do we take the water back?” He says there are five principles to revitalizing a water asset such as a river or waterfront: 1) start with a specific water plan, 2) integrate and enhance existing resources into the plan, 3) rely on successful precedence from other areas, 4) put emphasis on public spaces, and 5) get started implementing the plan in 35 years. “Any longer than that, and the powers that be will want to start over and redesign the plan because too much will have changed,” he notes. “Delay could result in a perpetual cycle of planning.” SLDT Photos courtesy of NUVIS Landscape Architecture and Planning About the author: Christine Rombouts is a Southern California – based freelance writer who covers the real estate industry. She can be reached at crombouts@ca.rr.com.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2007

Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2007 Contents Our Voice: Teaching and Learning Your Voice: Reader Response Editorial Board A 52-Mile Taking Fiber to the Front Doors of America Educators Incorporating Sustainability Land Planning: The Truth about Sprawl Irrigation: Communication Key Wastewater: Many Challenges Determine Sewer Options Regulation: Changing by State, Region, and Municipality Risk Management: Construction Defect Claims Recommended Reading Products/Services Showcase Advertiser Index Calendar Classifieds The Last Word

Sustainable Land Development Today - September 2007

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