Reimagining urban rivers
Using breakthrough visual tools and environmental data to redesign the L.A. River—so that it meets the demands of a 21st-century climate and serves those who live on its banks.
USC Launched 2022
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We picked one of the most flood-prone sections of the L.A. River to design a new approach to community-first planning.
During the first phase of the project, we focused on an 11-mile stretch called Glendale Narrows—a dirt-bottomed part of the river prone to increased flood risk. That gave us the chance to test new data tools, run hands-on community workshops, and figure out better ways for engineers and residents to shape big projects together.
The new approach is already making a difference. Community feedback is pushing the redesign in exciting directions, and now we’re using the same approach to guide the next phase at Taylor Yard. This kind of planning could help other cities, too—building parks, events spaces, and roads that actually reflect what locals want and need.
Meet the project team
Carling Monder
Project Manager
Research team
Alex Robinson
Physical Modeling & Design
Associate Professor of Architecture and Spatial Sciences
Landscape Architecture + Urbanism program, Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute
Mitul Luhar
Hydraulics & Engineering
Henry Salvatori Early Career Chair and Associate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering
Viterbi School of Engineering
Andreas Kratky
AR Interface Design
Associate Professor of Cinematic Arts
School of Cinematic Arts
Gale Lucas
Human-Computer Interaction
Research Associate Professor of Computer Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Psychology
Viterbi School of Engineering, Institute for Creative Technologies
Josh West
Hydrology & Geomorphology
Professor of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies
Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Patrick Lynett
Computational Modeling
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Viterbi School of Engineering
Isaac Brown
Ecology Advisor
Senior Scientist
Stillwater Sciences
Andre Grospe
Fabrication & Physical Modeling
Lab Manager
USC School of Architecture
Partners
Deborah Weintraub
City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering
Luz Rabelo
City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering
Kayla Gailing
City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering
Brian Baldauf
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
Rebecca Correa
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
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