About

Channelized to protect lives and property from flooding during the late-19th through mid-20th centuries and continuing to serve flood-risk management purposes today, the LA River has largely been separated from our social, cultural, and ecological communities. While fragmented jurisdictions, land ownership, and funding present hurdles in rethinking the LA River, the LA River Master Plan seeks to build on prior planning efforts to continue to reimagine the LA River from a single-use corridor to a tangible, multi-benefit resource for the communities of LA County.

The LA River right-of-way includes over 2,300 acres of primarily publicly owned land that can greatly benefit the communities near the river. The Plan recognizes the need for resilient systems that address the most complex issues facing the Los Angeles region, such as climate change, population growth, resource scarcity, and social inequity. These resilient systems are necessary to create 51-miles of connected open space that supports clean water, native habitat, parks, recreation, multiuse trails, art, and cultural resources to improve human and ecosystem health, equity, access, mobility, and economic opportunity for the diverse communities of LA County, while managing flood risk.

The LA River Master Plan seeks to make the reimagined river a reality over the next two and a half decades, connecting people, culture, water, open space, and wildlife across and along this iconic river.