As another step in the ever-evolving LA River revitalization efforts, the half-mile Zev Yaroslavsky LA River Greenway Trail, named in honor of the outgoing county supervisor, officially broke ground last Saturday in Studio City. Touted as an important “missing link” in the LA River Greenway, the new stretch from Whitsett Avenue to Coldwater Canyon will bridge the gap between two existing sections and create a five-mile long continuous trail, the longest in the San Fernando Valley. Only half a mile from busy Ventura Boulevard, the location of the new greenway feels worlds away from the stresses of congestion and rush hour commutes.
Yaroslavsky, who steps down next month, is credited with securing some of the necessary funding for this project, which is due to open in the spring of 2016. The path will be built by Community Conservation Solutions and will feature an “ecosystem based design” that will replicate actual habitats and include oak, sycamore, and other native trees and shrubs to attract birds and butterflies, as well as interpretive viewing areas and benches for visitors.
Projects aimed at revitalizing the LA River and beautifying its banks for the use of humans and wildlife alike have proliferated in the recent past, with the long-term goal of creating a connected trail along all 51 miles of the river from the Valley to Long Beach becoming a more and more achievable possibility. While the channelization that occurred between 1938 and 1960 allowed the city to avoid costly, unpredictable floods, it also erased much of the history and indigenous ecosystem that once thrived along the river, reducing it to a concrete scar snaking across the city. Through efforts to revive the river and transform it into a recreation destination, Angelenos can also reclaim parts of their forgotten history, create a rejuvenating oasis in the middle of traffic and dense development, and connect diverse communities across the city through a network of regional, linked greenways.
