Like many communities in Southern California, the City of San Fernando is challenged with diminishing water resources and increasing state regulation. “Every Last Drop” leads the community toward front yard landscapes that are drought tolerant and are in compliance with California’s statewide Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO). As students of landscape architecture, our knowledge concerning drought tolerant plants, low impact design, and culturally responsive design can assist the community with the permitting process as it relates to MWELO and move them toward low water use fro ..read more

This project, in partnership with the City of Pomona, California develops an equity-based approach to enhancing green infrastructure, and improving access to amenities for historically underserved neighborhoods. Traditionally, equity has been defined in terms of even distribution of resources, often overlooking historical patterns of unequal treatment. This project focuses on equality of outcomes for each neighborhood to ensure a more inclusive approach. The Equity Network aims to direct resources to areas most in need by establishing vibrant neighborhood centers, enhancing cross-town connecti ..read more

The Mono Lake Kootzaduka’a tribe is one of seven traditionally associated tribes of Yosemite National Park, and one of only two who lack federal recognition. As an unrecognized people, the tribe has been denied land ownership, sovereignty, social services, and federal funding. This project originates in that status, and in the tribe’s desire to achieve their goals through alternate means, rather than waiting for federal recognition. The project team worked with the tribe to: (1) co-develop strategies for cultural heritage revitalization and education; (2) help identify opportunities to improve ..read more

As the impacts of the climate crisis continue to intensify, densely urbanized cities are recognizing their lack of preparedness for future extreme weather events. Many Southern California cities are working to develop Climate Action Plans to create safe and healthy futures for their residents. These plans help identify areas of improvement so that they can achieve their climate goals and adhere to the State of California’s emission reductions requirements. Our study demonstrates the role of Landscape Architects in this process: cultivating creative and tailored solutions for cities as they ret ..read more

“Huron the Beautiful” is a vision for the future of California’s San Joaquin Valley. As climate change and groundwater depletion threaten the future of industrial agriculture, a new model for sustainable land management and economic opportunity is desperately needed. Forged from a partnership between Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Landscape Architecture, the City of Huron, the LEAP Institute, and the National Park Service Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance, the “Huron the Beautiful” vision plan proposes transforming a 3000-acre federally owned flood detention basin bordering the Cal ..read more

Baldwin Park is home to approximately 70,000 residents located on Tongva Land in the eastern portion of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The city’s walkable downtown origins, centered on the Pacific Electric (RedCar) Railway, have become embedded in an automobile-centered urban landscape as rail has fallen out of popularity in the last century. Interstates I-10 and I-605 intersect in Baldwin Park’s southwest corner, earning it the title of “Hub of the San Gabriel Valley”. While this may be an economic asset for the city, the dominance of auto ..read more

June 6, 2023 – A 2022 essay in the Journal of the American Planning Association warns that our urban landscapes communicate a misleading sense of compatibility between cities and nature, and called for a transgressive approach. Sasha Colbert argues while a critique of ecological aesthetics is useful, the authors discount ecological function that differs from pre-settlement conditions, and ignore inequalities and injustices at the foundation of our ecological crisis ..read more

February 7, 2023 – There are always people who are resistant to tree planting efforts, even in neighborhoods that have lacked substantial tree cover, and need more trees to combat the effects of climate change. Sahar Fazelvalipour shares new research that examines why people often resist these efforts and how peoples’ concerns might be addressed ..read more

February 21, 2023 – Cities across the United States are preparing to implement urban greening projects such as expanding park infrastructure and building up community gardens and farms. Atticus Lee examines whether these projects contribute to the concurrent crisis of gentrification and rising housing costs in urban America ..read more

February 14, 2023 – Designers, planners and community organizers need to relate to the communities in which they work. As Michael Gallagher writes, a growing trend toward anti-intellectualism in American society is making this more important, and more challenging ..read more