alison emilo thesis book 2012

Greening the GridA Parks Master Plan for Downey, CA

Alison EmilioSpring 2012

Greening the Grid

Greening the Grid A Parks Master Plan for Downey, CA

Alison Emilio, 2012

Alison EmilioUCLA Extension: Landscape Architecture

Thesis - Spring 2012Advisor: Patrick Reynolds

A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the Professional Certificate in Landscape Architecture

University of California, Los Angeles, Extension

Master Plan 37

Site Selection 33

The Golf Course 27

Typologies 21

Research and Analysis 17

Overview 13

Introduction 5

Bibliography 87

Presentation Boards 73

Rain Garden 63

Downey Skate Park 59

Old River Parkway 49

Conclusion 71

Sky Garden 67

Old Spanish Trail 55

Los Amigos Regional Park 43

05

“Linkage is the key. Most of the big tracts in our Metropolitan areas have already been

saved, or they have already been lost. The most pressing need now is to weave to-

gether a host of seemingly disparate elements - an experimental farm, a private golf

course, a local park, the space of a cluster subdivision, the edge of a new freeway

right-of-way.“ - William Whyte

Introduction

07

Introduction

Our cities are no longer blank

canvasses on which to paint

urban dreams and histories. The

only constant in our landscapes

and built environment is

change. Cities are elaborate

puzzles that are being redrawn

every day - interlocking pieces,

big and small, that are being as-

sembled, adapted or dismantled

and re-imagined according to

economic, demographic, cultural

and environmental shifts. The

impact of commerce and popu-

lation growth on living systems

requires collaboration with

government, corporations, deve-

lopers, community groups, and

environmentalists. As leading

author, entrepreneur and envi-

ronmentalist Paul Hawken states:

“We are going to have to figure

out what it means to be a human

being on earth at a time when eve-

ry living system is declining, and

the rate of decline is accelerating.“

As of 1998, over 80 percent of

Americans live in cities. A study

by the United Nations Population

Fund (UNPF) estimates that by

2030, 5 billion of the world‘s over

8 billion people will live in cities. If

sustainability equates to quality of

life, what will our cities be like in

another decade or so? With urban

open space and parks falling far

short of national averages in Los

Angeles, our ecosystems, natural

resources and habitat are endan-

gered, as is the health and welfare

of the city‘s population. Where will

people recreate, exercise, play and

share communal experiences?

How will our most economically

challenged regions fare in the

face of this reality? It will take an

army of stakeholders to continue

the search for sustainable growth

strategies, interventions, adaptive

models and funding structures

for growth in the coming century

and beyond. We are well beyond

small pocket parks and green

alleys here and there. The need

to identify large and small parcels

and legacy projects that adapt

urban assets on a large scale as

the future park systems, play-

grounds and mixed use commu-

nities for the city is urgent. We

must envision and adapt our

city to what it could have been,

had our earlier politicians seized

the opportuntiy to implement

forward-thinking plans such as

the Olmsted Brothers vision and

07

General plan for a complete system of parkways and large parks for the Los Angeles Region, from the original Olmsted Report, 1930.

08

Introduction

map of a green Los Angeles. To

think that in 1930, the Olmsted

Bros. designed a coherent

network of schools, beaches,

parks, playgrounds, forests and

environmental vitality for Los

Angeles and the health of its

people was within our grasp,

yet was shelved.

In “The Experience of Place,”

Tony Hiss talks about how the

quality of the places, built and

natural, where we spend our

time affect the people we are

and can become. Urban land-

scapes with high connectivity

are more humane, accessible

and democratize our cities in

a spatial way. These magical

moments can happen in parks

and gathering places - if they

are there.

General plan for a complete system of parkways and large parks for the Los Angeles Region, from the original Olmsted Report, 1930.

“There is only one playground per 10,000 people in Los Angeles.”

The Trust for Public Land, 2012 Report

09

Thesis Statement

Open Space is being devoured by urban development to the point where the natural life of our cities is disappearing.

Large and small scale interventions will foster human and eco-logical connections and improve the health of our cities.

The Big Idea

Guiding Principles

• Identify, reclaim and protect open space and park assets

• Weave nature into the urban environment

• Provide convenient and equitable access to recreation and programs

• Community, family and individual health

• Ecological, wildlife and habitat health

• Conservation

• Legacy

• Foster environmental, historical and cultural education through programs and

design features throughout the park system

• Public Art in parks, plazas and community spaces

• Balance green infrastructure with economic development and cultural vitality

• Parks and open space

• Public gathering places

• Center for the community and sense of place

• Habitat enhancement

• Health

• Education

• Economic development and sustainability

• Revitalized districts

• Public art

• Multi-modal transportation

• Inviting pedestrian streets and trail systems

• Culture and History

Goals

10

Concept Diagrams The Big Idea

Emerald Pearls

A network of parks, plazas, nodes and civic spaces with fingers

into the community along a green corridor.

The Big Green

A regional or central park and gather-

ing space with multiple connections

and opportunities for the community.

Green Grid

A patchwork of large and small scale spaces

connected through a web of green threads.Emerald Ribbons

Uninterrupted ribbons of open

space to connect community and

wildlife and to bring the edges in.

Refined Concept Diagram

The final concept applied to Downey, Ca. will

combine the key features of each concept;

the regional park will provide the anchor or

nucleus for a system of existing and developed

sites through a network of trails, green streets,

nodes and parks. The emerald pearls will emanate

off the rail corridor trail and the emerald ribbons

will be the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel trails and

rivers, taking the form of linear parks along their

edges.

11

Dream Big

Community Outreach“Imagine your perfect park...”

12

Dream Big

Miss Susie’s ‘Aspire’ Class Old River Elementary School Downey, CA

13

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see landas a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.“ - Aldo Leopold

Overview

As of 2011, about 250 million Americans

live in or around urban areas. That means

more than three quarters of the U.S. pop-

ulation shares just about 3% of the U.S.

land area.

Source: 2011 U.S. Census

15

Overview My project is about large and small-

scale open space interventions in

people-packed, greenery-starved

cities to serve the unmet needs of

these communities. The challenge is

to identify and adapt useable land to

meet the reality of population growth

in the urban context where 80% of

Americans live, work and play.

Many of our kids in cities today call

streets, alleys and vacant lots their

neighborhood park. Only one-third of

American children live within walking

distance of a public park or useable

open space. This is a serious threat

to our children and communities.

With limited access and a shortage of

programs and amenities, health and

human risks such as diabetes, obe-

sity, asthma and juvenile delinquency

are at record levels, and on the rise.

Park-poor neighborhoods are also at

greater risk for crime and urban blight.

Our children are losing a vital relation-

ship with nature and, as a result, are

disconnected, less healthy and less

likely to become good stewards of our

earth and natural resources. Com-

munities are suffering from a lack of

connection, identity and civic pride.

The need to capture and protect open

space for our current and future needs

has never been greater, as our cities

continue to grow, and our natural

environment is threatened.

We lose 6,000 acres of open space

each day across the United States - a

rate of four acres per minute. That’s

2.2. million acres per year. The popu-

lation continues to boom. By mid-

century, the California population will

balloon by 75% from 38 to 60 million.

In Los Angeles, the current population

is 16 miilion. By 2030, that figure will

skyrocket to 30 million. As Economist

Jack Kyser said, “We are a country

masquerading as a city.”

15

16

OverviewThe context of Los Angeles is that it is a

park-rich region on the edges, namely,

the mountains and national forests, the

beaches and coastal parks. In fact, Los

Angeles is park-poor on the interior,

where only 8% of the total land is devoted

to parks and there is only one playground

per 10,000 people. Park acreage is just

4.2 acres per 1,000 residents, which is

significantly lower than the national aver-

age which ranges from 6 - 10 acres per

1,000 people. Research shows that Los

Angeles is over 11,000 acres short of

adequate park space in the urban and

suburban context. Like the steel head

trout and the red-legged frog, our

parks are an endangered species, both

in terms of acquiring acreage for new

parks, but also in terms of protecting

our current inventory. Between 1972

and 1998, the City of Los Angeles ac-

quired less than 1,000 acres for parks

and, in the post Proposition 13 years,

have closed 24 recreation centers.

Further, there is an inequitable distri-

bution of parks and urban greenery

throughout Los Angeles. Predomi-

nantly white neighborhoods enjoy,

on average, 17.4 acres of park space

for every 1,000 people, compared

with 1.7 acres in African-American

neighborhoods and 0.6 acres in

Latino neighborhoods. California got

through two World Wars and one

Great Depression without closing one

park. Today, there are 70 State Parks

at risk of cutbacks and closure. In

our own backyard, the UCLA Hannah

Carter Japanese Garden, a cultural

landmark, is in serious jeopardy of

being razed in favor of residential

development.

In our cities, parks and open space

are not a luxury. They are not frivo-

lous. They are an essential component

of a healthy, vibrant community and

a resource that should be available to

all residents in every region of the city

and county. This project seeks a bal-

ance between the natural world and

“green infrastructure” with urbaniza-

tion to address the unmet needs of

our communities, especially the most

park-poor regions. Let the work to

bring nature, recreation and beauty

back into our cities forge ahead until

shining examples of adaptive re-use

such as the High Line in New York City

roll off our tongues. Our cities and

communities are worth the fight.

17

“Everyone in urban America should live within a short walk of a park that is safe, clean and vibrant.” -The U.S. Conference of Mayors, June 2011

Research and Analysis

19


Greater Los Angeles is surrounded by an extensive frame-

work of protected areas that include state and local beaches,

coastal parks and in the interior, with mountains and national

forests, and a desert national park. The National and Califor-

nia state government agencies are responsible for protecting

these lands and work closely with effective agencies such as

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

At left: Los Angeles County Regional ParksMapping and 5 Mile Radius Studies

Assessment of open space deficits in Los Angeles County

began with mapping 25 Regional Parks with a five mile radius

drawn around each park. This exercise revealed that there are

gaps in the distribution of regional parks in the South Eastern

and South Central regions. Opportunities are indicated by red

circles - Downey, Ca., and the Gateway Cities region demon-

strated a deficit of large scale parks and so became the spring-

board for further analysis.

There is an inequitable distribution of parks and greenery

throughout Los Angeles. Los Angeles has only 8% of the total

city land devoted to parks. In the Olmsted Brothers 1930

Master Plan for Los Angeles, parks and playgrounds were

envisioned as important neighborhood assets that had to be

in close proximity to residences. This visionary roadmap was

derailed, and today only a third of the city’s population lives

within a quarter mile of a park.

19

Park Percenatge to Land Area

Park to Land Area

20


21

“The California Department of Health Services estimates that physical inactivity costs the state

$13.3 billion per year in medical care, workers’ compensation, and lost productivity. If Califor-

nians increased their physical activity and lost 5 percent of their collective weight over five years,

they would save more than $1.3 billion. Public park and recreation organizations enable residents

of all abilities to participate in physical activity.”

National Recreation and Parks Association

Typologies

23

Typologies

Vacant Lots - Brownfields

Urban brownfields, or vacant lots, litter the city’s

landscape. Many are unused, while other plots, called

brownfields, have been deemed unfit for use due to

industrial contamination. A 2000 study of 70 major

American cities found that on average, 15 percent of

a city’s land sits vacant. The Environmental Protec-

tion Agency (EPA) estimates that there are around

490,000 vacant sites and almost 15 million acres of

potentially contaminated properties nationwide. Re-

searchers at the University of Pennsylvania studied a

10-year project in Philadelphia to convert vacant lots

into park space which found that gun-related assaults

significantly declined in areas around the greened lots,

as did vandalism and criminal activity.

Greyfield Malls

Underutilised malls of all sizes are a blight on the

American cityscape. The vacancy rate at shopping

centers and strip malls was 11 percent in 2011, the high-

est level since 1991. In most cities, where land is very

scarce, this urban infrastructure that averages from

45 - 70 acres, is being looked at as an opportunity

to serve a variety of needs and uses, such as hous-

ing, schools, medical clinics, aquariums, casinos and

ice rinks. Some are being adapted to provide much

needed public open space as parks, urban farms, com-

munity gardens and dog parks, while also addressing

the restoration of natural elements such as creeks that

were paved over. The Hawthorne Mall, one of the sites

surveyed, has been vacant for 13 years.

Municipal Airports

In 2015, all land and building leases at the 227 acre

Santa Monica Airport are set to expire. There is heat-

ed debate over potential future use of this vast parcel

of land, from remaining a busy airport offsetting traffic

impacts at LAX, to eliminating student pilots in the

densely populated area and elevated levels of poten-

tially hazardous particles from jet exhaust and lead

from propeller plane fuel. With traffic at municipal

airports such as Santa Monica and Hawthorne down

by nearly 30 percent in the last decade, these are

serious questions to pose when our cities are starving

for more open space and parks.

In Search of Open Space...all over Los Angeles County

Vacant Lot in Downey, CA Hawthorne Mall, Hawthorne, CA Santa Monica Municipal Airport

23

24

In Search of Open Space...all over Los Angeles County Typologies

Victoria Golf Course - Carson, CA

Rail Corridors

Locating continuous routes through densely-popu-

lated developed cities is a huge challenge. Railroad

corridors provide a viable resource for thousands of

miles and acres of useable land in the urban context

nationwide. Many of the routes are scenic, crossing

historic bridges. The key to their success at add-

ing trails, greenery and connectivity in and through

the city is their continued recognition as a priceless

resource. To date, abandoned railroads have been

converted to train trail routes in nearly every state,

with over 500 projects totalling 6,000 miles.

Utility Corridors

The need to revitalize cities and provide open space

has opened up opportunities to take a closer look at

public utilities for trails, urban wildlife corridors, flood

control, utilities, education, observation, links to parks

and schools, historic sites and commercial areas and

other threads of the urban fabric. Utility corridors

can be found along city water mains, water storage

project aqueducts, irrigation canals, flood control proj-

ects, electric power lines, sewer lines, fiber optic lines

and gas and transmission pipelines. With the LADWP

owning over 500 miles of utility corridors, they are a

valuable and underutilised resource for creating linear

parks, trails and wildlife corridors to include a public

use and function along with the utility.

Rail Corridor in Downey, CA Utility Corridor along Rio Hondo River & Trail

Public Open Space Opportunities in the Urban Context

Public Golf Courses

The game of golf has never been an efficient use

of space but it can be argued that in any context, it

can help subsidize other parks in a system through

green fees. This paradigm may be shifting, making

way for failing and underutilised golf courses to be

adapted to other uses, including smaller courses,

mixed use developments, parks and other recre-

ational activities. Golf’s popularity is not keeping

up with population growth or demographics in

some cities, nor with the explosion of the number

of private courses that developers built to sup-

port housing - there is more supply than demand.

Golf is losing out to other self-directed activities

like running, and cycling. The decline of public

golf would be less taxing if courses were low-cost

facilities, but they require a full-time staff, constant

maintenance, a fleet of electric carts, a shop and

clubhouse.

25

Typologies

1. Regional Park

A regional park is 50 - 80+ acres

serving the region (5+ miles)

and provides specialized recre-

ational facilities such as lakes, golf

courses, campgrounds, wilder-

ness areas, which normally serve

persons living throughout the Los

Angeles basin. A regional park

may also contain the types of fa-

cilities provided in neighborhood

and community recreational sites.

Community-wide with uses that

vary but with a focus on outdoor

and natural learning, recreation

and community gathering.

2. Community Park

15+ acres, serving a half mile ra-

dius. These are parks that serve

the entire community as well as

visitors to the area, although this

is not their primary focus. The

park may be natural or developed

for a variety of recreational uses.

3. Linear Parks

Linkages and linear Parks are

built connections or natural cor-

ridors that link parks together

and often follow streams and

include trails that link neighbor-

hoods, community or other park

categories. Typically the linear

park is developed for one or more

modes of recreational travel.

4. Neighborhood Park

2 - 15 acres, usually serving a

half-mile radius and usually free

of major barriers such as major

highways or steep topography.

5. Mini Parks, Pocket Parks, Plazas

2,500 square feet to one acre,

serving up to 1/4 mile radius.

Provide opportunities for

recreation close to home, par-

ticularly where access to larger

parks is limited. This category

includes plazas with limited

recreational development.

Components of a Parks Master Plan

1 2

3

4 5

Precedents

Central Park, New York City

Emerald Necklace, CA

High Line, New York City

26

TypologiesIn land use planning, urban open

space is open space for ‘parks,’

‘green spaces,’ and other open

areas. The landscape of urban open

spaces can range from playing fields

to highly maintained environments

to relatively natural landscapes.

They are commonly open to public

access, however, urban open spaces

may be privately owned.

Areas outside of city boundaries,

such as State and National Parks,

as well as open space in the coun-

tryside, are not considered urban

open spaces.

Open: New Designs for Public Space

Urban Open Space Defined

Santa Monica Mountains ConservancyAmong its strategic objectives, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy now lists:

“Expand efforts to integrate nature into the urban environment.” Among other things, this

includes: “Acquire or create parkland in urban areas that lack open space or aquire natural

parks;” and “Link and integrate new natural parks into existing park systems - literally, via

transportation and physical linkages, thematically via programs and events.” The goals of

weaving nature, conservation, remediation and key linkages will be present in the Downey

Parks Master Plan.

Big Lake Park, New Orleans

New Orleans is home to four 18-hole golf courses covering 520 acres of prime city

land. A drawn-out and heated debate with the community, tired of footing the bill for

under-performing golf courses in the city, led the park’s Chief Executive Officer, Bob

Becker, to conclude that “the economics did not justify that many acres of golf.” The

public demand for other recreational and passive uses , combined with the economic

downturn of the market following Hurricane Katrina, resulted in one of the golf courses,

Big Lake, being converted to a 50 acre park. The adaptive re-use also involved an

environmental sweep of the lake, with instrumental financial and strategic assistance

provided by The Trust for Public Land. The park features a boardwalk, dock, boating,

trails, active and passive recreation and is much loved by the people of New Orleans.

Augustus F. Hawkins Park, Los Angeles

Big Lake Golf Course Converts 50 Acres to Park

City Park, New Orleans

27

“Parks, beaches, and other recreational facilities contribute $730 billon per year to the U.S. econ-

omy, support nearly 6.5 million jobs, and contribute to cleaner air and water and higher property

values.” National Recreation and Parks Associaton

Chapter Headings

The Golf Course

29

The Golf Course

Eleven Golf Coursesin Six Mile Radius

Downey Golf Course Cluster - One Mile Radius

West Los Angeles Golf Course Cluster - 10 Mile Radius Santa Ana Golf Course Cluster - Six Mile Radius

Public and private golf course

clusters occur throughout Los

Angeles County and the United

States. This project looks at

underutilised public golf courses

as one possible typology for

adaptive re-use in the urban

context. These golf courses are

often within a short distance of

one another, as is the case with

Los Amigos Golf Course and Rio

Hondo Golf Course in

Downey, California which

are within 1.5 miles of one

another, on the same street.

The average 18-hole golf

course is 100-150 acres and

is zoned as open space. Most

development sites available

in existing cities and towns

are too small to justify the

increased costs and risks of

infill development, and too

Golf Course Clusters

small to accommodate develop-

ment projects of sufficient scale

to offer real community benefits.

Golf courses spread site develop-

ment costs and enable adaptive

re-use to a large scale public

park, recreational center and the

possibility of future mixed use or

new urbanist development.

29

30

The Golf CourseContext

With over-crowded cities and under-

served populations desperately in

need of more useable land for parks,

recreation and public use, the idea of a

public golf course being adapted to an

urban public park that would be acces-

sible to a much larger user group and

local community, as well as a “destina-

tion” park for the region, is a viable

option depending on conditions.

Golf in America is on the decline. The

number of new courses has outpaced

demand over the past 15 years and has

seen over 600 golf courses close in the

past five years, with 500 more predict-

ed to close by 2015. The National Golf

Foundation (NGF) reports that in 2005,

30 million people played golf. Today,

there may be more than three million

fewer golfers, many playing shorter

games due to time, lifestyle and budget

constraints. A 2004 study of the rec-

reation facility desires of San Francisco

households found that golf ranked

16th out of 19 amenities; highest on the

list were trails, pools and community

gardens. Sports such as tennis and

snowboarding have seen huge leaps

in popularity and are, perhaps, fill-

ing in where golf is falling off. In the

current design paradigm, the sport

is dependent on water. With 16,000

golf courses in the U.S. (half the total

in the world), Audubon International

estimates that the average American

course uses 312,000 gallons of water

per day. The negative environmental

impact of golf courses spans years of

applying pesticides, fungicides, herbi-

cides, non-native turf and plant mate-

rials on most courses. The approach

to adaptive re-use of golf courses that

fall on hard times due to changing

sports appetites, the economy, time

management and lifestyle choices - in

short, the continuing trend in America

- is to use this as an opportunity to

re-shape the existing golf course to

a more sustainable model as a vital

urban park and central gathering place

for the community.

Project Benefits• Economic development with Park as the draw for new housing, retail, light com-

mercial, dining and other sectors to locate near the park

• Increased property values and economic conditions in surrounding neighborhood

• Remediation of environmental issues

• Opportunity to use water more wisely, recharge the aquifer, stormwater manage-

ment

• Decrease in use of fertilizers, non-native plants and toxins

• Improve the quality of life and public health with active and passive recreation

• Create a “center” to improve sense of community identity and civic pride

Golf course community developments

present a unique opportunity to pre-

serve and create wildlife habitat. Golf

course management and development

industries have become increasingly

aware of their environmental responsi-

bilities in recent times and are respon-

sive to new research and methods. This

shift is due, in large part, to maintenance

costs including turf management, water,

chemicals and personnel. But a great

deal of credit must be given to author

and environmentalist, Ronald G. Dodson,

founder of Audubon International, who

in 1993 teamed with the United States

Golf Association to form the Audu-

bon Signature Cooperative Sanctuary

Program’s certification program for golf

courses. This program works with golf

courses to help them create environ-

mentally friendly areas while maintaining

great places to play golf. The program

focuses on environmental planning, wild-

life and habitat management, chemical

use reduction and safety, water conser-

vation, water quality management and

outreach and education.

Both golf courses in the Downey Parks

Master Plan, Rio Hondo and Los Amigos,

will achieve Audubon Certification.

The First Tee Golf ProgramLos Amigos Regional Park and Golf Course

is directly adjacent to schools, and resi-

dential neighborhoods. There are many

opportunities city-wide to bring more

youth, seniors and women to the sport of

golf through a variety of programs. One

of these is First Tee, a youth develop-

ment organization that impacts the lives

of young people by providing education

programs that build character, instill life-

enhancing values and promote healthy

choices through the game of golf.

The First Tee has reached more than

4.7 million youth since its inception in

1997 and reaches kids on golf courses, in

schools and military sites where it focuses

on teaching character education.

Junior GolfAnother opportunity to learn the game

of golf, get exercise and build character

is provided by the Los Angeles County

Junior Golf Program. The program

exists to provide today’s youth with an

opportunity to experience the game of

golf, introducing young people to the

County’s facilities and exposing them

to valuable life skills such as Respect,

Integrity, Character and Honor (RICH).

The program has been in operation

since 2001 and is funded by a $1 fee

from every round of Tournament Golf

played at County Golf Courses.

Building a Better Golf Course - Audubon International

31

The Golf Course

Rancho Park Golf CourseThis 18-hole golf course was

formerly a private country club,

one of the 10 in West Los Angeles.

In 1936, American Legion post

commander C.D. “Ace” Aseltine

launched a drive to establish a

recreation park on the site of the

Rancho Country Club which had

been shuttered due to a Fed-

eral Government tax lien. The

Legionnaires made a case that Los

Angeles had not one single large

park west of Western Avenue and

that the community was entitled

to such a place.

The plea and plan were sup-

ported by the mayor, council-

men, local PTA’s and by 1942, the

city began to lease the Rancho

Country Club. Of the original

180 acres, 140 remain a thriving

public golf course and a 40 acre

park, the Cheviot Hills Recreation

Center, was added to serve the

community. The park features

basketball courts, baseball dia-

monds, multi-purpose fields, an

aquatic center, archery, play-

ground, a very popular walking

trail and a community center.

Shiskine Golf ClubOn Scotland’s Isle of Arran, Shiskine

Golf and Tennis Club is a 19th cen-

tury links gem that had 18 holes for

a short time until World War II and

has kept its current 12-hole route

since. It is rated one of the best 100

Golf Courses in Great Britain.

12-hole golf courses are a hot topic

in the industry, especially after golf

legend, Jack Nicklaus told Golf

Digest in 2007: “We should consider

the possibility of making 12 holes the

standard round...Eventually it would

be accepted because it makes sense

in people’s lives.” This standard, of

course, will never be fully accepted

by the historical and traditional

sport but it does offer an alterna-

tive model for the game of golf that

addresses the core issues impacting

its health and future - time manage-

ment, economics, land and water

management, changing interests

and lifestyles, and more. Reknown

golf course designer, Tom Doak,

explains that “a 12-hole routing of-

fers more flexibility than nine-hole

courses and can get more golfers

around with the possibility of two

or three starting tees, not just one...

you could easily create 18 different

holes out of 12 holes worth of acre-

age and maintenance.” In addition

to time and expense, the smaller

course provides land for other rec-

reational uses, and the new model

will attract a younger, more diverse

user group to the sport.

12-Hole Golf Course Typology

Derrydale Golf ClubThis family-owned daily fee course in

Toronto opened in 1970. The own-

ers sold off 33 acres in 2005 for

development when a steady plunge

in revenues threatened to close the

course. Seeking a solution that would

allow them to keep their golf course,

the family opted for a 12-hole design.

The course is thriving, with green fees

and the number of rounds up. At

maximum, the course takes two hours

and 45 minutes to play 2,541 yards

and the course books 240-260 rounds

on busy days. The course provides

a great experience for less time and

money.

32

The Golf Course

With time and money a

premium these days, more

golf courses are turning to

less-than-18-hole layouts.

Courses such as Scotland’s

Shiskine Golf and Tennis

Club and Toronto’s Derry-

dale Golf Club are thriving

with 12 holes.

33

“Even if you can’t restore the ecosystem, you can restore the aesthetics. Environmentalists often

write off urban ecosystems, but you can’t write off people.”

- Joseph T. Edmiston Executive Director, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

Site Selection

Site Selection

Available Open Space in Downey

Regional Map Vicinity Map

Site Analysis

Downey provides an ideal canvas

on which to apply large and small

scale typologies to create a system

of green infrastructure in a Parks

Master Plan. It fits two main criteria;

Downey is in one of the two most

park-poor regions in Los Angeles

County, and sits in a cluster of four

public golf courses within a mile

and a half radius that total over 250

acres. Two of these 18-hole courses,

the Rio Hondo Golf Course, and

the Los Amigos Golf Course, are

on the same street, a mile and a

half apart.

The city of Downey lies 13 miles

southeast of downtown Los An-

geles, between the 710 and 605

Freeways, just south of the 5 and

north of the 105. With a popu-

lation of 112,000, the density is

9,000 people per acre. The city

is in South Eastern Los Angeles,

the second most park-poor region

after South Central and provides

only 1.0 acres of open space per

1,000 people. The city is lacking in

usuable open space for most user

groups - namely, the 23% of the

population that are children and

teens up to 17 years of age. There

is a shortage of ball and soccer

fields, only one dog park, and a

trail system that many are unfami-

liar with, or don‘t have access to.

3535

Site Selection

Downey Demogaphics

Circulation Land Use

Civic and Cultural SitesOpen Space

Figure Ground Study

36

37

“The fundamental lesson, to summarize, is that open space has to have a positive function.

It will not remain open if it does not. People must be able to do things on it or with it - at

the very least, to be able to look at it.“

- William Whyte

Master Plan

39

City of DowneyRiverGolf CourseGreen StreetFreewayRailroadDowneyLink NW RouteDowneyLInk NE RouteDowneyLink SE RouteDowneyLink SW RouteMetro Green Line1/4 Mile ReachExisting TrailNew Bike TrailNew Pedestrian TrailExisting ParkNew ParkDeveloped SiteFuture Development

Master Plan

39

• The Downey Parks Master Plan will:• Add 160 acres of parks• Upgrade or re-design the existing 12 parks in the system• Add over 2,000 trees• Add nine parks• Add two trails totalling 15 miles• Increase park acres per 1,000 persons from 1 to 2.4, a 140% increase• Increase environmental education and programs• Increase recreation facilities and programs• Identify four core areas of the city for TODs and future mixed use development to balance growth

Program Delivery

40

Master Plan

Park acreage in Downey will

increase from 1.0 acres/1,000

people to 2.4 acres per 1,000.

* Does not include golf course acreage

1. Los Amigos Regional Park

2. Old River Parkway

3. Old Spanish Trail

4. Downey Skate Park

5. Rain Garden Pocket Park

6. Sky Garden

7. Tierra Luna Commercial/Retail Development

8. Metro Green Line/105 TOD Development

9. Rancho Industrial Park Development

41

Master Plan Key Map

Legend

City of Downey

River

Golf Course

Green Street

Freeway

Railroad

DowneyLink NW Route

DowneyLInk NE Route

DowneyLink SE Route

DowneyLink SW Route

Metro Green Line

1/4 Mile Reach

Existing Trail

New Bike Trail

New Pedestrian Trail

Existing Park

New Park

Developed Site

Future Development

Research, analysis, site visits and

interviews with golf course per-

sonnel, Downey residents and the

Principal of Old River Elementary

School helped determine that the

recreational and physical needs

of the community in Downey are

not being met. From a business

perspective, Rio Hondo Golf

Course is outperforming Los

Amigos in rounds of golf and

also in the volume of the

banquet and special event

business. The park system in

Downey no longer adequately

addresses the needs of the shift

in deomographics and popula-

tion over time. With the bones

of a beautiful regional park and zon-

ing for open space intact, Los Amigos

is well positioned to become the

region’s big park - while adapting to a

12-hole golf model within the park.

42

Master Plan

43

“Continued prosperity in Los Angeles will depend on providing needed parks, because,

with the growth of a great metropolis here, the absence of parks will make living

conditions less and less attractive, less and less wholesome...In so far, therefore, as

people fail to show the understanding, courage, and organizing ability necessary at

this crisis, the growth of the Region wil tend to strangle itself.“

-Frederick Law Olmsted

Los Amigos Regional Park

LegendLos Amigos Regional Park

45

Los Amigos Community Center

Banquet Hall

Great Lawn

Los Amigos Plaza

Amphitheater

Botannical Gardens

Sculpture Gardens

Native Gardens

Meadow

Lake

Boat House

Carousel

Playground

Picnic Area

Restrooms

Community Gardens

Parking

Urban Camping

Discovery Nature Center

Ranger Headquarters

Fishing Lake

Adventure Mountain

Oak Grove

Outdoor Classroom

Perimeter Trail

Interpretive Nature Trail

Los Amigos Golf Club

Putting Green

Clubhouse

Stewart & Gray Rd. Entrance

Aquatic Center

West Middle School Fields

Sports Fields

Snack Shack

Clubhouse

Parking

Old River Road Entrance

Quill Drive Entrance

West Middle School

Old River Elementary

Los Padrinos Juvenile Center

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Regional Park - 135 Acres

45

Fishing Lake

Oak Grove and Interpretive Trail Paddle Boat Lake and Gazebo


The Regional Park will be the anchor, or nucleus,

of the Downey park system, with green streets,

trails and bike paths reaching out to a network

of exisiting and new parks, trails and schools.

Los Amigos will be the destination playground

for Downey, as well as the Gateway Cities and

South Eastern regions. The new regional park

will address community needs and recreational

shortfalls as determined by analysis of park

inventories and community outreach.

Inspirations for the design include: Central Park

in NYC; Baldwin Hills Regional Park, The Orange

County Great Park, and The Emerald Necklace.

46


47

Recreation preferences have shifted significantly over

the past 35 years. In the late 80s, virtually all active

adult communities relied on golf as the primary com-

munity ammenity. Now golf ranks 8th as the preferred

amenity of retirees and continues to decline in popu-

larity. Walking trails and facilities are by far the most

requested amenity in retiree focus groups followed by

fishing, bocce, tennis and pickleball.

Source: New Geography

Adaptive Re-Use of a Public 18-Hole Golf Course Legacy Systems

Typically, legacy systems - park and/or rec-

reation systems that have evolved with the

market and population base over decades - face

multiple challenges when addressing the needs

for additional development. Lack of available

undeveloped land, cost of land acquisition,

and the ramifications of removing private land

from the tax base are some of the challenges.

Recommended service levels to address these

challenges typically include park classifications

of regional, community, neighborhood and mini.

Goals for a Legacy Regional Park and Mixed-Use Future Development

• Design concepts, programs and amenities

that allow added flexibility in addressing land

use needs.

• Design projects that reduce dependency on

vehicles and promote pedestrian, transit and

alternate modes of travel.

• Explore mixed-use developments with

housing on the same site or in proximity to

commercial services to reduce the need for

trips by vehicles.

• Promote commercial and residential uses in

proximity to transit stops to reduce depen-

dency on vehicles.

• Work with zoning officials to promote and

develop scale-appropriate dining and retail,

small business development around the park.

• Consider and develop child-care centers and

other essential health and human services

near the park.

• Promote the placement of buildings at or

near the pubic right-of-way with a primary or

secondary entryway facing the sidewalk.

Income Offsets for Regional Park Adapted from a Public Golf Course

• 12-hole Golf Course

• Aquatic Center

• Urban Camping Fees

• Little League/Tournaments

• Batting Cages

• Rock Climbing Wall

• Weddings, Quinceneras

• Fishing

• Boat rentals

• Farmers Market

• Community Garden

• Carousel


48

ParkLow DensityMixed Use ResidentialLos Padrinos Juvenile CenterMedium Density Residential

Premium property adjacent to open space such as golf courses or parks is known as the proximate principle. This market condition dates back to the first half of the 19th century in England when Regent‘s Park in London and Prince‘s Park in Liverpool were built by private developers to create a premium for lots around the parks. Birkenhead Park in Liverpool was the first park to be a self-financed venture by surrounding the park with plots for single family homes and selling them at enhanced value. The profit from the residential component paid for the park.

The pioneer for applying this principle in the United States was Frederick Law Olmsted after visiting Birkenhead Park several times and proclaiming it “perfection I have never dreamed of.” Olmsted applied the proximate principle to many of the parks he developed in America. The magnitude of the principle related to parks can have a “positive impact of 20% on prop-erty values abutting or fronting a passive park areas as a starting point.”

The adjoining abstracts indicate several scenarios of land use and zoning shifts that could occur over time as the neighborhood develops around the big park. The park will attract residential, commercial and retail interest as it evolves as an economic attractor or engine for the community, presenting some interesting challenges but also opportunities to parcel out portions of the park to residential and mixed use development to ensure the park’s sustain-ability and legacy.

49

“Can there be a sustainable future without beauty?“

- Jim Hubbell

Chapter Headings

Old River Parkway

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Community Park - 26 Acres

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EntranceRio Hondo Trail & Timeline PathTrails from Los Amigos ParkPower Line Towers (typ.)Tongva Memorial GardenAmphitheaterRiparian CorridorBird Sanctuary PondWildflower MeadowOutdoor ClassroomNative Demonstration GardenOrchardGathering LawnPicnic AreaDog ParkChildren‘s Adventure PlaygroundMural WallParkingBikeshare

51

Old River Parkway

Inspiration: Judith Baca’s “Great Wall of Los Angeles”Timeline Trail and Mural Art on Re-Design of Rio Hondo Trail

52

This 26-acre former utility corridor is

adjacent to the Rio Hondo River and trail

and houses eight power towers. This

satellite to Los Amigos Regional Park

will provide a community park that can

be shared by South Gate and Downey

residents that will connect to Circle Park

and Los Amigos. The concept for the

design is to mirror the successes of the

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s

objective to “expand efforts to integrate

nature into the urban environment.” The

park will be designed with passive recre-

ation, trails, native ecology, conservation

and educational programming connected

to the Nature Discovery Center in Los

Amigos Park. There will be a dog park, a

Tongva Memorial Healing Garden, ripari-

an corridor, orchard, demonstration swale

and dry creek, seating and picnic areas

and a Bird Sancturay lake. This portion of

the Rio Hondo trail will be enhanced with

an interpretive historical time line trail

and public art in the form of murals on

the east facing walls of the river.

Precedents: The Duck Farm (part of

the Emerald Necklace); Wilderness Park

(Downey) and Augustus F. Hawkins Park

in South Los Angeles.

Old River Parkway

Tongva Circle and Memorial Garden

The river is an important cultural and ecological resource, representing two centuries

of settlement, commerce and industry. This park will be naturallly-inspired, with minimally

managed landscapes within an ordered sequence of spaces. The concept for this park is to

preserve the history of the place, while re-using it in sensitive ways that reference the ecologi-

cal and cultural history of the land. The natural and social value of the river will be referenced

through landscapes, interpretive signage, teaching gardens, the outdoor classroom and

Tongva Circle Garden, and connections to the Nature Discovery Center in Los Amigos Regional

Park. An “Atlas of Biodivesity” will detail the geology, human history and bilogical richness

of the site.

53

Tongva Memorial Garden

White Sage Religious Purification Inner Circle

Purple Sage Medicinal Inner Circle

California Buckwheat Medicinal South Garden

California Lilac Basketry; soap North Garden

Chia Medicinal West Garden

Deer Grass Basketry Garden Entry

Lemonade Berry Food Source South Garden

Manzanita Medicinal Garden Entry

Toyon Wooden Implements West Garden

Yarrow Medicinal Outer Circle

Yucca Twine; rope Outer Circle Boulders

Bike Share

More than 200 cities around the

world have bike-share programs.

The city of New York expects to

have a fleet of 10,000 bikes by 2013

- where a garage is $45 per day and

parking spots are scarce.

The Downey Parks Master Plan will

feature bike-share stations at stra-

tegic locations throughout the city.

“I got hooked on biking be-

cause it’s a pleasure, not be-

cause biking lowers my carbon

footprint, improves my health

or brings me into contact with

different parts of the city and

new adventures. But it does all

these things...still the reward is

emotional gratification, which

trumps reason, as it often

does.”

David ByrneArtist, Musician

Bike ride along the Rio Hondo Interpretive Trail

Old River Parkway

Public Art throughout Site

Outdoor Classroom

Patrick Dougherty ‘Willow’ Sculptures

54

55

“No city should be too large for a man to walk out of in the morning.”

- Cyril Connolly

Chapter Headings

The Old Spanish Trail

Los Amigos Regional ParkWest Middle SchoolOld River Elementary SchoolWilliams Elementary SchoolWarren High SchoolDowney Regional Medical CenterPocket ParkRio San Gabriel Elementary School

Stonewall MallCoca Cola PlazaDowney Skate ParkDowney High SchoolDowney Civic Light OperaDowney Civic CenterDowney LibraryPorto‘s Bakery

Spanish Trail Plaza Downey Post OfficeGriffith and Price SchoolsCrawford ParkRain GardenDowney Urban FarmThe SanctuaryVeteran‘s ParkRio San Gabriel ParkWilderness Park

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The Old Spanish Trail

Legend

57

Rails with Trails - 3.2 Miles, 63 Acres

57

The Old Spanish TrailIn my initial search for open space in Downey, I did not anticipate

the opportunities presented by the rail corridor that cuts across

the city’s geographical center, east to west, just below the main

auto corridor of Firestone Avenue and connected to the Rio Hondo

and San Gabriel River Trails. This portion of the Southern Pacific

Rail Line easement is 3.2 miles long and totals 63 acres of undevel-

oped land. This route was formerly part of the Old Spanish Trail,

an historic trade route dating back to the 1600s which connected

the northern New Mexico settlements near Santa Fe with Los An-

geles and Southern California.

The rail corridor will follow the model set out by the Rails-With-

Trails Conservancy. These are shared use paths or trails located on

or directly adjacent to an active railroad corridor. Currently, there

are 65 Rails with Trails in 30 states, with 82 more in various stages

of development. The Old Spanish Trail will provide alternative

transportation options with a 2-way pedestrian path on one side,

and a 2-way bike path on the opposite side. The trail will add 1,700

new trees and native plantings for beauty, and as carbon offsets.

There will be wayfinding, interpretive signage, public art, and tran-

sitional nodes and spokes into civic, cultural, retail, dining and

parks connecting to the trail.

Bike and pedestrian paths will be 10’ wide on either side of the tracks, with a 20’ buffer and fencing to the track

There will be a Par Course, seating and water fountains along the route

58

59

“If your city doesn‘t have a skate park - then your city is a skate park.“

- Skaters for Public Skate Parks

Downey Skate Park

Downey Skate Park

• Urban Park serving 6,800 High School youth in area

• 11,000 square ft. state-of-the-art Skate Bowl

• WiFi connectivity throughout the park

• Porous, sunken basketball court to capture rainwater and run off

There are over 9.3 million skateboarders in America, and only about 3,000 skate parks nationwide. As a result, most kids skate in the streets and are considered a nuisance, with 90% of deaths involving skateboarders occuring outside of parks, usually involving a motor vehicle

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Neighborhood Park - 2.2 Acres

61

Skate BowlCommunity CenterPorto‘s CafeArt Show StudioPalm PlazaBike Share

Study SheltersStudy GroveSunken Basketball CourtDowney High Community Garden ParkingDowney High School

Legend

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Downey Skate Park

Downey Skate Park is a 2.2 acre

neighborhood park that abuts

Downey High. Currently a vacant

lot with no standing structures, the

park is accessible by foot, car, bike

and public transportation. The

two most important connections to

the park are Downey High School,

as well as Warren High just to the

south, which have a combined

enrollment of 6,860 teens.

While there is a small skate bowl

at Independence Park, there is

no active youth park nearby.

The park is designed primarily as

a skate park but is also intended

as a youth “drop-in” center with

a community garden, study shel-

ters, an art space, cafe and more.

Bike Share Stations will be at strategic locations around town.

62

63

“In Los Angeles, only one third of all children live within walking distance of a public park

or other open space.”

- The Trust for Public Land

Water tank castles in the park

Chapter Headings

Rain Garden

Rain Garden

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Pocket Park - .89 Acres

This .89 acre park will enhance environmental education by focussing on rain

gardens, rain capture and storage, and native landscaping. The park will feature a

splash pad, passive recreation, an outdoor classroom, restrooms, as well as shade

seating and picnic areas. The garden will connect to The Old Spanish Trail, the

Downey Urban Farm and The Sanctuary.

65

EntranceOld Spanish Trail ConnectionRain Shed and TanksEco Rain CellsSpash PadRestroomsOutdoor ClassroomRain Garden

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Rain Garden

The Rain Garden is a small, neighborhood pocket park of .89 acres that connects to the Old

Spanish Trail. One of the main themes of this garden will be water, where it comes from,

how it is captured and stored, its many uses. There will be demonstration rain gardens that

the community can view and learn to build at home. The rain collection shed and tanks

are also very easy to understand and install in homes, schools and buinesses around town.

There will be a grouping of eco cells, a system of collecting rainwater and storage for future

irrigation use. The park will offer an outdoor classroom for school trips and study; rest-

rooms; picnic tables and shade seating and, finally, for fun and recreation, a splash pad to

cool off in.

The main theme of the park is the value of water. Children will learn that in Los Angeles,

the average personal use is 130 gallons per person, per day, and the average rainfall is only

15” per year. Additionally, overwatering and other careless habits wastes 50% of landscape

water.

Stone Circle - Martin Hill

As with all parks in the system, public art will be a feature of the Rain Garden.

Man with Suitcase - Jonathan Borofsky

66

High above the noise and grime of urban streets, gardeners are raising

fruits and vegetables.

-The Grange, Brooklyn, New York

67

Chapter Headings

Sky Garden

Sky Garden

The concept for Sky Garden is the

urban farm and a response to the

urban agricultural movement to

create local food production pilot

projects.

The garden will occupy

6,000 square feet of rooftop

on Downey Studio‘s historic

Building #1, home of the

former Apollo Space

Shuttle and Boeing opera-

tion. This complex is once

again in flux, with the

Downey Studios closing and

a million acre plus retail

complex planned. The

building is historic and

protected, and the garden

will be, too.

• Provide youth employment and

leadership training skills

• Increase knowledge and skills of

organic farming, environmental

stewardship and local food systems

• Promote healthy nutrition and

active lifestyles

• Central Famer‘s Market for the

community in the re-designed, sus-

• tainable parking lot - the city of

Santa Monica has four weekly

Farmer‘s Markets for a population

of 88,000; Downey, with 112,000,

has only one. The garden and its

satellite programs will offer an

alternative to the mall culture that

Downey Landing, the Stonewall

Mall and the new Tierra

• Luna Marketplace project provide.

Urban Farm - 6,000 Square Feet

Benefits

6969

Sky GardenOrbit TrailThe Orbit Trail will be the

fourth trail in Downey, and

the second to be added

as part of the Parks Master

Plan. The trail is 11 miles long

and features a Par Course,

Sprint Track, rest stops with

shade, seating and fountains,

interpretative signage about

the historical and cultural

points of interest along the

route which include the

Columbia Memorial Space

Center, the Downey Studios,

the Apollo Space Shuttle

historic buildings, the Civic

center of town, and key

retail, dining and commercial

opportunities. The trail will

connect with The Old Spa-

nish Trail where it intersects

with Firestone Avenue near

Lakewood. The trail will

connect with the Sky Garden

and Farmer‘s Market.

A survey by Green Roofs

for Healthy Cities, which

represents companies

that create green roofs,

found the number of

projects its members

had worked on in the

United States grew by

more than 35 percent,

in 2011, totalling over

6 -10 million square feet.

Columbia Memorial Space Center - one of the historic sites along the Orbit Trail

70

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot.

Nothing is going to get better. It‘s not.“

- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

71

Conclusion

Conclusion

Designer and Harvard

Professor, Kongjian Yu

said: “We must depend

on nature, not technology,

for survival.“ We must conti-

nue to ask ourselves the tough

questions: Where is the open

space in cities? What is the best

use of these parcels? How will

we protect and conserve them?

And who should benefit?

As Landscape Architects,

urban planners, civic and

corporate leaders, we must

think creatively and search

for new approaches to

existing large scale land

opportunities that can be

adapted as green infra-

structure that connects

the public and spaces. An

underutilised public golf

course in a cluster of golf

courses; a railway corridor

that stretches across town;

a barren utility corridor

that offers 26 acres for

wildlife habitat and nature

to thrive, while providing an alter-

native to congested and smoggy

streets for cyclists and pedestri-

ans; and a vacant lot near two high

schools with a combined enroll-

ment of 6,800 youth and no place

to gather. These are just a few of

the urban opportunities we should

be looking for to better meet the

needs of our communities.

In The Last Landscape, William Whyte insists that the only way we can save considerable open space is to have a big plan, use every tool we can get our hands on, identify what can and should be saved, what cannot be, and tackle the problem as if there were no reprieve.

William Whyte is right.

73

Chapter Headings

Presentation Boards

Chapter Headings

Process Drawings

Process Drawings Los Amigos Regional Park

Downey Site Analysis

8585

Process Drawings

86

Old River Parkway

Chapter Headings

Bibliography

Bibliography

89

BOOKS

Braungart, Michael and McDonough, William. Cradle to Cradle. New York. North Point Press. 2002. Print.Bruegmann, Robert. Sprawl: A Compact History. The University of Chicago Press. 2005. PrintCooper Marcus, Clare. People Places: Design Guidelines for Urban Open SpaceDodson, Ronald G. Sustainable Golf Courses: A Guide to Environmental Stewardship. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005. Print.Erickson, Donna. MetroGreen: Connecting Open Space in North American Cities. Washington, D.C. Island Press. 2006. Print.Davis, Mike. The City of Quartz. New York: Vintage. 1999. Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point. Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company. 2002. Print.Gottlieb, Robert. Reinventing Los Angeles: Nature and Community in the Global City. The MIT Press. 2007. Print.Halprin, Lawrence. Process: Architecture No. 4. Bungi Morotani. 1978. Print.Harnik, Peter. Urban Green: Innovative Parks for Resurgent Cities. Island Press. 2010 The Trust for Public Land. PrintHise, Greg, and William Deverell. Eden By Design: The 1930 Olmsted-Bartholomew Plan for the Los Angeles Region. Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California Press. 2000. Print.Hise, Greg. Magnetic Los Angeles: Planning the Twentieth-Century Metropolis. The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1997. Print.Kunstler, James Howard. The Geography of Nowhere. Touchstone. 1993. Print.Louv, Richard. Last Child in the Woods. Algonguin Books of Chapel Hill. 2005. Print.Whyte, William H. The Last Landscape. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2002. Print.

WEBSITES

Audubon International American Planning Association - Smart GrowthAudubon SocietyAir and Land InstituteAmigos de Los Rios Vision PlanASLA - American Society of Landscape ArchitectsCBE - Communities for a Better EnvironmentThe Conservation FundThe City ProjectCity of DowneyCity of South GateFirst TeeThe Forest PreservesJunior GolfLand and Water Conservation FundLos Angeles City Recreational ParksLos Angeles Conservancy Corp.Los Angeles County Parks and RecreationNational Golf Association (NGA)National Park ServiceNational Recreation and ParksNatural Learning InstituteThe Nature ConservancyNature Play Corps.Net-Zero Park DesignOpen Space Research Center - EdinburghPeople for ParksPew Research CenterProfessional Golf Association (PGA)The Project for Public SpacesRails to TrailsRails with TrailsSecretary of the InteriorSNAGSouthern California Association of Governments

Southern California Environmental Report CardSouthern California Golf Association (SCGA)Sustainable Sites InitiativeTee it ForwardTonyHawkFoundation.orgTrailLinks.comThe Trust for Public Land21st Century YouthUCLA Institute of the Environment and SustainabilityUSC Green Visions Plan

MASTER PLANS

Baldwin Hills Regional ParkDowney Vision 2025Duluth, MN Master PlanEast Bay Master PlanEmerald Necklace Master PlanSouth Gate Master PlanCity of Pittsburgh Master Plan

89

Acknowledgements

My husband, Jay - true, loving, unwavering in your belief and unconditional support.My son Daniel, who would exclaim at each park design, “I would go there!“You are both an endless source of inspiration and joy.

My Thesis Cohort, but especially my fellow angels, who kept me laughing through the long nights - the trust, respect, honesty and inspiration that we shared were a rare gift.

Patrick Reynolds - You see, the rat learns. You taught me to look beyond the green, to drive harder, to let the process be my guide. Your support, deep knowledge and steady hand were constant - and your sense of humor saw us all through.

For my sister Jane. Live Strong.

90

The amazing talent pool of instructors over the past four years; for sharing your wisdom, experience, creativity, and red pens, I am truly grateful.

Alison EmilioUCLA Extension: Landscape Architecture DepartmentThesis - Spring 2012Advisor: Patrick Reynolds

A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the Professional Certificate in Landscape ArchitectureUniversity of California, Los Angeles, Extension

alison emilo thesis book 2012

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