A Big New Park in a City That Needs Many More

Host:

Warren Olney

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Downtown Los Angeles has its first new park since 1895. Vista Hermosa, with a beautiful view of the city’s steel-and-glass skyline, is ten and a half acres of open space and green technology. Among major American cities, LA remains last in accessible parkland, especially in communities of color. We hear about the new park and why there aren’t more like it.

Two years ago, City Controller Laura Chick audited the Department of Parks and Recreation and found there was no way to assess the need for new parks in Los Angeles. That's a reflection of the way LA has developed over the years. We hear about efforts to put together a master plan, and about the first new park in downtown Los Angeles since 1895. It's called Vista Hermosa, or "beautiful view," and it's on 10.5 acres across the freeway from the urban skyline.

Guests:

Joe Edmiston: Executive Director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Stephanie Taylor: Co-founder of the Verde Coalition
Tsilah Burman: Executive Director of the LA Neighborhood Land Trust
Lawrence Culver: Assistant Professor of history, Utah State University; Author

Underwriters

Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.

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