Zocalo Public Square invited Piggyback Yard collaborators Marc Salette, Jim Stafford, Mia Lehrer and Michael Maltzan to discuss the promise of a revitalized Los Angeles, and how to build it.  Before a full house at the California Endowment on September 22, moderator Michael Woo, Dean of the College of Environmental Design at Cal Poly Pomona, led the discussion of our ”guerilla planning” effort to transform this downtown rail yard into integrated public space, and to transform Los Angeles’ urban culture in the process.  A summary and video of the event are housed on the Zocalo Public Square website.

1. Given the current climate of economic crisis, governmental turmoil, and a general sense of stasis in the community, how can the city of eternal optimism take advantage of such a historic moment?

The city can take advantage of the moment by rethinking, reinventing, and redefining perception of a place and understand what makes for a rich city experience. Acknowledging that this Los Angeles is an unconventional place where people thrive in a special setting. The mountains, the ocean, and the vast blue sky is the stage for multiple villages that thrive amidst the economic turmoil. Food, music, and artistic pursuits generate an extremely lively milieu. Amidst the multiple crises the younger generations are resourceful, less materialistic, more civically engaged, and ready to make a difference. (more…)

IRA MARK ARTZ ANALYZES PIGGYBACK YARD HYDROLOGY

Providing Channel Capacity for River Revitalization

The Piggyback Yard is one of the most valuable land areas in the entire City for river restoration because of its immense water storage potential compared to other single-owner parcels of land.

This is where the Piggyback Yard Project provides its most significant contribution to the hydrology of the River: By storing peak flow, the volume of water in the channel is reduced. This in turn allows additional space in the channel for habitat plantings and related revitalization features, both adjacent to the Piggyback Yard and downstream. (more…)