How Eden lost its garden: A political history of the L.A. landscape

An inclusive and generative design process for sustainable urbanism: the case of Pacoima

“…However, unable to resist the political pressures at the time, the implementation of the plan did not remain true to its origin (Hise 1999). Instead, the agricultural land was lost to uncontrolled suburbanization without local identity (Davis 1996) and soon the residential character was lost to creeping high tech industries and following small sweatshop industries (Scott 1996).…”

“…It is located in the San Fernando Valley, which is a geographical section of the City of Los Angeles accommodating 46% of its population (Valley of the Stars). The spatial characteristics of "the Valley" are consequences of its uncommonly famous but equally unfortunate story of transition from agricultural land to poorly planned subdivisions and industrial uses (Davis 1996, Hise 1999, Roderick 2001. After the World War II, the rapidly increasing number of affordable suburban houses without the corresponding amount of services and amenities (Roderick 2001) generated the opposite of what was intended for the Valley originally in the early 1940s.…”

“…After the World War II, the rapidly increasing number of affordable suburban houses without the corresponding amount of services and amenities (Roderick 2001) generated the opposite of what was intended for the Valley originally in the early 1940s. The Los Angeles City Planning Commission master plan for the San Fernando Valley (1944) envisioned 16 small selfcontained communities surrounded by greenbelts in the form of preserved agricultural land (Davis 1996, Hise 1999. The plan called for changing the agricultural character of the Valley into moderate size low-density residential communities, with just over six square miles allocated to industry.…”

The Park Made of Oil: Towards a Historical Political Ecology of the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

“…Following decades of unfettered real estate development that irreparably destroyed unique local landscapes and confined people of color and the urban poor to bleak industrialized wastelands (Davis, 1996;Press;, a coalition of community groups, non-profit environmental organizations and local politicians has been patiently stitching together a plan to radically transform the inner city. Their actions have recently seen the passage of the State of California Urban Park Act (2001), dedicated to financing the 'acquisition and development of parks, recreation areas and facilities in neighborhoods currently least served by park and recreation providers' (State of California, 2001, p. 90).…”

“…1 It was a landmark event, given the history of political apathy towards park development in Los Angeles (Davis, 1996;Hise & Deverell, 2000), and significantly, one that involved local politicians who were all people of color.…”