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

Abstract

Within the park-deprived inner-city landscapes of Los Angeles, an unprecedented change is underway. Long considered to be the epitome of anti-nature, Los Angeles is witnessing a boom in park development and ecological restoration. Derelict, blighted and contaminated inner-city brownfield sites are being converted to greenspaces, nature parks and wildlife refuges. Indeed, Los Angeles has been the recent recipient of hitherto unimaginable political and fiscal support to ameliorate the dearth of parks in its neglected urban core. This paper situates the current round of park development within its historical context, by focusing on a very particular local site-the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Applying the theoretical lens of political ecology, the authors trace some of the political, economic, ecological and institutional factors from the late 1920s onwards, which engendered the creation of a park atop an oilfield. In so doing, the authors deepen the understanding of how local greenspace allocation, poverty, race and political power are oftentimes complexly entangled. Precursor to a much larger project currently in the planning and

Got green? addressing environmental justice in park provision

“…But more specifically, historical patterns of urbanization in Los Angeles promoted the ideal of single family homes with private backyards, while minimal tracts of land were dedicated for public parks because of weak public planning standards (Wolch et al 2001). This pattern was exacerbated as older parts of the city densified due to apartment construction, population growth and in-migration, redlining, and a racialized process of park finance and planning that advantaged white, suburban communities (Byrne et al 2007). As a result, park poverty has been widely perceived as an issue for low income neighborhoods and communities of color in the region since at least the 1960s (Byrne et al 2007).…”

“…This pattern was exacerbated as older parts of the city densified due to apartment construction, population growth and in-migration, redlining, and a racialized process of park finance and planning that advantaged white, suburban communities (Byrne et al 2007). As a result, park poverty has been widely perceived as an issue for low income neighborhoods and communities of color in the region since at least the 1960s (Byrne et al 2007). …”

“…While inequities in park access have long characterized the region, recently Los Angeles has experienced a park ''renaissance'' (Byrne et al 2007:155), with an unprecedented show of support from advocates, activists, politicians and the public (Garcia et al 2002;Pincetl 2003;Garcia and White 2006;Roth 2006 While these park bond monies have translated into local victories in parkland development-the most prominent of which are the Chinatown Cornfields, Taylor Yards, and the expansion of the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area (Barnett 2001;Roth 2006;Byrne et al 2007)-it is also clear that park-bond funding patterns have often exacerbated existing inequities, rather than ameliorated them. The project funding process used to disburse bond funds typically favored municipalities that are savvy, have long histories of successful grant funding, and have the resources to develop strong project proposals .…”

Gold Country: the politics of landscape in exurban El Dorado County, California

“…Byrne et al (2007), for instance, employ political ecological analysis to explore the conflicted history of a large park in Los Angeles, while Robbins (2007) uses political ecology as one lens through which to understand the relationship of Americans and their lawns.…”

“…A political ecological analysis, with its attention to interwoven layers of power, nature, capital and class, provides an excellent lens through which to understand how these constructs have contributed to conflict, and to understand the processes of ecological degradation and/or mitigation in a variety of human communities ranging from the urban (e.g. Byrne et al 2007) to the exurban and rural.…”