Revitalizing the Los Angeles River Through Community Design & Innovative Tools

Climate change is straining the ability of our aging infrastructure to withstand the impacts of floods, wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes. Our 20th century infrastructure was designed for a 20th century climate, and systems like the L.A. River’s flood controls are insufficient for today’s extreme weather. To adapt, we need to reimagine this infrastructure.

There is deep interest from nearby communities and the City of Los Angeles to reimagine the L.A. River. Combining the technical expertise in engineering with the storytelling power of augmented reality, the L.A. River Project is exploring how to re-envision the future of planning and action.

The Challenge

In planning and designing large infrastructure projects, it can be hard to adequately communicate design options, opportunities, and constraints to interested members of the public. To achieve a rich and robust dialogue with the community in these planning efforts, new tools must bridge the gap in communication and collaboration between technical experts and engaged members of the community.

The Solution

Supported by USC Dornsife Public Exchange, a team of experts in engineering, landscape design, ecology, hydrology, augmented reality, and social sciences has proposed a new way to involve the community in the process of designing our cities, starting with the L.A. River. By combining the power of augmented reality, with traditional methods of engineering, we can help community members and engineers work with each other to come up with a shared design solution.