Revitalize the city
Instructor: Sean Donahue/ Ben Hooker
Group Members: Julianne Weiss/ Mikey T
Los Angeles lacks identity but not for its lack of character. It is this disparate quality, which spurred the Runyon Canyon Project – a project about the Angeleno’s great escape. In search for a sense of belonging, people flock to the canyon to hike, experience the outdoors and stroll alongside their neighbors and K-9 companions if only for a day. Over the course of three trips, our design research team interacted with the visitors to find their motivation for coming to the park and learn what makes it unique from the rest of the city. The resulting design proposal is based on these findings as it serves to improve the city of Los Angeles through the development of public spaces.
Design Proposal
These studies have brought us to three major conclusions: Los Angeles inhabitants are starved for a sense of belonging and cohesiveness. Most suggestions were based Downtown or in Hollywood; LA clearly lacks a city center and this strongly impacts the residents.
People feel at ease amongst wildlife
A great number of people imagined mixing and matching natural elements. They want the sense of escape to be ever present and accessible.
In response to these findings, we propose an integration of natural elements with the current urban landscape of Los Angeles. We have designed a large scale, hanging garden to be installed on the building facades Downtown. Glass “window boxes” will be mounted to the sides of existing buildings.
They will fluctuate in size from 3’ x 5’ to 10’ x 15’ (or perhaps larger) and should be planted with three varieties of hanging vines:
- Wisteria (purple & white blossoms)
- Flame Vine (tangerine orange blossoms with a leafy base)
- Tomato Vine (aker’s plum heirloom variety for its long lasting quality)
As the vines grow, adorning the urban landscape, the buildings themselves will come alive. The fresh scent of plant-life will fill the air and an ecosystem will develop along the bustling streets. This will cool the area, create an immersive environment and stimulate the visual scene for passers by. Up above, rooftop gardens will be escalated to a more active level. In a perfect world, Redwood Tree forests will top the glassy, corporate structures. Hills and slopes will don the tops as well to make a space for outdoor activities and dog-friendly environments. This second level of Los Angeles should be visible from across the city on a clear day – a sort of invitation for onlookers to join in. Our intention is to breath life back into the miles and miles of concrete in this city. Runyon Canyon serves as a hugely popular but very rare example of an active, outdoor, public space. Why should it be the only oasis to live in the heart of Los Angeles?
