Children and the Los Angeles River

By: William Pang



For years, local resident’s opinions of the Los Angeles River were either negative or nonexistent. Various environmental organizations however, are working to change that. Putting up playgrounds and revitalizing disheveled city parks seems like an environmental undertaking, but social progress is to be expected.


As technology is further incorporated into our daily lives, most children now, and in the future will not have the same active, physical upbringing that had been available in the past. More and more green spaces are disappearing in way of more and more silver and gray. We are trading in Mother Nature for more cubic feet of economic opportunity.

In steps F.O.L.A.R. (Friends of the Los Angeles River). Improvements they have made to the river near Griffith Park, be it the new painted gate, or the updated playground, have made living in the Los Feliz area visibly more enjoyable.
“I have children myself, so the way they’ve cleaned up the park, I have no trouble letting them outside.” Los Feliz resident Jennie Kwong said.

When I visited the area myself, last Thursday, various things stood out. A brother and sister flying a kite, a family’s joyous rendezvous, but what stood out the most was the backdrop. Beyond the beautifully restored park was construction, what seemed like a concrete, metal jungle. That’s when the importance of what F.O.L.A.R. was doing, and the possible repercussions of an indifferent world, hit me.

The Department of Recreation and Parks states in their website that their goal is to "provide an atmosphere for children, appropriate for individual and group study, physical activity, and cultural programming in a recreational setting." But numbers are not on their side.

Los Angeles County lacks sufficient parkland and open space for its population of more than nine million. Based on the accepted formula for determining the amount of regional parkland needed in a city (6 acres per 1,000 people), the county falls 13,296 acres, or 20.8 square miles short.

Adults are hardly the victims of this shortcoming. There are ways for adults to occupy their leisure time and stay active. Those 13,296 acres of missing parkland represent thousands of children stuck at home, or even worse, on the streets.



My visit to Taylor Yard showed that to be true. The area was jam-packed with children of different ages and cultural backgrounds, all looking for an escape from the city. It seemed like the sky was clearer and the air much easier to breathe.




The American Lung Association issued its annual “Most Polluted U.S. Cities” list and it was no surprise that Los Angeles topped it once again. We are lucky to be able to recognize pollution. We’ve inhaled a mouthful of clean air. We’ve seen natural beauty. But what about our children, future generations. Will the distinction of a clean and dirtied environment be so diluted that hygiene can only be measured with gadgets and gizmos?

The “Revitalization Master Plan” that was proposed to city hall is expensive, both in the city’s time and money. However, according to the plans website, its goals for the river are to “increase the attractiveness of the City and enhance public health for both residents and visitors as a place to live, work, and visit.”

The plan’s goal is not to create an extraordinary environment for Los Angeles residents, but to raise the below average living conditions for citizens, especially children, to a level that is acceptable compared to other cities.

In a world where technology is making things such as traditional literature and face to face communication obsolete. We have to help lure younger generations out of the living room and into the soccer fields.