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The Future of the Public Realm

FRI-FS-15: Love Letters to the LA River

Friday, September 18, 2026
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM PT
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Field Session Departure Area (South Lobby)
Ticket Purchase Required
1.50 PDH, LA CES/non-HSW, AICP, FL
Ticket Price: $150 per person

LA River

LA River/ Asch Phoenix


Connect intimately with the LA River through sensorial experience, close observation, and learning from local community-based organizations, artists, and land stewards who advocate for the river and its surrounding landscape through their ongoing work.

Includes transportation. Moderate walking.

Accessibility: This session includes walking down a concrete embankment to the soft-bottom bank of the river and accessing an active construction site (the Bowtie Project). Surfaces may be uneven and may present challenges for individuals with mobility limitations. Closed-toe, comfortable walking shoes and long pants are highly recommended due to construction site conditions.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn about the local community-based organizations, non-profits, educators, and artists who steward and love the Los Angeles River and the greater watershed through their work and practice.
  • Cultivate strategies to engage deeply with the landscape and develop personal relationships with rivers, and reclaim love as a strategy for stewardship and action.
  • Learn about the local ecology, hydrological history, and current projects happening in and around the Los Angeles River through the act of walking and tangible experience.
  • Envision emerging social systems and networks of diverse professionals, artists, and organizations to collectively protect and advocate for rivers in one's own communities.