What If?
What if, in the future, the LA River was revitalized so that all the people, nature, and wildlife around it could live in harmony and use it for good?
She’s growing up so fast. Maria Jeanelle “MJ” Lacanilao. I cried when they called her name during the promotion ceremony. Middle school is now just around the corner, but until then I must figure out how to survive summer. Her lola can watch her during the day while I work, thank the Lord I’m not doing this alone. We’ve been arguing a bit over how to raise her, but she’s my daughter. Someday soon I’ll have to worry about her going out with friends alone, the decisions she’ll make, and all the other growing pains. How do I share my wisdom? I want to give her the freedoms we couldn’t afford. For now, lola and MJ can spend their time at the pavilions or park by the river. Maybe I could take her in the nights when they have those warmly lit movie nights or vibrant jazz concerts.
I remember when the river barely looked like a river at all. All of the trash and muck forcefully digested by its concrete insides. Rarely would we see any life in it. The river and freeway border us to the east in Lynwood. We never really went to it. Just a hot, empty space. The trail, if you could even call it that, was barely maintained and really only had enough room for bikes. It was just a thing that helped when it rained, which was good considering that we started getting hurricanes of all things in LA. I never thought of it as anything other than an odd canal, until it was reimagined.
I heard it was absolute hell fighting the city to get everything passed, but those organizations did it. The contracts for the pavilions, the land grants for affordable housing, the data for the changes to the riverbed, and all the organizing it took to get it all done. I thank them all for it though. I never could have imagined they could put a park over the entire river. It’s so beautiful, clean, and full of life. The river was living this whole time, but we neglected her. The climate is changing but the river here protects us for now. The trees and plants and animals grow wild and free, just like my daughter. She’s getting older and I will have to remember that. Like all parents before me I’m scared for her future, but knowing the community is out there fighting for a better one gives me hope.
Images from LA River Master Plan
Other What Ifs:
What if we developed collars that let our pets communicate with us?
What if more cities in the United States were redesigned for walking, cycling, skating, and public transit in fun and futuristic ways?