The story of the Los Angeles River is almost as long as its 51-mile span across its namesake city and county. Once flowing freely through Los Angeles, its route is now imprisoned within a concrete channel built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce flooding and contain wastewater. For almost fifty years, most of the river has remained disconnected from surrounding communities and inaccessible to the public – but residents, along with the local elected officials, and particularly Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, want their river back and are planning for its long-delayed renaissance. However, the river’s path also serves as a major commercial rail corridor that carries freight from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the most active port complex in the United States. In a new report Paths to Partnership: Nurturing LA’s River & Rail Vitality, Paul Silvern, a Partner in HR&A’s Los Angeles office, together with staff and other members of the Urban Land Institute of Los Angeles, examined the challenges and opportunities of coordinating the interests of revitalizationists and railway operators and owners to create open spaces along the river, while continuing to enable the efficient movement of freight.

In order to successfully revitalize the river and make it an accessible, urban amenity – residents, industry, and local government leadership must determine how to create a critical open space amenity that also restores its ecological benefits and fosters economic development. The Paths to Partnership report identified challenges to access, strategies from other successful revitalization projects, and opportunities for cooperation throughout each phase of planning. This report catalyzed all parties to consider the possibilities of collaboration and discuss potential outcomes and co-benefits at a recent meeting of over 20 stakeholders.

HR&A is also working with the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation (LARRC) to build its capacity to effectively implement its core initiatives, like Greenway 2020, and participate effectively in the regional effort to revitalize the LA River. Since, 2009 the LARRC has been successful at fundraising and outreach, but requires a strategic, phased approach as well as business planning support to achieve the realization of revitalization. HR&A conducted a series of meetings with LARRC staff, board members and key metro area stakeholders, including representatives from Mayor Garcetti’s office, to assess current organizational and fundraising capacity and to formulate viable strategy recommendations for the LARRC and these stakeholders.

Many parts of the revitalization process are already underway: the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation was established in 2009 to facilitate the development of Greenway 2020 along the entire length of the restored river; in 2010 the EPA declared the river “a traditional navigable water,” allowing for public boating opportunities; in 2014 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers selected a plan for ecosystem restoration along 11 miles of the river immediately adjacent to downtown Los Angeles; Mayor Eric Garcetti’s administration is lobbying the Congress to appropriate the estimated $1 billion in funds required to achieve this transformational restoration, as well as working to identify sources for the City’s local funding match; and local entrepreneurs and community organizations are beginning to advance specific projects that will help convert the river from an afterthought to a highly amenitized and accessible focus of city life.

by Shuprotim Bhaumik

 
Third Track used to be a controversial word on Long Island. But today, support for a Third Track on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road is growing rapidly with a broad coalition of business groups, labor leaders, and educational /medical institutions. Why? Because it is clear that the Third Track is critical to Long Island’s economic future.

Have you tried getting from New York City to Long Island during rush hour on the LIRR? Has your train been delayed for hours on end because of a service disruption on a system that lacks flexibility? Can we expect companies to locate here when they can’t access potential employees? Can we expect young professionals to stay here when they can’t find good upwardly mobile jobs?

Adding a Third Track would increase regional mobility; it would create additional capacity on the congested Main Line, which several branches feed into. (Note: the two existing tracks were laid in 1844 when the population was less than 2% of what it is today.) This capacity would allow LIRR to run more trains, particularly in the reverse commute direction, and would also improve reliability for existing riders. Third Track has the potential to revitalize Long Island’s job market by attracting high-quality professional services and tech jobs, stem the outflow of young workers, generate new tax revenues, and encourage new transit-oriented housing.

A report by the Long Island Index, completed by HR&A Advisors, shows that investing in Third Track would be nothing short of transformative for the region. As a longtime resident of Syosset and a graduate of Stony Brook University, I was especially pleased to author the report. By 2035, Long Island would have 14,000 more jobs and over 35,000 new residents resulting in an additional $5.6 Billion in GRP and $3.0 Billion in personal income every year. An initial investment of approximately $1 Billion would result in, $40 million in additional sales tax revenue and $103 Million in additional property tax revenue every year to Long Island’s counties, towns, and villages.

We can stand idly by while jobs and young professionals move to other suburban regions that are better connected to New York City and the rest of the metro area. Or, we can invest in Third Track, a project that will pay huge dividends for Long Island. Learn more at: http://www.liindex.org

HR&A Senior Principal Jamie Torres Springer traveled to Bonn, Germany, to present on innovations in post-Sandy resiliency efforts at Resilient Cities 2015: The 6th Global Forum on Urban Resilience & Adaptation, June 8-10. The annual Resilient Cities Series, launched in 2010, is an effort by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI, originally the “International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives”), the World Mayors Council on Climate Change (WMCCC), and the City of Bonn, Germany. ICLEI and WMCCC bring together world localities to advocate for global sustainability. Bonn, a member of ICLEI and WMCCC, is the only German member city of the United Nations and a hub for international diplomacy and thought leadership for sustainable development.

HR&A is proud to have been able to present the New York City resiliency story as one of only three “Cities in Focus,” selected by the Congress to model local case studies for larger resiliency and climate change adaptation applications. Jamie’s sessions provided key takeaways from resiliency initiatives by New York City, New York State, and the federal government following Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Jamie participated in the Day 2 Opening Panel about “financing resilience,” a major theme shaping the day and linking other “Finance Forum” sessions throughout the conference. During his segment, “Incentivizing innovation and improving financeability for flood protection in New York City,” Jamie discussed the economic lens with which local government and partner organizations must consider resiliency efforts in order to transform the focus of policy and planning from recovery to future disaster preparedness. Joining Jamie on the panel were the World Bank’s Urban Resilience Senior Advisor; ICLEI’s Secretary General; delegates from Copenhagen, Denmark and Nacala-Porto, Mozambique; Cities Development Initiative for Asia; Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation; Agence Française de Développement; and Global Environment Facility.

Jamie also led a ninety-minute “Reality Check Workshop” session, “Planning for Resilience During Post-Disaster Recovery in New York City.” The workshop format encouraged participants to examine City, State, and federal strategies as well as provide feedback as international experts in urban development and climate adaptation. Jamie facilitated a group of participants, observers, and members of the press.

HR&A is grateful to the Congress co-hosts and organizers for providing a meaningful opportunity for collaboration among global resiliency professionals.

• ICLEI’s reviews of the panel discussion and Jamie’s remarks can be found within its CityTalk blog and News Center.
• A video of Congress highlights features Jamie’s panel beginning at 0:18.
• Jamie’s workshop materials will also become available on the conference website shortly to continue to inform practitioners.

Image courtesy of ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability on Flickr, credit Barbara Frommann https://flic.kr/p/uaHLSp

Jamie is featured introducing New York City, New York State, and federal approaches to resiliency financing. Image courtesy of ICLEI.