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Who killed the river that runs through Los Angeles? Did you even know there was a river? Using a mix of archive and new footage , this album tells the fascinating story of a city that has ignored the benefits of its river for decades. Now waking up to the fact that it could be a green belt with more acreage than all of Central Park, river activists are fighting developers to bring back nature to central Los Angeles. Up till now the city conquered the threat of floods by concreting over the river to make it the backbone of the urban drainage system, overriding the needs of deprived local communities. But laying ever more concrete and asphalt is no longer the way to meet 21st Century environmental needs; an alternative approach to flood protection and habitat restoration is necessary. This material forms part of The Open University course U216 Environment.
- Duration 35 mins
- Updated Tuesday 13th April 2010
- Posted under Nature & Environment
Track 1: Environment: LA River
A short introduction to this album.
© The Open University 2008
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- See details of the Open University course this album comes from
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Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Environment: LA River | A short introduction to this album. Play now Environment: LA River |
| 2 | Who Killed the LA River? | The worst floods in the history of Los Angeles. How the river was contained and its flood plain became part of the city. Play now Who Killed the LA River? |
| 3 | Rediscovering the LA River | The forgotten part of Los Angeles. A journey through the unused public land that lines the river today. Play now Rediscovering the LA River |
| 4 | LA: Chinatown Yard | Claiming the last vast space in Los Angeles. Residents campaign to revive the area for Los Angeles's underprivileged communities. Play now LA: Chinatown Yard |
| 5 | LA: Developers versus River Activists | Industrial park or natural habitat? Two conflicting visions for the Los Angeles river –assessing sustainability in the 21st century. Play now LA: Developers versus River Activists |
| 6 | Bringing the LA River to Life | Victory for the river activists. How a hard fought case for environmental justice won back Los Angeles's lost river habitat. Play now Bringing the LA River to Life |
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