Design and Architecture

The Los Angeles River in downtown is getting new bridges and parks. But with the greening of the river may come “green gentrification.” DnA tours a disused railyard that will be turned into a park, hears about dreams for changes in the Lower LA River and talks to architect Frank Gehry and other stakeholders about LA County’s updated masterplan for the entire 51 miles of flood channel.

It’s the Oscars this weekend, and most of the buzz is about the acting honors and the horse race for best picture. But there’s a whole community in LA that will be watching for winners in the below-the-line categories whose creative talents do not typically become household names. That includes sound, editing, and the production and set design that can make or break a movie.

Eighty years ago this week, rain poured down on Los Angeles. Floods washed out roads, bridges and thousands of homes. The devastation led to total channelization that would forever shape -- and divide -- Los Angeles. Now efforts are underway to build new bridges, bring back wildlife and forge new connections at the LA River. But with those efforts come anxiety about change.

The LA City Council approved a new bridge this week to cross the Los Angeles River. It would connect Frogtown, otherwise known as Elysian Valley, to Taylor Yard, a former railway site in Cypress Park. And it would be for pedestrian and cyclists only. No cars allowed. Its bright orange color is eye catching, but the price may also take your breath away. And it’s just one of three bridges now being planned to span the river.

Wild animals need to roam, but our freeways are in the way. Now a proposed bridge over the 101 would allow mountain lions and other wildlife to cross safely over the freeway and improve their access to food and mates. But can humans and predatory animals coexist in the city?

California’s biggest infrastructure project is a high-speed rail network that would connect San Francisco, the Central Valley and Los Angeles, bridging communities cut off by the state's difficult geography. However, farmers see the train as driving a wall through their land. Despite widespread criticism, parts of the route are being built in Fresno, opening up new opportunities in the Central Valley.

Can a wall also act as a bridge? The U.S.-Mexico border wall stretches along 700 miles. It divides two nations that are strategic allies and trading partners, and continues to divide Americans along partisan lines. It also “brings people together in really remarkable and interesting ways,” and DnA tells their stories.

In his State of the Union address, Trump talked about rebuilding infrastructure, but offered no specific projects and vague plans for how to pay for them. Meanwhile he said almost nothing about building the border wall, a common refrain since the early days of his campaign.

The founder of furniture giant IKEA has died. What was the legacy of Ingvar Kamprad? Historic Filipinotown is set to get its own design district, but many residents are unhappy with the idea. And a collection of LA’s veteran antiques dealer Joel Chen is going on the auction block at Christie’s. He talks about a life in objects.

Metro ridership continues to decline, but the agency is seeking innovative ideas for alternative modes of transit. Angelenos are offering many solutions to the region's mobility problems. Culver City residents heard one such idea on Monday night, when representatives from Elon Musk's Boring Company pitched a high-speed network of underground tunnels.