大象传媒

The Los Angeles river has been a concrete channel since the 1930s, when the US Army Corps of Engineers decided to concrete over the original river for flood mitigation. Ever since then, the river has been regularly used as a symbol of dystopia and was the backdrop in a famous scene in The Terminator.

However, landscape architect and Studio-MLA founder Mia Lehrer (FALSA, Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects) wants to transform its reputation and revitalize the river, as it remains a waterway shared by millions. This will not be an easy task, however, as the river itself is still the property of the US Army Corps, and the river course crosses numerous bureaucratic boundaries at both the local and state level.

Presenter Alan Weedon meets Mia as she describes her vision to breathe new life into an American icon.

Presented and produced by Alan Weedon for the 大象传媒 World Service.