City Terrace & East L.A. III: Design Scenarios

In City Terrace and surrounding East L.A. areas, two streets were selected because of their high pedestrian volumes as walking routes to and from elementary schools. A third street was chosen because of the high public transit use at this site. All three streets met four or more of the equity criteria indicators. Specific attention was paid to the area north of the 10 freeway per the community’s concerns. This area is referred to locally as Whiteside and is sandwiched by the freeway on the south and industrial factories on the north. USC Trees visited all potential sites to verify the data on the ground.    

These analyses serve as tools for nonprofits, community agencies, and city planners to strategically select tree-planting locations. This is a part of a long range vision that may take years and significant investment but it is a vision for the future as we deal with the increasing challenges of climate change. 

The following design schemes illustrate strategies to increase tree cover in the neighborhoods with the highest equity need scores while also prioritizing shade on pedestrian routes to and from elementary schools and transit stops. Each concept recognizes the presence of constraints due to overhead utilities and existing parkway infrastructure. Trees vary by size and must be planted in tree wells that provide ample space for their root zones to encourage healthy growth. 

USC Trees assigned potential trees to one of three tiers of investment to classify them by cost and level of effort required for the planting and long-term care of additional street trees. This three-tier design system comes from the City of Los Angeles Urban Forest Equity Collective ( UFEC ). 

The recommendations below provide potential solutions ranging from low-cost tree plantings to more investment intensive strategies that involve structural changes in roadway and transit stop design, or funding and support for trees on private property. All trees are placed intentionally, sustainably, and equitably to benefit residents’ health and well-being.  

Each conceptual design preserves on-street parking as an essential resource in high equity score communities. Residents were adamant about keeping parking across every community engagement event. The proposals below identify opportunities for small, medium, and large trees based on the width of existing parkways and the presence or absence of overhead utilities that may limit the height of tree growth. Where there are multiple constraints or no available space for street trees, we explore alternatives to create space for trees like bump-outs or curb extensions. Private properties also provide some of the best locations for planting large shade trees, especially in required front and rear yard setbacks where those trees can reduce sun exposure and provide shade for buildings. 

The following designs are intended to be examples, but do not represent the optimal or only opportunities to plant trees. The additional trees in the designs illustrate potential tree planting locations. More detailed and in-depth investigation of constraints will be needed as the city and non-profit groups consider these designs for implementation. 

Adkisson Avenue between Whiteside and Ellison Streets is a popular pedestrian route from the Whiteside neighborhood, north of the 10 freeway, to Harrison Elementary School on the south side of the freeway. A pedestrian bridge located nearby crosses over a rail line, bus lanes and ten lanes of freeway traffic. Adkisson Avenue is typical for the area with moderate sized parkways and relatively deep front yard setbacks. Many of the lots are fully developed with accessory buildings or parking spaces occupying the rear yards. Each residential lot has an individual curb cut and driveway. Existing parkways ready for tree planting are present but some of the available space has been paved over and is used for off street parking. A portion of the west side of the street has overhead utilities in the parkway but most utilities in this area are located in alleyways. There are few existing trees and some homeowners have planted low shade palm trees in the parkway in front of their homes. 

The conceptual design proposes the planting of medium shade trees on both sides of the street. Existing palm trees have been replaced with shade trees. Large high shade trees have been proposed in private yards. Appropriately sized trees should be planted to avoid overshadowing the street trees that will shade sidewalks and heat absorbing pavement. 

East Cesar Chavez Avenue is a main transit corridor in East L.A. The street has been planted with smaller flowering trees and palm trees in parkways and individual tree wells on wide sidewalks. These trees provide low value shade. There are no overhead utilities on either side of the street and existing tree wells and parkways could be widened to accommodate larger street trees. The intersection of Cesar Chavez and Gage Avenue has bus stops with limited shading—a fraction of what trees could provide. The blocks examined by USC Trees have a mixture of commercial and retail uses along with residential properties. 

The conceptual design proposes the planting of medium shade trees on the north and south sides of Cesar Chavez Avenue. Residential properties that have front yard setbacks have space for larger trees. Existing palm trees have been replaced with shade trees. Residents requested additional shade at transit stop intersections to benefit individuals waiting to cross the street. Their recommendations included large shade trees planted close to bus stops or within medians to shade the parcel in the center of the street. Maintaining safe visibility at intersections is a major constraint to meeting these aspirations. 

Snow Drive is an east to west residential street that leads from the top of a hilly neighborhood down to Hazard Avenue, a transit corridor and route to Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School. This street has very narrow sidewalks and no parkways adjacent to the street curb. Like many of the narrow, winding streets in this area with limited off-street parking, vehicles are often parked on the sidewalks, eliminating safe walkways. Most private properties have a fair amount of open space except areas that have been developed with accessory residential units or vehicle storage. There are a substantial number of undeveloped parcels in this area of City Terrace.  

Solutions to increase the urban canopy on this street need to be creative due to the lack of tree planting space in the public right-of-way. USC Trees examined multiple options to increase the shade along the street as well as options to provide a neighborhood cooling park for use during extreme heat events. Street trees could be planted in parkways if a reverse parkway is created and implemented in required front yards. Large trees could be required in front yard setbacks on the south side of the street to provide cooling on one side. A land conservancy or the county could acquire vacant parcels and create neighborhood cooling parks as a community resource. These parks could utilize the entire parcel or parcels could be subdivided to provide a shaded cooling area while the remaining portion could be developed with housing. 

In addition to public street tree planting in parkways and tree wells, trees on private property are also an important part of reaching the region’s shade cover goals. Due to the lack of public open space and the predominance of private residential developments with required setbacks, USC Trees advises planting trees on private property, especially in front yard setbacks where these trees can shade homes that require air conditioning in extreme heat conditions. For trees on private property, including rentals, county assistance is needed to care for the trees, including watering, as these costs can be significant burdens in high need areas. 

The streets of Los Angeles have been altered drastically throughout the decades and will continue to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of modern society. The goal of the USC Urban Trees Initiative is to help cool the neighborhood areas of City Terrace and East L.A. and improve air quality to ensure the safety and health of local residents in the face of rising temperatures. The designs covered in this StoryMap serve as examples, but do not represent the only opportunities for tree plantings. USC Trees has identified a wider array of streets where there is potential to implement similar designs. Through research and strategic design, we can recommend how the County of Los Angeles and urban forestry practitioners can best increase the urban canopy with benefits that will last for decades to come.   

 _{StoryMap Author: Jillian Gorman}  

 _{Contributors: Dulce Acosta, Marianna Babboni, Will Berelson, Naman Casas, Eileen Chen, Tarana Chordia, Charlie Curtain, Monica Dean, Jackson FitzGerald, David Galaviz, Emma Johnson, Runzi Kang, Jinsol Kim, Carolyn Koh, Joan Lee, Yixuan Li, Beau MacDonald, Esther Margulies, Alyssa Ng, Eliana Ramirez, Melinda Ramos-Alatorre, Coleman Reardon, Nick Rollins, Katie Vega, Steve Wesson, John Wilson, Aviva Wolf-Jacobs}