Ricardo Lara Linear Park

About

More than five acres of vacant lots along an I-105 freeway embankment were transformed into the mile-long Ricardo Lara Linear Park, which provides much-needed opportunities for connection, recreation, and physical activity to neighborhood families. The freeway, which was built in the early 1990s, created visual and physical barriers that separated neighborhoods — barriers that were exacerbated as the freeway-adjacent area fell into disuse and neglect. By reconnecting these long-divided neighborhoods, the park showcases how, with creative thinking, modest investment, and community involvement, underused land can be used to benefit residents and create more livable cities. The park includes a one-mile walking path, play areas, and a community garden.

Categories Place Children's Gardens Community Gardens Parks & Play Spaces Recreation Landscape Performance Series

Project Details

Description

Once a flood-prone dumping ground along Interstate 105 in Lynwood, California, Ricardo Lara Linear Park is now a community-focused park that provides space for recreation, gardening, and gathering. Located along a mile of former residential lots that were demolished to accommodate the freeway — an infrastructure project that bisected the city — the park is now a beloved amenity that is helping to reunify once-isolated neighborhoods. A wide, flat walking trail with accessible ramps creates an inviting corridor that connects the park areas to one other and to adjacent residential areas. Play areas, dog parks, a community garden with outdoor classroom, shade pavilion, and public art displays create opportunities for residents to meet their neighbors, build connections, and restore a sense of community to the residents of this densely populated city.

Ricardo Lara Linear Park includes a one-mile walking trail, two playgrounds, and exercise stations, and it also connects with the Los Angeles River Bikeway. These promote outdoor activity and healthful lifestyles in an area that was long lacking in parks and open space. Stormwater basins and bioswales planted with native plants capture and clean stormwater runoff from Interstate 105 before it enters storm drains.

Project Goals

Increase recreational opportunities and park access in a neighborhood with a low quantity and distribution of park space.
Provide a buffer between the community and the elevated Interstate 105, which opened in 1993.
Provide an accessible mile-long community connection corridor.
Provide a community garden with plots available for nearby residents.
Improve the health and well-being of residents by providing opportunities for physical activity.
Increase sense of community.
Provide habitat for pollinators with native plants.
Capture and clean stormwater runoff from Interstate 105 before it enters the storm drain while reducing flooding and costs associated with flood-related issues.
Minimize the park’s demand for potable water use by using recycled water.

Reprinted from the original LAF LPS case study.

Social Benefits

Improves social cohesion among residents, with 86% of 36 surveyed users reporting the park has made a noticeable positive change in the neighborhood and 68% of 37 users reporting that they have met new people and/or made new friends thanks to the park.
Improves physical and mental health, with 87% of 38 surveyed users reporting that their physical activity level is higher, 89% of 37 reporting their physical health has improved, and 89% of 37 reporting that their overall mental health has improved since the park’s opening.
Improves health through the community garden, with 50% of 26 surveyed users reporting that their family’s health has improved and 45% of 31 users reporting that they eat healthier due to their participation in the community garden’s programs and activities.
Reduces noise pollution coming from Fernwood Avenue by up to 7 decibels, which represents a clearly noticeable change, in areas of the park where physical features serve as a sound barrier.

Reprinted from the original LAF LPS case study.

Contact business@swagroup.com Landscape Architect – SWA Group Ricardo Lara Linear Park

Key Contributors

Project Team
Owner: City of Lynwood
Community Outreach: From Lot To Spot
Landscape Architect: SWA Group
Civil Engineers: VCA Engineers Inc
Irrigation Design: Sweeney & Associates, Inc
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineers: P2S Engineers
Mosaic Artist: Robin Brailsford

Funders & Supporters
The Ricardo Lara Linear Park was realized in part through a $5 million grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Proposition 84 fund.

Budget (Proposition 84 Grant Funding):
$4,949,947

Amenities

The 1-mile-long, 8.5-ft-wide concrete walking path has accessible ramps at each street intersection.

Awards

ASLA Southern California Chapter Honor Award (2018)
ASLA Award of Excellence in Urban Design (2021)
Urban Land Institute Urban Open Space Award (2018)

Aerial view shows an elevated freeway in the top left, with a park area and winding path running alongside it. Neighborhood houses fill the rest of the photo.

Aerial view shows an elevated freeway with a winding path on the right, and neighborhoods on either side.

Two children travel along a wide path, one on a tricycle and one running, with a children’s play structure in the background.

Children play on structures while adults sit on a park bench. There’s greenery in the foreground and background.

An area filled with rocks and plants holds standing water, with a path, hillside, and retaining wall in the background.

Children play on brightly colored play structures with a curving path winding between the areas.

Children walk on and between large boulders in an area with small rocks, gravel, and plants, with a winding path in the background.

Two children play on modern-styled exercise equipment with an adult standing near one of them. There are trees, shrubs, and perennials planted on either side and a street with parked cars in the background.

Three people walking small dogs along a wide, flat path with flowering trees, shrubs, and ground covers along the edges.

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People walk along a gravel path with benches and a waterway in the background.

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Nighttime aerial view shows the illuminated park with a crowd of people sitting on the lawn and the city skyline in the background.

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