City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Launches New Park Needs Assessment Project

February 18, 2025

The new project initiative launches with a new website and survey City launches website and survey to gather community input on park needs through and announces the development of a Park Needs Assessment

LOS ANGELES – The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks is undertaking a Park Needs Assessment to evaluate the nearly 16,000 acres of public parkland and amenities in the City. As critical infrastructure in our communities, parks are a foundational part of life in Los Angeles.

The Park Needs Assessment process was commissioned by the Department of Recreation and Parks to identify the current needs, challenges, and opportunities for improvement across the Department’s vast network of parks and recreational facilities. It will guide future investment in park infrastructure and amenities that is reflective of the diverse communities across the City and its projected population growth.

The Park Needs Assessment will include four phases and the public is encouraged to engage at each step of the process. The first phase will help the Department of Recreation and Parks to understand the public’s knowledge of the park system and gather feedback on its overall performance.

Community meetings to launch the project will be held on the following dates:

Tuesday, March 4, 2025: Ramona Hall (CD1) from 6-8pm
Wednesday, March 5, 2025: Wilmington RC (CD15) from 6-8pm
Thursday, March 6, 2025: Algin Sutton RC (CD8) from 6-8pm
Saturday, March 8, 2025: Victory Vineland RC (CD2) from 10am-12pm
Tuesday, March 11 2025: Tarzana Child Care Building (CD3) from 6-8pm
Thursday, March 13, 2025: Westchester RC (CD11) from 6-8pm
Saturday, March 15, 2025: Lincoln Park SCC (CD14) from 10am-12pm
Tuesday, March 18, 2025: Virtual, from 6pm-8pm

“Assessing park needs and community priorities is foundational to maintaining a world-class park system for both Los Angeles residents and visitors,” said Jimmy Kim, General Manager, Department of Recreation and Parks. “The team is looking forward to engaging with community members across the City this year and developing an innovative and equitable assessment that will guide the department's future efforts.”

Importance of the Park Needs Assessment

"This park needs assessment will be the best in its class," said Jon Christensen, a UCLA professor who has studied park needs assessments around the country and is serving as a consultant in the process. "It will set the stage for improving and expanding our park system across the city, prioritizing areas of highest need, and focusing park funding to achieve visible, tangible results for the residents of Los Angeles."

“We are honored to support the City of Los Angeles in the development of a robust park needs assessment that will serve the residents of LA for decades to come,” said Jessica Henson, the project’s Consultant Lead from OLIN. She continued, “Parks are critical for our communities, providing not only places to recreate and rest but also places where people come together to learn, create, and celebrate.”

Community Engagement Process

The Park Needs Assessment process will include numerous opportunities for the community to share ideas and feedback through a variety of engagement methods, such as in-person and virtual community meetings, pop-up events, partnerships with community-based organizations, equity-focused events, key group meetings, surveys, and a project website. With a focus on equitable, innovative, and creative community engagement, the process aims to ensure that all Angelenos' voices are heard and valued, using both in-person and digital tools to encourage active participation. The feedback gathered throughout this process will help inform future decisions related to park improvements, funding, and new development.

Survey

The team will be conducting a statistically valid survey to help ensure input from a representative cross-section of Los Angeles residents. Surveys can be completed online, at parks across the city, and also in-person at an upcoming March engagement meeting. The survey allows people who do not have time to attend in-person events to share their ideas and experiences about the park system. Go to the project website to take the survey and/or share with your family, friends and neighbors at needs.parks.lacity.gov.

Next Steps

Spring/Summer 2025: Community outreach will focus on understanding and refining public priorities for existing park amenities.
Fall 2025: Draft Park Needs Assessment for Public Review
Winter 2025-2026: Anticipated Completion of Park Needs Assessment

PROJECT INFORMATION

ABOUT THE CITY OF LA DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS

The Department of Recreation and Parks operates over 550 park sites and 92 miles of trails that cover over 16,000 acres of land in Los Angeles.

The park system includes some of the world’s most iconic parks such as Griffith Park, Sepulveda Basin, Echo Park, and MacArthur Park, as well as hundreds of community and neighborhood parks, Venice Beach, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, and 12 museums.

PROJECT TEAM

The project is being led by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. A Technical Advisory Committee, a Steering Committee, City of LA elected offices and staff, government departments, and organizations will provide guidance to the project team.

Through a competitive “request for proposal” process, the City selected OLIN and their team that includes their subconsultants Kounkuey Design Initiative, Agency: Artifact, The Robert Group, Estolano Advisors, Geosyntec Consultants, GreenInfo Network, HR&A, Better World Group, Dharam Consulting, Calvada, LANDAU Design + Technology, ETC Institute, and West of West Architecture, and was approved by a unanimous vote of the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners in December 2024.

For more information, and to stay updated on community events and engagement opportunities, please visit our project website at needs.parks.lacity.gov.

OLIN Has Big Plans

From neighborhoods to cities to regions, planning for our collective future is part of our commitment to creating places that enhance life. At OLIN our team of planners and designers are leading some of the most innovative projects that bring together social, environmental, and economic resilience.

We know that planning excellence requires a community-driven and inclusive process so residents are meaningfully involved in deciding the future of their parks and cities. From our years of experience in park systems, river systems, infrastructural systems, long-range planning, resilience and climate planning, and park design and programming, we know that getting this right takes time and investment in the process. We create teams with a robust and sustained community leadership structure to guide the process, and policies, from end to end, involving community leaders at each step—to help spread the word, shape messaging, encourage participation, and ultimately shape the strategy itself. We strive to have a hyper-local approach to make sure we know a community's leaders and unique characteristics, building trust and relationships that will allow us to work from a strong foundation.

We also understand that a plan is only as successful as its ability to integrate well with other policies, and to provide a runway for smooth implementation and transparent decision-making. This can only be achieved by creating substantial buy-in through the process. For that reason, we put emphasis and time into building trust through deep and meaningful conversations with communities—putting them in the driver's seat rather than simply checking a box.

LEARN ABOUT SOME OF OUR RECENT BIG PLANS!

Caño Martín Peña Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan | San Juan, Puerto Rico
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, we worked with residents from the eight communities of the Caño Martín Peña District to develop a comprehensive infrastructure plan. This plan works to improve their collective health and quality of life through a holistic approach that incorporates nature-based strategies and climate change risk analysis while safeguarding the communities’ deep social bonds.

Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan | Los Angeles, CA
OLIN led the design and planning team for the once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the the 2,000-acre Sepulveda Basin and improve the lives of millions of Angelinos.

The Sepulveda Basin Vision Plan (SBVP) which was released to the public in June of 2024, enhances natural systems, recreational and cultural programming, and climate resilience driven by community needs and priorities of adjacent climate vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.

Origin Park | Clarksville, IN
OLIN’s work on Origin Park seeks to restore this 400 acre site to be a connector and catalyst for surrounding Southern Indiana communities.

The park functions at a site level and regionally to be a model of a contemporary large urban park as a resilient, climate-adapted landscape that invites visitors to the dynamic power of nature and a layered cultural history through direct landscape experience.

Cleveland Parks & Recreation Plan | Cleveland, OH
OLIN led a groundbreaking citywide Parks and Recreation Plan for the City of Cleveland which serves as a guide to how the City can improve parks and recreation to better meet residents’ needs. This plan is the first to specifically use an equity-based prioritization framework for future city investments. The multi-faceted engagement process helped ensure that a representative sample of residents were heard and allowed areas of consensus to be found to identify the differing needs in different areas of the city.

As a foundation for developing the Parks and Recreation Plan, OLIN led a multifaceted engagement process. Open houses, mailed and online surveys, youth workshops, neighborhood meeting kits, and interviews were used to hear from residents what their concerns are and what they envision for the future.

LA River Master Plan Update | Los Angeles County, CA
In 2022 the LA River Master Plan was adopted by LA County as a blueprint for reimagining the LA River from single-use flood channel to multi-benefit publicly accessible open space and ecosystem. Check out Partner Jessica Henson on PBS Earth Focus talking about the 51-mile LA River.

Next Steps for High Falls State Park in Rochester

EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT AND NEW YORK STATE PARKS, RECREATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION ANNOUCE CONSULTANT SELECTED FOR DESIGN OF NEW HIGH FALLS STATE PARK SLATED FOR DOWNTOWN ROCHESTER

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Press Release from Empire State Development and New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, 09 October, 2024.
https://esd.ny.gov/esd-media-center/press-releases/esd-nys-parks-announce-consultant-design-new-high-falls-state-park-roc

High Falls State Park Will Serve as the Heart of the ‘ROC The Riverway” Initiative Which is Transforming the Area Around the Genesee River Waterfront

Public Meeting Scheduled and Website Created to Provide Community with the Opportunity to Weigh in on Park Design

$8 Million NYS Investment Supports the Finger Lakes Region’s Comprehensive Strategy to Revitalize Communities and Grow the Economy by Providing Recreational and Interpretive Opportunities for Residents and Visitors

Empires State Development (ESD) and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation today announced that national landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN has been awarded the contract as the park design consultant for High Falls State Park set to be initiated in Downtown Rochester. OLIN, which maintains offices in Pennsylvania and California, will partner with local firms Highland Planning, LiRo Engineers, TY Lin, Trophy Point, Flaum Management, and other consultants to bring the vision for the new park to life. Remediation work along the three-quarter mile-long stretch of the Genesee Gorge is already underway and is expected to last another five years. Construction on the new park is expected to begin sometime in 2026 or 2027.

Governor Kathy Hochul said, “Downtowns are what bring communities together and provide residents with a sense of pride. Our State Parks are some of New York’s most-treasured resources and this transformative project will serve to connect future generations with a beautiful and sustainable space, building on my administration's commitment to strengthening communities.”

OLIN is comprised of landscape architects, planners, urban designers, and support staff whose work aims to create distinguished landscapes and urban designs worldwide. The company is globally admired for ensuring projects are designed using innovative and tailored approaches to community engagement, environmental and social responsibility and justice, and financial and operational sustainability.

OLIN Managing Partner Michael Miller said, "We are thrilled to be leading the design of this compelling and transformative project for the people of Rochester. High Falls is a park site like no other, offering natural wonder and cultural history in the heart of a historic downtown. We are grateful to State Parks, ESD, the City of Rochester, and the many stakeholders and community members who have worked tirelessly to get this project off the ground and are looking forward to working collaboratively with everyone to refine and realize the vision of High Falls State Park."

ESD, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation OLIN and its community partners will hold a High Falls Park Open House on November 13th, from 4-7 PM at Monroe Community College’s downtown campus on State Street in Rochester where they will provide the community with an update on the planning process and ask the community to weigh in on considerations that will influence the park design. That design will be imagined using the existing High Falls waterfall as its heart. The public can also access information about the planning process at www.HighFallsStateParkNY.com.

Empire State Development President and CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight said, “We continue to be incredibly excited about what the future holds for in the heart of downtown Rochester thanks to the establishment of High Falls State Park and what it will bring to the city center. Thanks to the OLIN team, local stakeholders, and to the continued community support, this multi-year project will truly be a game-changer not only for city residents but will give visitors yet another reason to visit the beautiful flower city.”

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons said, “State Parks is pleased to see the High Falls State Park project continue to move in a positive direction. As the first state park in the City of Rochester, High Falls will offer phenomenal recreation opportunities and economic benefits to local neighborhoods and the region at large, allowing access to this historically significant area for the first time.”

Off limits to the public for many years due to its formal industrial use, once completed, the park will serve as the marquee piece of Rochester’s “ROC The Riverway”-a collaborative effort of the state, city and regional economic development partners aimed at revitalizing the area along the Genesee River. This unique natural park in an urban setting will provide green space and recreational amenities for local communities and serve as a regional destination. Reclaiming the area for public enjoyment for the first time in over a century will also help visitors to rediscover its rich geologic and historic industrial past. Investment in the site offers opportunities for both ecological restoration and a catalyst for economic growth.

Phase one of the “ROC the Riverway” initiative included investments in 13 targeted projects, all of which have been completed or are currently under construction or design – included are the transformation of Austin Steward Plaza, Genesee Gateway Park, ROC City Skatepark the Brewery Line Trail, as well as the ongoing Aqueduct Reimagined project adjacent to the new Constellation Brands global headquarter campus.

Phase two of the initiative, launched by the Governor in 2022, is highlighted by the establishment of the new state park within the historic river gorge. To date, New York State has committed $8 million in design funding to assist with the transformation.

Rochester Mayor Malk D. Evans said, “As we steadily work towards the creation of High Falls State Park and ROC the Riverway projects continue to be realized, we are transforming Rochester’s connection to the Genesee River and its rich history. This state park will be a new centerpiece for our downtown, offering residents and visitors a place to gather and celebrate Rochester’s natural beauty. With the support of Governor Hochul, we’re making tremendous strides toward revitalizing our waterfront and creating a unique destination that strengthens our region and fuels economic growth.”

State Senator Samra Brouk said, “I am excited to see concrete plans for High Falls State Park coming together. Revitalizing High Falls for our community will restore its historic wonder, improve the landscape, and feature new amenities for visitors. We are grateful for investments in the ‘Roc the Riverway’ initiative and look forward to the restoration of this land for the enjoyment of all.”

State Assemblymember Harry Bronson said, “High Falls State Park represents a transformative and bright future for Rochester’s historic Downtown, and the hiring of OLIN to lead the design is an exciting next step. Their expertise combined with a focus on community engagement, sustainability and social justice is key to completing High Falls State Park in a way that truly honors our city and community.”

State Assemblymember Demond Meeks said, “As one of the centerpieces of the ROC the Riverway initiative, High Falls is both a historical landmark and a vibrant neighborhood that will benefit from this revitalization. I appreciate the significant progress and investments being made toward realizing Rochester’s first state park. It is important that the members of our community take this opportunity to share their ideas and help shape this project in a manner that will best serve our neighbors and families.”

State Assemblymember Sarah Clark said, “The new High Falls State Park is an incredible opportunity to transform and celebrate this amazing natural resource in the heart of our city. Moving along in the process to make this a reality is exciting and I welcome OLIN to Rochester. I look forward to their proposals and the continued chances for our community to engage in the process.”

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said, “Monroe County is home to some of the most beautiful and unique parks in the entire state. High Falls State Park will add to the vibrancy of downtown Rochester and provide visitors with an up-close experience of the beauty of the falls and the Genesee Gorge, while also honoring the rich industrial history that shaped our city. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for your commitment to investing in our infrastructure and expanding access to the outdoors for families across our community.”

Avangrid, parent company of RG&E, CEO Pedro Azagra said, “High Falls State Park is a feather in the cap of the Flower City, and we are thrilled to be part of the ROC the Riverway effort to revitalize this historic natural landmark, which will be a resource for the community. Thanks to Governor Hochul and local leaders for her stewardship of this vital development work.”

For additional information about ROC The Riverway, visit: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/departments/department-environmental-services/roc-riverway.

Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward

Today’s announcement complements “Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development. The regionally designed plan focuses on investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture‎ and food production, and advanced manufacturing. More information is available here.

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development (ESD) is New York’s chief economic development agency (www.esd.ny.gov). The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing the Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of “I LOVE NY" the State’s iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.

About the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which saw a record 84 million visits in 2023. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit the NYS Parks website, download the free NY State Parks Explorer app,  or call (518) 474-0456. Join us in celebrating our Centennial throughout 2024, and connect with us on  Facebook,  Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and the OPRHP Blog.