Channels and Runoff is a visually compelling and thought-provoking series of photographs that explores the multifaceted realities of the Los Angeles River’s concrete infrastructure. The work investigates the intersection of landscape architecture, human intervention, and the vanishing natural environments that once defined the river’s ecosystem. Through this lens, the project critically examines how the design and management of the river's channels have reshaped the landscape, affected marginalized communities, and influenced the region’s ecological future.
The Los Angeles River—once a vital natural watercourse and now a highly engineered system of concrete channels—serves as a “paradise lost,” a metaphor for the broader tensions between human development and environmental degradation. Stretching 51 miles from Canoga Park in the north to Long Beach in the south, the river is an enduring symbol of the contradictions inherent in urban planning and environmental stewardship. This project delves into these complexities by considering the river's evolving role in both public and private domains.
The work engages with themes of urbanism, environmental justice, and the social and ecological impacts of human-made landscapes. This voluminous series of photographs asks critical questions about the relationship between the built environment and the natural world, as well as the often invisible consequences faced by vulnerable communities that live in proximity to these altered spaces. By focusing on the design of the channels and watersheds, the project reflects on how these artificial systems attempt to sustain life in the face of environmental and societal pressures.
Over the course of a decade-long investigation, Lenard Smith has used photography, video, and sound to document this landscape. The resulting work presents a nuanced exploration of the Los Angeles River's superstructure, showcasing the labor-intensive efforts that continue to shape its future. In doing so, Channels and Runoff offers a profound meditation on urban development, the struggle for ecological restoration, and the ongoing efforts to reconcile the needs of the environment with those of marginalized communities.
Channels and Runoff presents a unique opportunity to examine the Los Angeles River as both a case study in urban ecological design and a metaphor for broader environmental and social challenges. Through this powerful photographic series and accompanying analysis, the book will contribute to ongoing discussions about sustainability, justice, and the future of urban landscapes in a rapidly changing world.
