On Saturday the LA River Corp's very own Jennifer Samson joined Leigh Christy of Perkins+Will, and guerrilla gardener Ron Finley for a panel discussion hosted by The LA Design Festival on the implications and opportunities of the Cornfield Arroyo Specific Plan (CASP). 

The plan in question aims to redevelop 660 acres along the LA River as a food production zone that includes cultivation, processing and distribution. Supported by State Proposition 84 grant funds, the urban agricultural zone reimagines underutilized industrial, commercial and residential properties as unique opportunities for development focused on environmental and food-based initiatives to create a healthier Los Angeles.

Host Saul Gonzalez, KCRW Producer, moderated a vigorous discussion addressing topics ranging from the importance of locally grown food in the battle against food deserts in some of our most vulnerable communities, to rethinking how we talk about development in our neighborhoods. According to the panelists "change is not always binary" and we should not let the fear of gentrification impede us from making our communities more livable. 

If you want to hear more about the discussion around urban agriculture in LA neighborhoods, check out KCRW's Press Play: Summer on the River.

 #UrbanAg #LARiver #LADesignweek #LacyStreetStudios