How Do You Envision a Riverfront District?: Wendy Figueroa
On April 27, 2013, the Northeast L.A. Riverfront Collaborative hosted the River Bike + Walk Spectacular at Marsh Park in Elysian Valley. During the festivities, community members and visitors shared their stories and experiences of the river as part of the KCET Departures StoryShare event. Here are their stories.
Name: Wendy Figueroa
Occupation: Student
What has been your experience with the L.A. River?
I was born here in Elysian Valley on Denby. I used to come here all the time with my mom and my brother. We would come and just walk really far, we would ride our bikes, come down here and look at the animals, like the turtles, the ducks.
If there was one place along the L.A. River that you would want to change, where would it be and why?
I would change, I don't see a lot of people here so I would like to see more people here, just enjoying the river.
How would you attract them here?
I would try to have more events like these, where people could just come and gather around, to come and see the river.
What is the Rio Vista Project about?
The Rio Vista Project is about us learning how to design new entrances to the river. For example Marsh Park - it's a river entrance. And that's what we're learning how to do, so we can beautify the river entrances.
What is your involvement in it?
We design, put our own ideas into the...what we want to see here, and we're also here to see what the community wants to see here. What they want to see here in the river and what improvements we should have. We want to see what type of cul de sac they would like to see, like a gate, or stairs, or a ramp. So people can come on their bicycles. What ideas do they want to see here. What is it that they think would help the community or the river entrance.
How would you envision a "Riverfront District" in Northeast L.A.?
I wouldn't want them to change anything because I think the river is good how it is. Because if there were to be shops or other places here, people wouldn't pay attention to the river and they'd be too busy paying attention to the shops or looking at other things, instead of enjoying the river.
