Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) Culminating Experience

This project re imagines the river not as a problem to control, but as a teacher to learn from. Inspired by the way the Arroyo once shaped the rhythms of the Gabrielino-Tongva people, our vision places the river at the heart of a renewed relationship between people and place. We seek to restore natural processes, deepen human connections, and promote stewardship and respect. In doing so, the project both honors Pasadena’s heritage and looks ahead to a more resilient, ecologically rooted future.

However, realizing this vision has come with significant challenges that reflect the complex and fragmented condition of the Arroyo Seco. Channelization has contributed to a physical and emotional disconnect between the river and its surrounding communities, where the Arroyo is often unseen, inaccessible, or uninviting, despite its cultural and ecological significance.

In response to these challenges, our project aims to achieve four specific goals: channel restoration, ecological diversification, recreation programming, connectivity and access throughout and beyond. These principles are embodied in our spatial designs, which aim to reconnect people with the river through a series of community and ecologically-driven interventions.

Each intervention plays a vital role in reconnecting communities to the river through site-responsive design. The Annex serves as a civic anchor for ecological education and stewardship, offering flexible spaces for gathering and learning. The Devil’s Gateway Park re imagines urban hydrology through sediment diversion and dynamic flows. Re-Creation activates a dynamic floodplain park where topography and hydrology support habitat complexity and seasonal programming. The NELA Link bridges the fragmented urban fabric in the Lower Arroyo with green corridors, pedestrian routes, and a pedestrian bridge.