Urban Orchard

In the predominantly Latinx city of South Gate, 7 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, a barren expanse of postindustrial land was sandwiched between the Los Angeles River and Interstate 710. Now, that land is a vibrant community park called Urban Orchard. South Gate’s 100,000 residents used to have scant access to green space with just 3 percent of the city’s land comprising parks, a fifth of the national average. Nearly 40,000 people lacked a park within a 10-minute walk of home and nearly 20,000 residents lived in poverty.

The 7-acre park now boasts a grove of 200 fruit trees, walking paths, native landscaping, an educational garden, stormwater infrastructure, a nature-based playground and community driven designs that reflect the needs of residents and help preserve Indigenous Tongva culture.

Urban Orchard puts the benefits of nature within reach, in a densely populated urban community that’s faced elevated levels of air pollution and social vulnerability. Now, the community has a park intentionally designed to help curb those issues and inspire a deeper connection to the benefits and joys of the outdoors, featuring:

• Multiuse paths
• Over 200 fruit trees
• 1-acre wetland
• Nature-based playground
• Educational gardens
• Education building
• Local job opportunities with the Conservation Corps of Long Beach

The large, constructed wetland extracts and clean runoff from the Bandini Channel. The nature-based playground and water tower mural will highlight Tongva history. Mural artists include Hector Arias (a.k.a. Tetris) and Tongva artist River Garza.

“Urban parks and green spaces bring so much value to our communities, and we simply don’t have enough of them in Los Angeles County,” says California Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44). “The Urban Orchard park will bring great benefits to the people in South Gate and surrounding neighborhoods. It will increase opportunities for exercise and outdoor recreation in new public parkland along the lower Los Angeles River and mitigate the impacts of air pollution through urban greening—ultimately building a healthier community. I applaud the Trust for Public Land for working with local residents to design a park that will promote active lifestyles and correct environmental injustices.”