Urban and School Greening
TreePeople’s Green Infrastructure program partners with communities to transform schools, alleys, and urban spaces into greener, healthier places. By installing nature-based solutions like trees, gardens, and stormwater systems, we help capture water, reduce heat, and improve neighborhood well-being.
Parks and Public Spaces

Kenneth Hahn

About the Project
TreePeople is teaming up with Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, California State Parks, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Baldwin Hills Conservancy, and SWA Landscape Architects for an exciting upgrade to ""The Bowl"" at Kenneth Hahn Park. We're transforming this beloved spot to better reflect our community's needs and enhance the natural beauty of the area.
Thanks to generous funding from the Baldwin Hills Conservancy (BHC) through Proposition 68, this project is set to make a big impact! We're addressing important environmental and public health issues while creating a space that everyone can enjoy. Our community-driven plan focuses on improving park access, boosting local ecology, providing both active and passive recreation opportunities, expanding the tree canopy, and bringing back native plants. The results? Better air quality, increased biodiversity, more wildlife habitats, and a healthier, more vibrant community park.
The project site, known as Janice’s Green Valley, is commonly called ""The Bowl."" This cherished area within Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area has a rich history and serves as a beautiful gathering place for relaxation and reflection. We honor the original Kizh/Gabrielino/Tongva peoples' land and remember the tragic 1963 reservoir dam breakdown that took five lives.
Get ready for a revitalized Bowl that will be a green, welcoming, and thriving space for everyone!
Partners
Baldwin Hills Conservancy, SWA Landscape Architects, Los Angeles County Recreation and Parks, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, California State Parks
Coldwater Canyon Park
About the Project
TreePeople' has called Coldwater Canyon Park home since 1976, and it serves as an example of the power of green infrastructure. Our campus includes a platinum-rated LEED certified conference center to host community events, and the landscape includes pollinator gardens, rain gardens, a 216,000 gallon cistern and the educational watershed garden.
Sun Valley Watershed Management Plan
About the Project
Sun Valley Park is an early example of a stormwater infiltration system installation beneath a city park to capture and clean stormwater from surrounding streets. TreePeople participated in all phases of design and development, including outreach and engagement of Sun Valley residents and oversaw funding and construction of new park elements of night-lighting and a new playing field to serve community needs.
Lawn to Landscape

Altadena Neighborhood Retrofits Project

Status: Completed
Location: Altadena
Project Partners: Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Graywater Corps
Scope: Landscape construction, outreach, maintenance
About the Project
The Altadena Neighborhood Retrofits Project, which kicked off in 2021 and was completed in 2023, was a partnership with Los Angeles County Department of Public Works and installed 20 parkway basins and retrofitted 20 home landscapes in the neighborhood of Altadena. TreePeople led outreach, hands-on maintenance workshops, and designed and installed the landscapes. The retrofits aimed to reduce runoff, conserve water, and increase biodiversity through strategies inclufding turf removal, native plantings, stormwater basins and cisterns, and greywater systems.
Partners
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Greywater Corps
West Basin Parkways
About the Project
TreePeople provided design consultation to and planted trees in X number of homes in the West Basin Municipal Water District to help them qualify and apply for the Turf Replacement program. Designs reduced water usage and incorporated native plants. TreePeople provided design consultation to 23 homes in the West Basin district to help them qualify and apply for the Turf Replacement program. The work provided included a site visit and candidate consultation, a planting plan, a plant schedule, a planting maintenance guide and in some cases a follow-up visit and/or coordination with landscape contractor chosen by candidate. Designs reduced water usage, incorporated native plants.
Streets

Elmer Ave Green Alley
Status: Completed
Location: San Fernando Valley
Scope: Green alley and stormwater infrastructure design, permitting and implementation. Tree Planting
# of trees: 250
# of native shrubs: 290
About the Project
TreePeople worked with a number of project partners to bring this project to life. Without their hard work, funding, and dedication, this project would not have been realized. Principally, TreePeople led community planting events in the bioswale, added trees, and installed rain barrels along Elmer Ave. As one partner on this extensive project, TreePeople engaged the community to hear their concerns, including frequent flooding. Working with LA Sanitation, the Council for Watershed Health, and numerous partners, this project aimed to alleviate the flooding that plagued the residents.
Completed in 2013, this project reimagined both the street and the connected alley way to reduce flooding by creating areas for rain water to infiltrate back into the soil. Previously, stormwater would accumulate in the street and alley, causing longstanding issues to arise. LA Sanitation took the lead in constructing the stormwater solution. Planting began in late 2009, led by Pam Gibson, leader of TreePeople's San Fernando Valley community outreach team.
Partners
- CALFED Bay-Delta Watershed Program
- California Department of Water Resources
- Long Beach Stormwater Management Division
- Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, Watershed Protection Division*
- Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting
- Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services
- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power*
- Los Angeles County Department of Public Works*
- Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board*
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California*
- Pomona College*
- Santa Monica Environmental Programs Division*
- State Water Resources Control Board
- University of California Riverside*
- Upper Los Angeles River Area Watermaster*
- U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation*
- Water Replenishment District of Southern California*"
San Fernando Stormwater Capture Project
Status: Permitting and Bidding
Location: San Fernando
Project Partners: City of San Fernando, CA Coastal Conservancy, Tetratech
Scope: Streetscape stormwater infrastructure design, documentation, permitting and implementation. Tree Planting.
About the Project
Beginning in 2017, Funded by the Coastal Conservancy, TreePeople and the City of San Fernando have been partnering to bring Green Streets/Calles Verdes to the San Fernando Valley where we are making our streets greener, cooler, and more resilient. We've expanded the urban tree canopy with new street trees in partnership with schools, community groups, and faith-based organizations. Neighbors near planting sites are provided with watering buckets and care guides to help trees thrive.
Our most recent efforts are focused on enhancing three blocks along South Maclay Street and South Brand Boulevard with new green infrastructure to improve water quality, reduce flooding, and cool our streets.
Key features include:
- Bioretention swales and curb extensions to naturally filter stormwater
- Permeable and reflective pavement in Parking Lot 4 to reduce runoff and heat
- Curb cuts that help rainwater flow into planted areas for natural absorption
Partners

Carlisle Green Alley
Status: Planning and Design
Location: San Fernando Valley
Project Partners: The City of San Fernando, Craftwater, CNRA
Scope: Green alley and stormwater infrastructure design, permitting and implementation. Tree Planting
# of trees: 250
# of native shrubs: 290
About the Project
Carlisle Street, a well-used alleyway in San Fernando, is currently in poor condition, with potholes, cracked asphalt, and no markings for pedestrian protection or safe two-way travel. It also contributes to local flooding and urban heat due to its fully paved surface and lack of shade.
To transform this vital connector, the City of San Fernando, TreePeople, and the California Natural Resources Agency have partnered on a Green Alley project, building on our work with the Calles Verdes initiative. Funded by a California Urban Greening Grant, the project aims to upgrade the vehicular functioning of the alley with climate-resilient features and improved pedestrian and bicycle access.
Proposed improvements include:
- Shade trees, native plants, and mulch
- Bioswales for stormwater drainage
- Permeable pavers to reduce runoff
- New lighting, signage, and pavement markings
- Increased safety for walking and biking
- Greening of a nearby 52-space public parking lot
- Opportunities for local artwork and cultural designs
TreePeople is hosting community outreach and ecological awareness workshops to identify neighborhood priorities and highlight the benefits of the project. Some design elements may change based on community input, but the project will prioritize safety, sustainability, and neighborhood character.
Partners

Inglewood/Lennox Greening Plan
Released Fall 2016
About the Project
TreePeople led a Strategic Growth Council-funded greening plan effort for the communities of Inglewood and Lennox . The Greening Plan serves as a master document to guide and coordinate greening efforts within the two communities. The Plan focuses on identifying and prioritizing land areas to increase tree canopy cover, build community gardens, implement practices that capture and/or conserve water, and identify additional strategies to enhance community health. TreePeople provided overall project management, fiscal administration and reporting to plan sponsors. In addition, TreePeople held primary responsibility for the planning process, including needs assessment, co-facilitation of stakeholder meetings, public meetings, and design workshops; development of plan, design guidelines and plant palette, coordination wtih appropriate jurisdictions, and review of drafts and plan completion
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