When Alexander Robinson, an associate professor at the School of Architecture, stumbled across an urban plot in his neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles, he was shocked by how neglected it was by local residents. Yet, seeing its potential, Robinson pitched the idea to fix the park through an elective course at the University in 2024.

Dubbed the “Rainbow Canyon Community Crossroads,” the initiative was originally a smaller project within Test Plot — a community-based land care movement launched in 2019.

The class revived the scenic park by integrating traditional land stewardship with modern ecological practices. Along with volunteers and six local partners, such as Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, TreePeople and Community Nature Connection, the team reintroduced native plants to three test plots to support the habitat of Black Canyon wWoodland and maximize fire resilience.

“There was a want to acknowledge the Indigenous land care practices that came before,” Robinson said. “In curiosity about it, there’s also a need for a different approach.” 

Rainbow Canyon was once a potential target for auctioning, but the Santa Monica Conservatory purchased it in 1991. However, it received little ecological care aside from fire brush clearances, leaving the area largely degraded. 

In 2024, students from Robinson’s class studied and mapped the site’s ephemeral stream that reemerged amid winter storms in 2024. They designed a public wilderness trail that connected the canyon to the nearby Metro A Line’s Southwest Museum Station and created a storm drain to manage storm water and erosion. 

Robinson said the team’s work to promote habitat restoration has helped locals foster community connection and resilience through a hands-on approach.

“We found that there’s a whole group of people who are just interested in taking care of places. We’ve had stewards show up, and they wanted to participate,” Robinson said. “To them, it’s maybe more fun to garden and do restoration work than to sit in a park.” 

Students held a planting day Dec. 8 where 70 volunteers planted over 160 native plants across the land while also clearing the paths in a group clean-up for identifying trials. 

Students from Robinson’s class consistently visit and hold workshops at the test plot to survey the plants’ progress for future problems. They also collaborate with local community members to learn about environmental science.

Zoelli Ortiz, a graduate student studying urban planning, was one of the team members leading this year’s site sensory workshop where participants chose a spot in the canyon and laid in silence for 15 minutes.  

“The goal of this workshop was to just allow people to connect with it with permission,” Ortiz said. “There’s guidance to give them that push to know that: ‘Hey, this place is here, and it’s okay to use it. We want you to use it, because it’s yours, after all.’”

Ortiz said this allows people to get involved in these conservation efforts and develop an innate care. 

“It’s also important for us young people, college students, to keep it going and not give up, even though there’s many forces that are against environmentalism or more green practices,” Ortiz said.

Sara Eyassu, a senior majoring in environmental studies, facilitated a tree-hugging exercise at the same workshop and measured people’s comfort levels according to tree circumference. Eyassu said she wanted to emphasize ways to involve marginalized communities in the area in ways people didn’t normally engage in a park space. 

In another workshop, the team invited an Indigenous biologist to do a foraging food event at one of the test plots. 

“It’s showing how this is continual work. It’s not just we’re one and done, and we plan and leave,” Eyassu said of the workshop.

Robinson said the team has applied for grants and is seeking support to increase sustainability and amenities, such as a proposal to include a water accessibility program in L.A. neighborhoods. According to the Pando website, this would include funding stormwater initiatives that will improve water quality and working alongside schools to provide community benefits.

In the meantime, Robinson and his students will head to Catalina Island this month to make a test plot through team-building exercises.