The Village Green
The Village Green
Los Angeles, California
Craft and collaboration shaped a landscape rehabilitation vision for The Village Green, beginning with a close reading of the property’s history rather than an assumption that preservation meant maintaining the landscape exactly as it appears today. One of the most consequential discoveries came through review of the original 1940s planting plans: the expansive, turf-dominated ground plane that had come to characterize the property was not historically accurate. Large areas originally conceived as groundcover, shrubs, perennials, and layered planting had gradually been converted to lawn, reducing both the botanical diversity and spatial richness of the original landscape.
That finding created an opportunity to think progressively about preservation. At the time of the study, approximately 29 acres of the property were maintained as lawn, compared with roughly 11 acres reflected in the historic plan, with a corresponding increase in estimated annual water demand. The recommendations proposed retaining lawn where it remained important to the experience of the major greens, while restoring historically planted areas with climate-adapted species and introducing habitat gardens, pollinator planting, a long-term tree succession strategy, and opportunities for residents to garden and grow food.
The result is a framework in which history becomes a foundation for change rather than a barrier to it: reducing water and maintenance demands while rebuilding biodiversity, habitat, and seasonal character. Within one of Los Angeles’s most distinctive residential communities, the landscape can once again become a richer living sanctuary, supporting wildlife and residents alike within the density of the city.
Peter Emerson led the master planning study, design and delivery of this project while employed at RIOS.