Open Gateway: A Linear Park for West Los Angeles
Justin Lillehei
SCASLA Honorable Mention
The judges praised the project’s inviting and active design, with analysis and concepts that felt quick yet thoughtful. The 3D views were well worked and helped convey a lively, pedestrian-friendly space that celebrates the outdoors and transforms a transitional area into a true destination.
This project seeks to create a new public green space in a park-deprived area of West Los Angeles by transforming Gateway Boulevard, a high traffic street, into a linear public park. The proposed park will encourage community connection, enhance neighborhood health, and contribute critical green infrastructure to a city on the front lines of a changing climate. By trading a street for a park, and demonstrating the positive impact, this project could serve as a model for future park development in Los Angeles.
ABOUT JUSTIN
Hello! My name is Justin Lillehei. With this book, I will complete UCLA Extension’s Landscape Architecture program. I am entering the field as a second career. Or as they say in show business—my second act!
My previous life was film and television, I produced over 50 episodes of scripted TV, and developed a wide-ranging slate of projects at major studios and networks. While making my way through the UCLAx program, I have continued to produce, and remain an active member of the Producers Guild of America.
But I am looking to make an impact in the real world, a lasting one, at a crucial moment for our children.
I am optimistic about landscape architecture’s role in sustainable building, ecological restoration, and social equity, but know that real change happens slowly, and only when a foundation is in place.
I spent my prior career working to achieve a creative vision, while balancing the shifting demands of budget and physical production. I look forward to continuing that work in Landscape Architecture.
I am originally from St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. I am a father to a toddler, Miss Elodie, who is as old as my time in this program.