While the trees are only saplings, the figurative seeds have been planted for a fruit park in Del Aire. A fruit park may sound redundant, but this marks a change in the way communities approach and use public space. Typically, fruit trees and the like are frowned upon for use in parks due to the risk associated with child injuries from falling. But when proposals were being accepted for changes to Del Aire Park, one group found a way to convince Los Angeles County to reconsider.
Fallen Fruit, a group of artists which focuses on community involvement projects, proposed turning Del Aire Park into a place where residents could not only gather outside, but even use the fruit trees in the park for food. It will take some time for the saplings to grow, but the ultimate vision is to use a variety of crops so that there will be some kind of fruit ripening throughout the entire year.
Beyond providing a healthy snack, what benefits do these parks provide? How did Fallen Fruit come up with the idea? Will the park primarily be maintained by the city, or resident volunteers? Are you a Del Aire resident? What do you look forward to most about this park?
Guest:
David Burns, one of the co-founders of Fallen Fruit, the artistic group which proposed the plan for a fruit park in Del Aire Park in Hawthorne