Located on the University High School campus in West Los Angeles, Kuruvungna Village Springs contains one of the few remaining natural freshwater sources in the Los Angeles Basin. The springs sustained the thriving Tongva village of Kuruvungna for thousands of years preceding Spanish colonization and continue to hold profound cultural significance for the Gabrielino-Tongva community.

Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge as its principal guiding framework, this project investigates how landscape architecture can support the ongoing protection and evolution of Kuruvungna Village Springs while reinforcing Indigenous presence and elevating the visibility of culturally significant landscapes within contemporary urban environments. The design protects the spring as the site’s spatial and cultural heart while expanding native habitats and water systems, highlighting culturally significant plantings, improving circulation, and creating spaces for gathering, ceremony, education, and quiet connection. Together, these interventions sustain Kuruvungna’s cultural and ecological significance for future generations.