USC Dornsife scholars offer a unique perspective on the City of Angels

People think of Los Angeles as a horizontal city; a hazy basin of coast-to-desert freeways and hypertrophic sprawl. But it’s also the birthplace of the aerospace industry, a bastion of art deco verticality and a landscape of lanky palm trees. In many ways, L.A. evolved by virtue of those who donned their Wayfarer sunglasses and gazed toward the sky.

Such lofty ideas will be explored during the “Over L.A.: Aerial Accounts” conference on Nov. 3 at the USC Doheney Memorial Library. Co-organized by USC Dornsife Professor of History William Deverell and Assistant Professor of the Practice of English David Ulin, the day-long event will bring together scholars, students and community leaders for a series of panel discussions, interviews and impressionistic interludes. The conference is designed to spark new dialogue around underappreciated aspects of L.A. by challenging participants to think about the torrent of activity happening beyond plain sight. 

Elevating the conversation

“Over L.A.” will explore far-reaching topics, from biodiversity to zoning to the future of taxi drones. The interdisciplinary sessions will feature experts who might not normally get together. For example, Brian Brown, an entomology specialist from the Natural History Museum, and USC Dornsife spatial scientist Su Jin Lee will discuss the effects of “mansionization” — building the largest home possible on a lot — and tree canopy loss on native plant and animal species.

Additional panelists include Los Angeles Chief Design Officer Christopher Hawthorne, general manager of the L.A. Department of Transportation Seleta Reynolds, a L.A. Police air support officer, and scholars, writers, critics and artists from throughout the community.

“We see this conference as a way to think about the city in three dimensions,” said Deverell, director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West. “We want to raise questions that pull the panelists a little outside their comfort zone.”

Ulin and Deverell were particularly enthusiastic about discussing ways in which California’s legendary sunshine is baked into the city’s story, and both have written extensively on the topic. It was the quality of light that lured the movie industry west at the turn of the 20th century. Its rays inspired a surf culture in the 1950s that affected music, fashion and language. And its ubiquity has made the city a pacesetter in the harnessing of solar energy.

What’s up with this place?

Ulin’s interest in studying L.A. across different depths and perspectives began when he moved to the city in 1991 and was trying to understand how it all fit together.

“It’s a disorderly city that somehow finds its own order in the disorder,” he said. Since 2013, he and Deverell have collaborated on similar events, which Ulin imagines to be like chapters in an ongoing book about Los Angeles. “Over L.A.” is the counterpart to last year’s well-received symposium, “Under L.A.: Subterranean Stories.”

So where exactly does “over” L.A. begin?

“That’s something we get to interpret,” said Deverell. “Is it the first molecule above the ground or the hat on top of my head?”

“Over L.A.: Aerial Accounts is presented by the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West; the USC Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study; the USC Libraries Collections Convergence Initiative; and USC Dornsife. The conference is free, but online registration is required to attend.