California’s Los Angeles River was once a free-flowing river that frequently flooded. It was the primary source of freshwater for the City before the opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913. Starting in the late 1930s, this urban corridor was channelized and lined with concrete to efficiently convey floods and minimize erosion. Today, high-velocity and uniform flow depths degrade habitat conditions for native aquatic species, and do not provide refugia during floods. This study examined how to redesign the channel bed to provide increased flow complexity and habitat heterogeneity within this confined urban stream and restore fish passage by providing lower velocities suitable for migration. This study evaluated methods that could be implemented within confined urban channels to improve ecosystem function without significantly raising the flood stage at high flows. Additional goals include improving recreation and aesthetics, for example adding bike paths and improved access to the river.