Category Archives: Ideas for Downtown LA

Case Study: Downtown Brooklyn Fulton Mall and Downtown LA Broadway Urban Revitalization

Posted on May 6, 2013 by | 25 Comments
Downtown Brooklyn's Fulton Street Mall is walking a similar path as Downtown LA's Broadway toward urban revitalization

Downtown Brooklyn’s Fulton Street Mall is walking a similar path as Downtown LA’s Broadway toward urban revitalization

The last several weeks have been filled with really great news (read: a windfall) one after another regarding new retail stores opening or announcing their arrival in Downtown LA. It started with a big bang when we found out that the high-end Swedish retailer Acne Studios would be opening their largest store in the world at 9th and Broadway; then we had LA designer Alejandro Rodriguez’s Beautiful Fül store grand opening; then another grand opening of the national brand Sub_Urban Riot’s first retail store in the US; and then of course Brooks Brothers opened not long after in the Financial District. It culminated last Thursday with the exciting announcement that Urban Outfitters will be coming to Broadway later this year taking over and rehabbing the beautiful but dilapidated Rialto Theatre, including the restoration of the historic theater marquee.

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Posted in downtown los angeles, economic development, Ideas for Downtown LA, real estate, retail

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Ideas for Downtown LA: Implement Road Diets on Our Ultra Wide Streets to Encourage Pedestrian Activity

Posted on April 18, 2013 by | 27 Comments
This snapshot I took in New York is the single most powerful visually compelling reason why a city should be more about pedestrians and less about cars

This snapshot I took in Chelsea of a typical scene in New York shows how wonderful a city can be when it is pedestrian oriented

Every time I visit New York, I’m like a kid in a candy store. Why? I’m an urbanist at heart and New York is brimming with urbanism. No, it’s exploding with urbanism! I love walking and being a pedestrian free to roam the city, and whenever I’m here in New York (usually for a week at a time), I feel liberated and empowered as I dart through the energetic streets, slide my MetroCard on my way down into the ubiquitous subway stations, and jaywalk whenever and wherever I please. The way New York and other East Coast cities are built, compact and mixed-use, encourage a thriving pedestrian culture. What are some key ideas that we can bring back from a city like New York that can continue to help Los Angeles (and specifically Downtown LA) develop that wonderful pedestrian urban lifestyle and lessen our dependence (read: handicap) on automobiles?

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Posted in bicycle oriented, community involvement, downtown los angeles, education, environmentally green, Ideas for Downtown LA, parks, pedestrian oriented, public spaces, smart growth

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Ideas for Downtown LA: Minor Tweaks to 110 Overpasses Will Encourage Pedestrian Activity

Posted on April 9, 2013 by | 63 Comments
Some ideas on how to bolster pedestrian connections -- between City West and the rest of Downtown LA -- includes making the 110 overpasses safer and more attractive (mainly Wilshire Blvd and 7th Street)

Some ideas on how to bolster pedestrian connections — between City West and the rest of Downtown LA — include making the 110 overpasses safer and more attractive for pedestrians (mainly Wilshire Blvd and 7th Street)

As Downtown LA continues to evolve and mature into a multi-faceted urban center that’s not only a commercial hub but a bona fide residential community, it becomes even more important that we focus on creating an environment that is pedestrian friendly making it enjoyable and convenient for residents to live, work, and play in. That enhancement to the pedestrian realm — wider sidewalks, narrower streets, more bike lanes, etc. — in Downtown LA is needed to create the strong walkable connections that eventually spawns a walking culture.

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Posted in architecture, art and culture, bicycle oriented, city west, community involvement, downtown los angeles, economic development, environmentally green, financial district, Ideas for Downtown LA, pedestrian oriented, public spaces, smart growth

“Friends of Pershing Square” Reimagines Downtown LA’s Faded Historic Central Park

Posted on February 4, 2013 by | 44 Comments
One of the first redesign options for Pershing Square is to get rid of the walls and return it to its original form, an example seen here in 1965 (Photo: LAPL)

One of the first redesign options for Pershing Square is to get rid of the walls to increase visibility and accessibility, returning it closer to the original form seen here in 1965 (Photo: LAPL)

Pershing Square has gone through several major overhauls since its inception in 1866 when it was then called La Plaza Abaja, or “The Lower Plaza.” In its current state (another major overhaul designed by Ricardo Legorreta and completed in 1992), purple, yellow and beige walls surround most of the square with giant pink cylinders lining the wall on Hill St, blocking accessibility and visual connections. In addition, long driveways on all four sides of the park — leading cars into an underground parking garage — run parallel to the sidewalk (instead of space saving perpendicular driveways) creating uncrossable rifts between the sidewalk and square. It’s as if the park was designed deliberately to cater to the automobile with the intention of keeping people out of the park.

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Posted in architecture, community involvement, downtown los angeles, economic development, education, environmentally green, financial district, guest writer, historic core, Ideas for Downtown LA, parks, pedestrian oriented, pershing square, public spaces, smart growth

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Ideas for Downtown LA: Using Grand Central Terminal NYC as a Model for LA Union Station

Posted on January 14, 2013 by | 48 Comments
Post WWII, Grand Central Terminal faded away from the hearts and minds of New Yorkers and was almost demolished in the 60s, but today, the station is now relevant as one of New York's top destinations

Post WWII, Grand Central Terminal faded away from the hearts and minds of New Yorkers and was almost demolished in the 60s, but today, the station is now more relevant than ever as one of New York’s top destinations — a path LA Union Station will hopefully follow

I just got back to LA after spending a week in New York. Every time I visit America’s largest urban center, I am inspired by the incredible urbanism that defines the city. The infrastructure and built environment, mix of architecture, diversity of businesses, and strong pedestrian culture never ceases to amaze me. For us in LA, as we continue to press for change — improving our own urbanism in a city still dominated by a suburban, car-oriented mentality — it would behoove us to look at successful models and examples from other cities that could be applied to Downtown LA. One of those prime examples is Grand Central Terminal in Midtown at 42nd Street, which has experienced an amazing turnaround from irrelevancy and near demolition in the 1960s to one of the greatest rail stations in the world today.

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Posted in architecture, bicycle oriented, community involvement, downtown los angeles, economic development, environmentally green, Ideas for Downtown LA, mass transportation, mixed-use development, pedestrian oriented, retail, smart growth, union station

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Historic Downtown LA Grand Central Market Getting New Upgrades in 2013

Posted on December 27, 2012 by | 33 Comments

The historic 1917 market in Downtown LA, Grand Central Market, is getting a major upgrade with some exciting changes coming in 2013

This past Thanksgiving, I received a very exciting tip from a reader who informed me that Grand Central Market — one of the most precious historic gems in Los Angeles located at 3rd between Broadway and Hill — was planning to be revamped in the near future (early 2013). Then confirmation came yesterday when the LA Times reported that the historic 1917 downtown market is, indeed, getting a major overhaul with some very exciting implications that will add significant momentum to both the urban revitalization happening on Broadway and Downtown LA in general.

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Posted in art and culture, downtown los angeles, economic development, food, historic core, Ideas for Downtown LA, restaurants, retail

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Ideas for Downtown LA: Give to Homeless Donation Meters to Curb Panhandling

Posted on October 31, 2012 by | 15 Comments

Red donation meters like this one in Bethesda, MD are becoming effective alternatives to giving change to panhandlers in many US cities

Last month, I spent a week in Philadelphia and DC — two great urban cities in the country — and before returning to LA, I stopped by Bethesda, MD (a suburb of DC) because I heard it was a successful example of a TOD (transit oriented development) in the DC metro system. Downtown Bethesda was quaint and walkable from the metro station and reminded me a bit of Old Town Pasadena with its mix of chain and indie businesses like Apple and Georgetown Cupcakes. But one thing that stuck out to me while walking along the main drag, Bethesda Ave, was a red “homeless donation meter” that I thought could be an idea for us here in Downtown LA.

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Posted in downtown los angeles, education, Ideas for Downtown LA, politics

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Ideas for Downtown LA: Relocate County Services into Federal Courthouse and Expand Grand Ave Park by 2016

Posted on March 7, 2012 by | 17 Comments

The federal courthouse at 312 N Spring St could be where county services are relocated to after the new $400 million federal courthouse is completed at First and Broadway in 2016

My interest, passion, and involvement with Downtown LA urban redevelopment began in earnest after I graduated from college and moved back down to LA from the Bay Area. Living and studying in Berkeley and traveling to San Francisco quite often, I became fascinated by urban planning and was excited that Los Angeles was truly beginning its own urban renaissance. In 2004, after moving back to LA, I soon became aware of Downtown LA’s Grand Ave Project and realized its incredible potential for rejuvenating LA’s urban heart. However, I was very concerned about the proposed park that was planned to go along with it, so I voiced my concerns then by speaking at Grand Ave Project meetings and continue to voice my concerns to this day.

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Posted in community involvement, downtown los angeles, economic development, environmentally green, Ideas for Downtown LA, parks, pedestrian oriented, politics, public spaces, smart growth, video

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[Video] Ideas for Downtown LA: A Look at La Cañada’s 210 Freeway Cap Park for PARK 101

Posted on February 21, 2012 by | 14 Comments

Watch me walk across La Cañada’s freeway cap park over the 210 freeway

Last week, I attended the Friends of Park 101 meeting in El Pueblo where a panel of city planning experts and an urban conscious audience converged to discuss the exciting future of capping the 101 freeway through Downtown LA with a park.

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Posted in architecture, community involvement, downtown los angeles, economic development, environmentally green, Ideas for Downtown LA, parks, pedestrian oriented, people, public spaces, smart growth, video

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Ideas for Downtown LA: Redesign 888 International Tower Plaza into a Pedestrian-Friendly Open Space

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | 14 Comments

The 888 International Tower plaza at 9th and Figueroa is currently a barren and inhospitable space, but a simple redesign could completely transform it into a great open space for the public, adding value to the community

We all know how scarce good public spaces are in the Los Angeles region. A metropolis that rapidly expanded after the invention and subsequent democratization of the private automobile, Los Angeles is a decade or more behind when it comes to catering our city to pedestrians instead of drivers. Our roads and highways have been congested and clogged, but our sidewalks have been empty for decades, and as a result, it is no wonder why walking in LA is about as enjoyable as a visit to a dentist.

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Posted in architecture, community involvement, economic development, Ideas for Downtown LA, parks, pedestrian oriented, public spaces, smart growth

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