Downtown LA Neighborhood Council Scores Big Planning Grant

DOWNTOWN NEWS - The Southern California Association of Governments has awarded a $121,956 grant to the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council to identify ways to make the area more livable, sustainable and prosperous.

The so-called Compass Blueprint grant will pay for architecture and planning giant AECOM to lead a comprehensive study of Downtown issues to craft a “vision” for the neighborhood.

At question, Berman said, is essentially what people want Downtown to look like in the coming years and how could it be a better place to live. Are there too many dogs, or is there too little dog friendly infrastructure? Should more parks be the top priority? What commercial uses should be emphasized or discouraged?

“As we go forward, we need to start looking at the fact that the growth factors especially in the Historic Core have started to take away from livability,” Berman said. “It’s made me think that we have to not only build things up but make sure they remain livable.”

In the early days of the Downtown residential surge, community needs were basic — people wanted dry cleaners and convenience stores. Berman said the SCAG grant will help identify what the new needs are going forward. (The rest of this Downtown News report plus what the study plans to explore … here) 




CityWatch
Vol 10
Pub: July 20, 2012