Local Group works to build and grow L.A.
Housing is a complicated, hot button topic in the neighborhood, Los Angeles, the state and the nation. The city undoubtedly needs more housing, but how and where to place it is a charged matter. Job locations and modes of transportation are changing the landscape, which in turn affects the kind of housing residents want. Shouldn’t cities strive to give people what they want?
One would think, but sometimes outdated and glitchy building codes, zoning regulations, public perceptions and transportation options have stood in the way. The Livable Communities Initiative (LCI), a local, grassroots organization started six years ago by a group of local residents, including Lindsay Sturman of Windsor Square, aims to help Los Angeles grow into the future with planning, accessibility and beauty. LCI is a fully volunteer-led organization that works with people around the world.
What do people want?
According to Sturman, as well as multiple studies, the majority of the Generation X and Millennial populations are looking to live in walkable areas with access to public transit. Many people hunting for a home desire the same. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and a study done by Joe Cortright, director of City Observatory (a think tank for urban issues) people are willing to pay more—sometimes up to $3,500 per positive walk point—to buy a home with a high walkscore, a metric that evaluates how far amenities are on foot from a specific address. The study by NAR also revealed that a majority of people would prefer to purchase an attached dwelling, such as a condo, apartment or townhome with great walkability as opposed to a detached home with a small yard that isn’t within walking distance of amenities.
Gentle density
LCI has a vision of multiple city centers throughout Los Angeles. In the plan, buildings are three to five stories tall with retail on the bottom and housing above. This approach is referred to as “gentle density.” Street traffic is slowed. There is nose-in parking, similar to portions of Larchmont Boulevard. Greenery adorns sidewalks. Housing is courtyard style to allow for more light and ventilation, which also is positive for the environment. Perhaps Paris, Milan or even Portland, Oregon, come to mind? That is the idea. There are hundreds of miles of commercial streets in Los Angeles that are a great fit for this transformation. Sturman mentioned north Larchmont Boulevard, Culver City, Westwood and parts of Melrose Avenue as potential locales.
This concept, sometimes referred to as “15-minute cities,” proposes that within 15 minutes of your home you can walk to most, if not all, of your daily needs. That or public transportation is easily reached.
Can it come to fruition?
There are some hurdles to make this “gently dense” housing and living scenario happen. One roadblock is currently being addressed by the Los Angeles City Council. Councilmember Katy Yaroslovsky of Council District 5 coauthored a motion that passed in March to eliminate the need for double stairwells in buildings up to six stories. According to her office, the council is waiting to hear back from city agencies regarding this motion. They expect an answer within 90 days. Requiring two stairwells is an antiquated rule that many cities have eliminated. Nowadays, there are other fire suppression tools, such as building with fire retardant material, fire detectors and sprinklers, making two stairwells unnecessary.
According to Yaroslavsky’s communications director Leo Daube, “The single stairwell would allow buildings to be more aesthetically pleasing with more flexibility with design.” Yaroslavsky shares a lot of residents’ frustration surrounding new housing when the proposed buildings are big, boxy and out of character and scale with the neighborhood.
Parking – the lynchpin
LCIs plan doesn’t include parking and they don’t believe in a car-free Los Angeles, but as Sturman says, “Car lite. Think Boston, where you have a car but it’s parked in a lot 10 minutes away.”
Let’s read the up-and-coming room. Younger generations are trending toward working from home and relying more on ride- hailing services and public transit. Many don’t drive, others don’t want the hassle or expense of car ownership.
The rebuttal to “car lite” is that Los Angeles was built as a car-centric city. However, in the early 1900s, Los Angeles had 400 local main streets connected by the largest trolley system in the world. Residents had access from Santa Monica to San Bernardino with thousands of miles of track.
After World War II, mass production of automobiles and the building of suburban tract homes designed to accommodate cars, changed the entire transportation landscape to what we have today.
With the installation of the Metro subway system, Los Angeles is trying to emulate what it had before. As, early-18th century English author Jonathan Swift said, “Everything old is new again.” Learn more about LCI at livablecommunitiesinitiative.com.
Category: News
