City Planning As Masturbation

There was a conference here downtown this past week entitled "Downtown 2020: Continuing the Renaissance" where planners views of Downtown L.A. 10 years in the future, with more housing, more jobs, improved infrastructure etc.

I am staring out my window at 2 completed EMPTY skyscrapers that were meant for luxury condo's, so I am not sure that more housing is really the problem. I am not really sure who they were expecting to live there but I would wager the price point would be out of reach of the average family. That and I would bet that their marketing was geared towards "Young Urban Professionals (without children)" or "Empty Nesters".

Panelist Christine Essel, CEO of the Community Redevelopment Agency of L.A.,discussed the need for more housing. “We would like to see another 5,000 units come online in this decade,” she said. “It is important for families to live downtown and not feel like they need to move out.” In order to accomplish that, she pointed to things like infrastructure and transportation needing some upgrades, in addition to bringing in an elementary school.

Well, have I got a broker for you to talk to about bringing more schools downtown.

Both Michael LoGrande, director of planning for the City of L.A., as well as Bill Witte, president of Related California, pointed out that connecting the different neighborhoods that have grown organically into one neighborhood is an important step. “I think there is potential for L.A. to break down the barriers that separate it, and blend it with the rest of the city,” said Witte.

What bothers me is that these people know what is best for everyone. Why not mix K-Town and MacArthur Park, why wouldn't these two groups of people love living together? Why not destroy the culture that makes these regions unique into one giant MonoCulture? They "grew organically" that way, and you think, Mr. City Planner, that you know better than the 1000's of people whose individual choices created the world the way it is?

However, a weakness in the transit system, according to Leahy, are the visuals such as dead landscaping, potholes and debris that transit riders see on their way into L.A. “If you come into L.A. on a bus or train on a freeway, you would not be impressed,” he said. “You need to look at this place through the eyes of a visitor and enhance the beauty of the wonderful things that are happening here
in L.A.”

Really? I think the weakness of the transit system is that it take 40 freaking minutes to get anywhere, the bus drives so slow and erratically that you are in many cases better off driving or even walking, plus you get to sit next to smelly homeless people and many times it is more expensive than actually driving? And you are worried about dead landscaping? Way to deflect criticism there.

Downtown remains the city’s economic engine, said Carol Schatz, president and CEO of CCA. “The current renaissance has transformed Downtown Los Angeles from a nine-to-five business center to a residential, cultural and entertainment destination, bringing 27,000 new residents, 93,500 new jobs, $180 million in tax revenues to the city and county and $10.9 billion in business revenues,” she said. She added that “It is critical to Los Angeles' economic future that this renaissance continue.”

Downtown as the "Economic Engine of LA?" Have you ever even seen the Port of Los Angeles, which is responsible for 1 in every 7 jobs here in LA? But hey, at least they are trying, right? So why not hold a self-congratulatory conference to talk about what a great job they have been doing?