James Brasuell celebrates the perseverance of one of LA's "most important urban projects," the remaking of Figueroa Boulevard, one of the city's major spines, linking downtown to the campus of the University of Southern California.
The future of the MyFigueroa project, "the city's most innovative pedestrian and bicycle environment," which had been spearheaded by LA's Community Redevelopment Agency and designed by Melendrez, Gehl Architects, and Troller Mayer Associates, had been in doubt since the dissolution of the state's approximately 400 redevelopment agencies in February.
But Brasuell happily reports that, "in early April, the LA mayor's office and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (DOT) struck a deal to move administrative oversight of the project to the DOT. Now MyFigueroa appears primed to move forward quickly."
"Melendrez principal Melani Smith said MyFigueroa will create 'an amazing multi-modal link' and 'a huge leap forward for the city.' An estimated 15,000 to 16,000 bikes populate the USC campus. This plus regular city and county bus lines-not to mention the opening of the Expo light rail line, slated for later this month- make the corridor an ideal location to reprogram streets as a public hub."
FULL STORY: Figueroa Comeback
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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