L.A. Stakeholders Perform 'Walk Audit' Downtown

L.A.'s downtown Business Improvement District calls on local business people, property owners, and residents to get stepping in L.A.'s Fashion District, to evaluate the area's walkability. The BID has $1.6 million to make improvements by 2008.

1 minute read

June 5, 2006, 12:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


Dozens of locals came out to Downtown Los Angeles' bustling Fashion District to critique the walking environment and offer suggestions for making it more appealing to visitors. Notes from the walk audit will be compiled into a preliminary report, which will serve as a guide to improving the area's walkability. Grant money from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will expire if not used by 2008, pushing leaders at the community Business Improvement District to generate concrete plans soon.

"'We're not at Times Square yet, but we're close,' said Kent Smith, executive director of the area's BID. 'Our district is 90 blocks. It's daunting in terms of people trying to get around.'"

"That the Fashion District needs the improvements is not in doubt. Like many parts of Downtown, sidewalks in the district are narrow and cracked in some places. Street "furniture" is mismatched in spots, crowds the walking area or is in disrepair. Elsewhere, access ramps direct people toward the center of intersections, instead of into the crosswalks."

Monday, May 29, 2006 in Los Angeles Downtown News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Millbrae BART station.

HSR Reaches Key Settlement in Northern California City

The state’s high-speed rail authority reached an agreement with Millbrae, a key city on the train’s proposed route to San Francisco.

April 24 - San Diego Post

Spiral ramp on exterior of parking garage in downtown Spokane, Washington.

Washington State Legislature Passes Parking Reform Bill

A bill that would limit parking requirements for new developments is headed to the governor’s desk.

April 24 - OPB

Missouri state capitol dome in Jefferson City, MO.

Missouri Law Would Ban Protections for Housing Voucher Users

A state law seeks to overturn source-of-income discrimination bans passed by several Missouri cities.

April 24 - Missouri Independent