Latino Urban Forum Envisions A New Urbanism of Density

2003 conference at USC on Latino new urbanism advanced the notion that we need to re-assess urban space and the built environment to accommodate a new population majority emerging in Southern California. What is the nexus between LA's growing immigrant communities and urban density?

Immigrants bring new approaches to the use of public space and the creation of community. In many immigrant neighborhoods - from Chinatown to Thai Town to East Los Angeles – the streets and sidewalks serve as a multifunctional spaces for playing, walking, shopping and socializing and where residents can come together and express their culture publicly. This re-appropriation of public space can offer us a way to rethink our existing car-oriented streets. That's where the Latino Urban Forum comes in. We have organized around the Evergreen Cemetery Jogging Path, Cornfields State Park, South Central Community Farm, Nacimiento Bike Tour, Latino pedestrian safety and art exhibitions. These projects rethink and celebrate public space and bridge the gap between land use and transportation.

of the panels in that year's symposium was, "Latino Lifestyle and the New Urbanism: Synergy Against Sprawl," headed by Michael Mendez. How does Mendez's work contribute to Latino new urbanism in Los Angeles?

Michael Mendez's research concludes that new urbanism approaches sustainable development through prescriptive urban design guidelines and standards whereas Latino urbanism explains the phenomenon of how people modify existing built forms to fit their behavior patterns. Many feel new urbanism is high-end and nostalgic while Latino urbanism is nontraditional and low-budget.

But once you remove the façades you can see that both movements explore human behavior patterns. No matter what race or income level, people are trying to create a sense of place. If we can incorporate new and Latino urbanism elements into modern-day planning practices, we will have a much easier time combating sprawl and unsustainable development, while creating a sense of place.

At that same conference Antonio Villaraigosa gave a speech entitled, "Building Homes, Building Communities." As we look back on those remarks, did he foretell the challenges that face us as a community?

Communities are a complex, intertwined mix of schools, parks, retail, jobs, housing, and public and private space. Focusing on housing alone ignores these connections and is really only the tip of the iceberg in understanding community. If you want to build a community with a strong sense of place, the question becomes, "How do we build the housing to complement the overall mix of elements that make up a community?"

Today in Los Angeles we are faced with massive housing and open space shortages, and we need to go beyond this single-versus-multifamily debate and develop new opportunities and sites for housing by fixing the public realm in L.A. People should be clamoring to live in high density housing around transit stations/corridors, but unfortunately their street designs support only car traffic, not social activities.

Another speaker at that conference was USC professor Dowell Meyers, who asserted that the real estate market tends to mimic past success without considering how places evolve. And then he noted the growth patterns in the Latino community. What does the basin's real estate market need to do to accommodate projected growth?

My research examined how Latino residents transform their homes both decoratively and physically to promote social activity in the sidewalks and streets. For Latinos, neighborhood cohesion is not created by generic front lawns but by social activity and personal expression of the household. Architects need to understand the nuances of the Latino house-scape in order to design appropriately. Planners need to understand the role streets and sidewalks play in creating Latino neighborhoods as well the role of walking and public transit. Developers and bankers need to develop a product that is priced for the Latino market.

Councilmember Eric Garcetti spoke at that conference about the need to encourage sustainable building practices, and his colleague Ed Reyes spoke about the need to expand park space and economic development. Tie these two agendas into your Latino new urbanism agenda.

Sustainable building practices, parks, and economic development are some of the building blocks of healthy communities. You can find these building blocks in Latino communities where streets serve multiple functions, such as providing a place where children can play, residents can hang out, and street vendors can promote economic activity. The street becomes multi-purpose rather than just a traffic corridor for cars. The Evergreen Cemetery Jogging Path is a great example of how residents transformed space-in this case from a barren sidewalk to a 1.5-mile jogging path.

On a larger scale Latinos have played a role in transforming some of L.A.'s obsolete industrial parcels into large parks and open spaces, such as the Cornfield, Taylor Yards, and the South Central Community Farm. These projects are accessible by walking and public transportation and create opportunities for economic develop by bringing in capital for land acquisition and, in the future, areas for housing, retail and jobs. The 14-acre South Central Community Farm in particular combines community development, open space and agricultural opportunities for low-income and immigrant residents. Many of these residents may feel formal or recreational parks do not offer a sense of cultural continuity or encourage community participation.

You're on the advisory team for a conference in June on healthy place-making, which New Schools, Better Neighborhoods and leading pediatricians including Dr. Neal Kaufman are co-hosting. Why do we need such a conference? Who should attend, and will the program's subject matter be?

Place-making is the process of creating a physically, mentally, and socially satisfying experience at a given location, and it requires a level of detail that goes beyond planning and zoning and addresses the personal experience of place. From a health perspective, creating healthy, comfortable places gets residents out of their cars and off their sofas to engage in public space - much the same way Latinos use their streets and sidewalks.

By becoming more physically active in socializing, walking, biking and jogging, the causes of sedentary diseases such as obesity can be addressed. Place-making also promotes economic development opportunities by complementing great public space with private capital. In today's world of technology and global capital, the city that can provide the best personal physical experiences, like walking, will attract investment.

Los Angeles needs to engage in a massive place-making plan because we have unhealthy, unsafe and uncomfortable streets designed for cars and not for people. For example, walking is a marginal and second-class experience in L.A., unlike in Manhattan or San Francisco, where streets create unique experiences.

Place-making starts with visionaries building and thinking about place, from writers, artists, historic preservationists, movie producers, doctors, developers, city planners, architects, and advocates. All these people should attend the conference because we need to understand the complexities of creating a great place and begin the dialogue between the various place makers. For example, Lewis MacAdams, through his writing and advocacy, has led the public charge for re-envisioning the L.A. River, and now Councilman Ed Reyes is producing an L.A. River master plan – both need each other!

The conference should focus on how to turn L.A.'s streets around from underutilized resources to the greatest resource the city has to offer – to not only its residents but the world. With our great weather, there is no excuse for why the streets of L.A. cannot be as socially active as those in Barcelona.

Both the public and private sectors are currently making sizable investments in the infrastructure and built environment of L.A.. Why has it been so difficult to leverage captial investments by the MTA, libraries, parks, and the $18 billion in bonds for school facilities? What are the obstacles to smart growth?

Planning and funding have become myopic, fractured processes that focus on single-use suburban developments. The creation of complex, multi-functional places is impossible because of current zoning and funding processes and lack of inter-department cooperation. The city should create an interdepartmental group that creates multi-functional developments and projects every change it gets.

Mayor Villaraigosa spoke at an NSBN conference last June on the need to create mixed-use, neighborhood-centered schools, but it's been very difficult to jointly plan with the school district, with municipalities, and with NGOs to realize that dream. If we accept the mission and goal, what are the obstacles to implementation?

The obstacles L.A. needs to overcome are the policies and practices that support unsustainable car-oriented and single-use developments. Most Angelenos drive and live in single-family homes and do not understand the complexities of urban living. This suburban mentality is further promoted and protected by the L.A. Planning Department, which allocates staff to examine window treatments and doors for L.A.'s historic preservation overlay zones while no staff time is allocated to improving or enhancing the conditions of multi-family neighborhoods or low-income communities. Lastly, public agencies lack the knowledge to provide for L.A.'s growing number of low-income Latinos.

The L.A. Department of Transportation insists on moving cars and not people at the expense of Latinos, many of whom must walk and/or depend on transit; therefore, Latinos have some the highest pedestrian accident and fatality rates in the city. The Los Angeles Unified School District does not realize that many of their students live in park-poor neighborhoods and that it needs to develop neighborhood center schools. The school district has to go beyond counting seats and take into account whole experience of health and the space.

Is the recent densification of L.A.'s Downtown a positive manifestation of the new immigrants wanting synergy rather than sprawl?

Yes. Downtown remains a mecca for Latinos to shop and hang out because of the public transportation, retail, and historic places like Placita Olvera. Vibrant streets such as Olvera Street, Broadway and the, Toy and Fashion districts cater mainly to low-income Latinos.

On the other hand, as buildings are converted into expensive lofts, many of the new residents don't shop, walk, or use public transit. Many of them maintain their suburban driving patterns and want to remove bus stops and public transportation on streets adjacent to their lofts. This dilemma illustrates the complexity of public space. The city needs to improve and widen Downtown sidewalks to accommodate the many uses such as shopping, outdoor dinning, and public transportation.

If the Latino Urban Forum wrote a letter to the mayor of L.A. and its general managers on the agenda we've been discussing, what would that letter recommend?

The Latino Urban Forum recommends that the city revamp its the land use and transportations polices to create sustainable environments and use the Latino community as ambassadors of smart growth. We recommend that low-income residents get their fair share of planning service and attention because, legal or illegal, single or multi-family dwellers, we all live in one city and one space.

City officials need to understand the pulse of the city and engage communities in the planning and place-making process. For example, they should move committee meetings to evenings when residents can attend. Currently only developers have time to go to these meeting during business hours. It should assign planning and DOT staff to neighborhood council meetings to explain what's happening in neighborhoods and make sure residents understand the land use issues affecting them.

In terms of policy, the city should first develop a pedestrian master plan that would improve walking conditions and move people instead of cars. This would set the groundwork for re-shaping the city. Second, it should establish urban design guidelines for multi-family and low-income communities that support the pedestrian master plan and address street vending, which is mostly illegal in L.A. yet promotes pedestrian activity.