Transit-Shed by Neighborhood

Combining mass transit and biking data, Mapnificient creates an interactive google map overlay of Los Angeles to display how far you can travel without a car during a certain time frame. Depending on the time of day and how long you're willing to travel, i.e. 15 minutes or 30 minutes, it creates an interesting visual illustration of what I call your transit-shed - the distance one can travel in a given amount of time by mass transit. Since Mapnificient layers its information (taken from Metro Trip Planner) on top of a google map, you can search for things like "ice cream" to see how accessible certain attractions are without a car.

Sunset Junction

Drag the pin around and adjust the time cursor to test your transit-shed. Maybe you could increase your transit mobility if you moved to another neighborhood? This tool allows you to test those hypotheses. Try it out.

Warner Center Orange Line Terminus

Not Enough Trees

Source: la.curbed.com

Los Angeles is 21% covered by tree canopy, according to the Million Trees LA initiative, a fact confirmed by a recent study from the Woods Hole Research Center. This doesn't even compare to the national average of 27% and is even less impressive considering the region's temperate climate and decentralized pattern of urbanization.

When thinking about the impact trees have on urban and global sustainability, consider a few of the highlights from TreePeople's "Top 22 Benefits of Trees."

• Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.
• In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.
• Trees cool the city by up to 10°F, by shading our homes and streets, breaking up urban “heat islands” and releasing water vapor into the air through their leaves.
• Three trees placed strategically around a single-family home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50 percent.
• Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns. Most newly planted trees need only fifteen gallons of water a week.
• Trees reduce runoff by breaking rainfall thus allowing the water to flow down the trunk and into the earth below the tree, which prevents stormwater from carrying pollutants to the ocean.
• Tree prevent soil erosion by slowing runoff and holding soil in place.
• Trees reduce UV-B exposure by about 50 percent
• An apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the tiniest urban lot.

1928 Los Angeles Transit Map

Check out this transit map from 1928, twelve years before the Arroyo Seco Parkway opened as the first freeway in the region. It's interesting to see Los Angeles devoid of freeways - they are the physical markers that shape the contours of many of the city's neighborhoods, determine our common understanding of place, and orient our conception of the region's geography. Take some time to study the map and try to understand the city without the mental markers provided by today's freeways.

Map scan source: David Rumsey Map Collection

You can read more about the map and its similarities to existing bus lines at Metro's blog, The Source.

1906 Los Angeles Transit Map

Here is another interesting post from the Big Map Blog. Notice how many of today's transit lines trace routes used over 100 years ago (Blue, Expo and Gold Lines). This is due to the fact that many of the city's old rail right-of-ways were never developed nor put to any other use after they were decommissioned.

Los Angeles, 1871