Next CicLAvia - Sunday October 9, 2011

With new north and south spurs, the next CicLAvia is scheduled from 10am to 3pm this Sunday, Oct. 9. Come join us and explore the recreational, cultural and social possibilities when ten miles of city streets are closed temporarily to car traffic.

Source: CicLAvia.org

Times Critic Reviews New West Hollywood Library

Los Angeles Times architecture critic, Christopher Hawthorne, recently reviewed the new West Hollywood Library, which also contains new chambers and meeting space for the West Hollywood City Council. Hawthorne' full review can be read here.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Hawthorne begins his review with a decidedly positive summary: "The new West Hollywood Library, set to open to the public Saturday on a curving stretch of San Vicente Boulevard across from the Pacific Design Center, is a building that offers a freewheeling tour through centuries of architectural history. Explicitly or implicitly, it points back to the work of Charles Moore, Pierre Koenig, Frank Gehry and even Michelangelo...Whatever you want to call its style (the first local stirrings of a postmodern revival, maybe?), it sounds altogether too busy and too stuffed with architectural influences to succeed. And yet it does succeed — beautifully."

Source: Los Angeles Times

Rarely does Hawthorne offer such a glowing review of public works projects. He concludes his review with a poignant observation that resonates well beyond the walls of West Hollywood's newest civic achievement: "But after many decades of existing as an essentially privatized metropolis — with mostly residential architectural landmarks to match — our region is being forced, as it grows denser, to relearn the art of civic architecture and to reengage the public realm. And in that sense the library is a tremendously encouraging achievement."

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.

Explore the 2010 Census

Use CNN's new interactive map to track demographic and population changes over the past ten years. These statistics are culled from the most recent 2010 census. It is interesting to alter the scale (census tract, county, state) when selecting from the pull down menu of population and demographic categories.

Source: CNN.com

Notice that when you select "population density" by "census tract" it becomes very clear that the densest and most populated parts of our country are concentrated exclusively in metropolitan regions, with Los Angeles being one of the largest (below).

Source: CNN.com

Urbanology from the BMW Guggenheim Lab

TheCityFix announced recently, "the BMW Guggenheim Lab released an online urban planning game, “Urbanology,” as a platform to explore urban issues...Each player assumes the role of a decision maker and answers questions to determine the priorities of a fictitious city. By answering “yes” or “no” to questions like, “Will you double the cost of public transport to fund its conversion to a carbon-neutral system?” or “Will you pay for a free bike service in your city?” players build a city that best matches their urban ideology."

The article goes on to describe the game's creator, the BMW Guggenheim Lab, as a "mobile laboratory that will travel to nine major cities worldwide over a six-year period to address issues of contemporary urban life through programs and public discourse. The lab is an international group of urban planners, architects, artists, designers, scientists, as well as experts in technology, education and sustainability who explore new ideas, experiment and create forward-thinking solutions to the challenges of urban life.

The lab functions partly as an urban think tank and partly as a community center, initiating public discussion on issues that affect livability, sustainability, public health and transportation in cities. Urbanology is an online extension of the physical installation and the theoretical discussion. In addition to answering questions, players can also suggest additional questions, which can serve as a global exchange of ideas and lead the discussion on urban issues."

Though Urbanology is an interesting thought experiment for those willing to test their personal beliefs against some of today's most pressing urban issues, TheCityFix correctly points out that "it also oversimplifies the decision-making process and provides too little context for the fictitious city. For example, deciding to put affordable housing in a vacant lot over a five-star hotel may increase a city’s affordability for its citizens but decrease lifestyle points, making your city less attractive to tourists. Making such abstract decisions without having the necessary context, like knowing the average household income or demographics, may have the opposite of the desired outcome for your fictitious city."

You can play the game here and decide for yourself. For what it's worth, my city is Singapore. 

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.

Walk Score for 95 LA Neighborhoods

Though not necessarily the best or only metric for determining walkability, Walk Score is still a fairly useful guide for comparing different neighborhoods and understanding the relationship between amenities (shops, restaurants, grocery stores, etc.), public transit accessibility and other computable factors that determine walkability. You can read about Walk Score's methodology here.

Walk Score released its most recent rankings for "Los Angeles' Most Walkable Neighborhoods." Click on the link for the full list and to see your neighborhood ranking.

Source: Walk Score

Water Wise House in Mt. Washington

Mt. Washington Home. Source: LA Times

"Those who follow sustainable design say the new residence could very well be one of the most water-efficient houses in the region, a milestone for L.A. as the city seeks better models of conservation. The Nob Hill Haus, as its owner-designers call it, could serve as a template for the house of the future here." (Click here for a link to the full LA Times story.)

Laundry, bath, and sink water flows into this tank before traveling through perforated underground pipes that feed plants. Source LA Times

Partners Frank Pasker and Grit Leipert "let California's scarcity of two resources — power and water — shape the design philosophy for" their new 2,400 square foot Mt. Washington home, which is designed to reduce energy and water consumption to the greatest extent possible. The couple's ultimate goal is to make it a net-zero energy home.

The Los Angeles region is poised to grow considerably over the next couple decades and a similar "design philosophy" is needed for the region to grow sustainably. Climate scientists predict drier and shorter Sierra winters, which means less water for Southern California. As Pasker points out, "California challenges you to do something because of the climate...You want to work with the climate, not against it." Working with the climate, with a particular focus on energy and water, will become the hallmark of successful sustainable design and help shape the future of development in Southern California.

Composting Bins. Souce: LA Times

Green Credentials:

• Gravity fed grey water system with no pumps, filters or electrical devices
• Grey water system treats 160 gallons of water per day, which then waters the yard through a series of underground perforated pipes
• 1,500 gallon cistern used to capture rainwater and water backyard plants
• 50% water use reduction from the typical Los Angeles home
• 120 gallon roof-mounted solar water heater
• 50% thicker walls than required to reduce heating/cooling needs
• 3.2 kilowatt solar array designed to offset any electricity use

1,500 gallon cistern, which holds captured rainwater for plant watering. Source LA Times

Transit Adjacent Markets

Here's a new form of transit-oriented development: Transit Adjacent Markets. The most interesting aspect of this clip is the efficient use of space, common sense understanding of public safety, and informal use of land. The speed with which the life and urban atmosphere of the market is dismantled and reconstructed is impressive and makes one realize that cities often do not need complex and expensive investments to breath life into formerly neglected spaces.

Los Angeles, 1877

The map below is from the BIG Map Blog. It provides a sense of what the landscape looked like in Southern California as it began to urbanize. Bunker Hill is in the distance and you can even see Pico House (#20), which still stands today.