4 Plans Destined to Change L.A.’s Landscape in 2018

It may seem as though more L.A. city projects are rejected than they are implemented, but 2018 is about to change the game. Four anticipated urban plans will see the light this year, each of which will push the city in a more auspicious direction. From transportation to cultivation, these plans will prove that the grass is, in fact, greener on the other side. No joke. There’s going to be a whole lot more green space in our future — we just have to keep working for it.

 

Neighborhoods have new plans.

In 2017, Los Angeles experienced a host of electoral victories. The people voted on a half-cent sales tax to fund the expansion of light rail, bus networks, bike paths and highway reconstruction. We chose to curtail the development of high-rises in Santa Monica and proposed that residential buildings create more affordable units — by hiring of local construction workers, to boot. Now that the votes are in, 2018 is the time to set the wheels in motion.

 

 

So, what will happen to our beloved neighborhoods this year? First off, public transportation is bound to get a whole lot easier. However, it’s important to remember that these votes don’t entail required implementation. You have the ability to get involved, attend meetings and stand up for the ‘hood you so righteously believe in.

 

Silver Lake Reservoir gets some breathing room.

If you witnessed the Silver Lake Reservoir being pumped with water and screamed hooray, don’t celebrate just so fast. Sure, it’s great to see water in a reservoir that’s been barren for nearly 3 years, but this decision to refill this concrete basin negated the proposed plans of turning it into a public park. Something that Los Angeles so acutely needs.

 

 

But, as usual, we make do with what we have — in a laudable manner, nonetheless. With that being said, the city agreed to open a walking path along the Silver Lake Reservoir’s south bank, offering a semi park-like setting that many so desperately fought for. While it’s a small concession, we’re hoping this will open the floodgates (not literally, that would be bad) to more public parkland — both here and throughout the city.

 

The city has finally acquired that 42 acre swath of land beside the L.A. River in effort to revitalize and restore the river and its surroundings. Known as Taylor Yard, the land will eventually open up more than 1 mile of direct riverfront access and be transformed into a public green space. Have our dreams for parkland been answered? Not quite yet. This project is bound to take years.

 

 

Don’t lose faith, though. There are some epic short-term plans to revamp the space into a usable public area. Potential designs could include bike and walking paths, a dog park, weekly farmer’s markets, an outdoor amphitheater, verdant gardens, picnic areas and a new launch site for river kayakers, amongst countless other brilliant ideas. Of course we’d like to see some long-term changes, but hey — these interim plans are pretty stellar.

 

Figueroa gets a face lift.

There’s an ambitious plan to revitalize Figueroa Street (one of L.A.’s busiest roads) — so ambitious, in fact, that it’s taken nearly a decade to complete. Well, 2018 might just be the year. Stretching from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to Seventh Street, the project will introduce bike paths, a bus-only lane and ultra-wide sidewalks complete with professional landscaping.

 

 

Whether you’re driving or strolling down Figueroa, you’re experience is fated to be far more enjoyable. And, as this massive restoration garners a great deal of positive acclaim, we’re confident other street makeovers will happen down the road (literally & figuratively). You can’t live in L.A. without having some sort of facelift, right? A $20 million one, no less.