The Blogito

The Smarth Growth Conference: Part 1

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The national Smart Growth conference, entitled "Building Safe, Healthy and Livable Communities", will be held here in L.A. this time around, at the Western Bonaventure.

The session James mentions in the above vlog is entitled "From Pedestrian Friendly to Pedestrian Seductive" and will describe the difference between streets that accommodate pedestrians well (pedestrian-friendly) and those that entice people to come out and walk (pedestrian- eductive). It will first demonstrate places that provide basic safety and conveniences for pedestrians, for example, sidewalks and intersection crossings. And then will show how those streets can be made to come alive through streetscaping, architecture, paseos and more.

The session will also showcase an outstanding example of how to engage communities in making neighborhoods more walkable: the Great Hollywood Walkabout, which involved 150 people surveying 43 streets to bring pedestrian enhancements into the community plan.

And finally, an Angeleno will describe how it is possible to carry on daily life in Los Angeles without a car. He'll regale us with his daily experiences, rewards, and barriers; and conclude with some important improvements needed to foster auto-free lifestyles here in L.A. I (Nate) will be all ears for this because I've recently gone car-less myself.

Relatedly, to the session, on the last day of the conference: a "Latino Urbanism Tour: The Organic Pedestrianization of Public Space", will visit Los Angeles' predominantly Latino retail districts and neighborhoods, and explore how LA's Latino culture has influenced building iconography, including the practice of retrofitting public spaces to fit their needs. Sites featured include parts of Downtown Los Angeles, and surrounding historic neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. The tour will be by bus and by foot. And the cost will be $38. (Hopefully they'll be a student discount!) For more info--www.NewPartners.org. Next post, James will describe two more of the sessions he had a hand in creating.