Los Angeles Needs to be Manhattanized (Riverside, San Bernardino: apartments, condos, townhomes)

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by Chicano3000X

For those saying we don't need a downtown. Ever think it's a sin to let those old buildings, all that history, the only part ofLA that actually feels like a city die out?
Downtown LA is very much needed. It is the main heart and origin of the city. What good is it for a city to have a neglected downtown?

LA is a victim of vanity. Other cities took pride in themselves. Watch the documentary "LA Plays Itself", and it will tell you how the Hollywood industry screwed with LA's image. How much a joke of a city it has been depicted as. Downtown is the true LA, the true city feel of LA. It deserves more respect and more care than than it has been given the past several decades.

There are lots of places outside of DTLA that "feel like a city".

[jm1982]

Yeah true....for example people think of the valley as the Suburbs...but a lot of the valley especially Studio City feels like a city. It was more suburban in the early days when it went from farmland to residential ...but that was decades ago.

[K 22]

Originally Posted by munchitup

There are lots of places outside of DTLA that "feel like a city".

Almost the entire stretch of Wilshire Boulevard is a city, in my opinion.

[cityKing]

What is a city without a downtown

Originally Posted by capoeira

Less crowded and a better place to live!

Less crowded downtown = More crowded surrounding.

More crowded surrounding = more sprawl

more sprawl = more traffic

more sprawl + more traffic = more smog

more smog = more headaches.

Originally Posted by RaymondChandlerLives

Looks like we have a visitor from the city vs city board. How nice of you to stop by.

Wanna know why folks in New York and Chicago don't talk about anything outside their downtown and near downtown neighborhoods? Because they're colossal bores, that's why. Naperville, LOL. Staten Island, LOL. Stamford, CT...LMAO.

I'll take highly interesting metro with a so-so downtown over a city with a great downtown and thousands of sq miles of filler. Now scram.

A "world class city" with a dead downtown is like a "world class car" with a 4 cylinder engine

It's ok that some people prefer the "suburban lifestyle", because if you ask me, all of Los Angeles, and So Cal for that matter is just a giant suburb. But as far as urban settings go, people are not going to visit LA for the "city experience" quit kidding yourself. Los Angeles = dense sprawl. The fact of the matter is people like Los Angeles for it's surroundings and not for it's actual urban setting.

It's great LA has a good metro, but when your metro life is more known than your city **urban** life... Something isn't right.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by cityKing

What is a city without a downtown



Less crowded downtown = More crowded surrounding.

More crowded surrounding = more sprawl

more sprawl = more traffic

more sprawl + more traffic = more smog

more smog = more headaches.



A "world class city" with a dead downtown is like a "world class car" with a 4 cylinder engine

It's ok that some people prefer the "suburban lifestyle", because if you ask me, all of Los Angeles, and So Cal for that matter is just a giant suburb. But as far as urban settings go, people are not going to visit LA for the "city experience" quit kidding yourself. Los Angeles = dense sprawl. The fact of the matter is people like Los Angeles for it's surroundings and not for it's actual urban setting.

It's great LA has a good metro, but when your metro life is more known than your city **urban** life... Something isn't right.

Feel like I've heard this analogy before...

But seriously, DTLA is nowhere near as bad as you are making it out to be. It may not be The Loop or Midtown Manhattan, but it is still a premier downtown (much better than a mid-size city's) in the US. Best part is it is only improving, and at an exponential rate.

[genjy]

Originally Posted by cityKing

Less crowded downtown = More crowded surrounding.

More crowded surrounding = more sprawl

more sprawl = more traffic

more traffic = more headaches.

I don't know--especially in the Los Angeles region, where people drive from all over to work in the Downtown LA area. That's what causes the rush hour traffic on the 10, 60, 710, 5, 405, etc.

If there were more business and job centers spread out in the region, then many people wouldn't have to drive toward the same general destination for work--thereby probably decreasing traffic.

You would have people in SFV working in the SFV area, Long Beach people working the Long Beach area, SGV people in the SGV area, and so on--instead of all these people driving to DTLA and Westside for work.

[bpeeps]

Originally Posted by munchitup

I think anywhere with a extremely high percentage of any one race is undesirable.

It is true that a lot of the super bombed-out parts of Midwestern and East Coast cities are highly African American, though. I wouldn't put the blame on them for it being bombed out though, I'd blame the city for neglecting the poorest areas of the city.

Except whites though, right?

[jm1982]

You're idea of more job centers spread out is a smart one...but problem is L.A wasn't really built smart..and the city is very very very focused on making sure Downtown L.A thrives...

Doing something for the San Fernando Valley would really help things ,...there are few places to work in the Valley.

It seems like people are mostly working in Downtown or the Westside. Which causes more traffic and stress from commute times.

Can anyone name any projects that the city is working on for the Valley? Or anything they've done recently?

This isn't a smaller area but a huge one where a lot of the cities residents live.

[taydigga]

Originally Posted by munchitup

I think anywhere with a extremely high percentage of any one race is undesirable.

It is true that a lot of the super bombed-out parts of Midwestern and East Coast cities are highly African American, though. I wouldn't put the blame on them for it being bombed out though, I'd blame the city for neglecting the poorest areas of the city.

I agree about anywhere with extremely high percentages of one race...but most people don't say that when its whites...just saying.

[pwright1]

Big cities around the world whether dense and compact or huge like Tokyo, Mexico City, Seoul, San Palo have active, energized downtowns. Los Angeles was completely alone in this aspect and frankly looked crazy. How could LA neglect its downtown decade after decade and its citizens ignore it. Other cities are big and have beaches and sunshine and other nice areas around their regions but they all have great downtowns. Thank god things are looking pretty good right now. I moved here two years ago and I actually see dt LA as the center of the region. The most employees, city hall, the tallest bldgs, the Laker and Clippers and hopefully an NFL team and lots of cultural amenities. It is by far the hottest area of LA right now and for a long time to come. Thank goodness.