The Downtown LA Streetcar Should Travel on 9th Street

July 12, 2012 3 Comments

The most effective route for the streetcar would travel east on 9th Street, not 7th.

I’ve written a couple times about the streetcar being planned for Downtown LA. First, examining all of the suggested route options and then praising the selection of the locally-preferred-alternative. As I said in those pieces, I think the LPA that was selected is good, but after looking at it further, it’s certainly not best. Upon more reflection I’ve come to believe that taking the route east on 7th Street instead of 9th Street would be a particularly unfortunate decision for both mobility and development reasons and wanted to explore the options further. (Click here for a pdf of both routes from the city.)

Here’s why:

7th Street Doesn’t Gain You Much

The key reasoning behind taking the streetcar up to 7th Street is access to the 7th Street/Metro Center station. That’s all well and good, but what does this actually get us? We must first remember that this portion of the route will be a one-way loop headed east and then turning north on Hill.

With this in mind, it will certainly be useful for travel from Staples Center/LA LIVE/Convention Center to connect to the Metro Red/Purple lines. However, with a probably similar fare, the more frequent combined northbound service from the Metro Blue/Expo lines at Pico is probably a better bet anyway. It’s a block or two further from LA LIVE, but closer to the Convention Center and Staples south entrances.

What about the other direction, though?

Read more of this post

Filed under Development, Los Angeles, Transit Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The 54th GRAMMY Awards and The City Around Them

February 14, 2012 Leave a comment

If you follow me on twitter (@stevenmwhite), it’s no surprise to you after this weekend that I’m a fan of the GRAMMYs. For both personal and professional reasons, I have followed and enjoyed the GRAMMY awards telecast for a long time. If you’re a recent acquaintance or twitter follower, you may not know that this website used to be a lighting portfolio, rather than a blog. I am intensely interested in show production and spent years as a lighting designer and programmer. My current dream is to operate a performance venue or theatre because it combines my loves of show production and civic space. All that to say, one of the reasons I started this blog was not just to write about development and transit, but live events and shows. That part of the blog has been somewhat neglected, but the GRAMMYs are bringing it back.

Me on this year's GRAMMY Red Carpet.

Personally, I got involved in The Recording Academy’s “GRAMMY U” program while in college and got the opportunity to attend rehearsals for The GRAMMY Awards and a related charity show, the MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute. Within a year, I found myself working on the MusiCares Person of the Year as the producer’s assistant. I’ve been back in other capacities every year since and now work full-time for the show’s production company (please note that the opinions here are not those of my company, but only myself). We also design and produce the Red Carpet and Media Center for the GRAMMY Awards, so I had a very busy weekend working on the two events this year.

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the GRAMMY Awards — and take a date. That first date became my girlfriend, and we just spent our two-year anniversary watching Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Coldplay, and the Foo Fighters rehearse for this year’s show.

Read more of this post

Filed under Live Event Production, Los Angeles Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Downtown Streetcar: My Thoughts

December 6, 2011 13 Comments

Downtown LA seems poised to get a new streetcar line in the next few years – the first of what will hopefully be a new system re-introducing the streetcar to Los Angeles, which at one time boasted the largest streetcar system in the world. In the 60 or so years since the streetcar fell out of fashion, it’s purpose has changed, and we must take that into account in planning for the new one.

An historic streetcar passes USC on its route between Downtown and Santa Monica. Today, this route is about to be opened as the Expo Light Rail Line. (Photo: Alan Weeks/Metro Archive)

The red and yellow cars of yesteryear were a regional mass transit system. Yes, they took people through Downtown, but also took them out to the “suburbs” of Pasadena or Hollywood and beyond. They were the equivalent of today’s Metro system, which is made up of busses, subway, and light rail. Today’s streetcar is more of a local transit option. It is an urban circulator, a “last-mile connector.” The streetcar of today will help pedestrians make the connection within that 1-2 mile area that is too far to walk. They should be quick, but speed is not ultimately the most important aspect as they are usually only covering relatively short distances anyway. One of the main purposes of the Downtown Streetcar is to be a development tool, according to Bringing Back Broadway and LA Streetcar Inc. The hope is that a permanent route, as well as the attraction of streetcars, will spur development all along that route (particularly on Broadway).

A rendering of the proposed LA Streetcar on Broadway. (Photo: LA Streetcar Inc.)

Someone may take the subway into Downtown for an event, and then take the streetcar to get drinks afterwards in another part of Downtown. The streetcar was not their main method of transportation to or from Downtown, but expanded their options once here. With that in mind… I’ve been following the LA Streetcar project since its inception and now that it’s nearing the time to choose a route, I want to put my observations and suggestions forward.

Read more of this post

Filed under Development, Los Angeles, Transit Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,