Back in October, Mayor Garcetti announced his Great Streets Program to make about 40 of Los Angeles's major roads into more people-friendly places. In his State of the City address last week, he finally really kicked things off with the announcement of six of the 15 streets that will be the first to benefit from the program: Crenshaw Boulevard, Figueroa Street, Gaffey Street, Reseda Boulevard, Van Nuys Boulevard, and Westwood Boulevard. Previously, it had been a little unclear what exactly would happen under the Great Streets Program, but, in the address, the mayor explained (as transcribed on Streetsblog) that this designation means, "[w]e'll saturate your street with services. We'll make your street accessible to pedestrians, wheelchairs, strollers and bicycles–not just cars. We'll create an environment where new neighborhood businesses can flourish. We'll pave the streets and make them green streets — clean and lush with plant life, local art, and people-focused plazas." The idea is that nicer-looking neighborhoods are more liveable neighborhoods. Pretty good idea!
Several of the streets already have something in the works to increase street-completeness. Figueroa, "one of L.A.'s longest streets," extending from Eagle Rock to the LA Harbor, is supposed to be getting a huge makeover (the embattled MyFigueroa project) on the stretch between Exposition Park and Downtown.
Meanwhile, San Pedro's arterial Gaffey Street will be getting some attention for what seems to be the first time; the plan there was to "join forces with its burgeoning creative community." The mayor said the streets will become a lot greater starting "this spring," which is right now.
· Mayor Garcetti's State of the City: Six Great Streets Announced [Streetsblog]
· Mayor Announces Big Plans to Make LA Streets Way Awesomer [Curbed LA]
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