Activating Columbia Road: Reframing a Missing Link

opposition is in the context of city-wide opposition
to road diets, the most famous example being a
lawsuit filed against LADOT for another Vision Zero
initiative road diet. 18
In the face of this opposition, a coalition of
activists, community organizations, artists, and
residents joined together to encourage LADOT to
proceed with the traffic calming improvements as
planned, and not give in to the city council and
outside lobbying groups. This coalition worked to
inventively activate the street, highlight LADOT’s
inaction, and raise awareness of how dangerous
Temple Street was and remains. These groups, led
by social engagement consultants, Public Matters,
organized two community-based education and
engagement projects along the Temple Street
corridor. In 2017 and 2018, the coalition organized
participatory festivals and activations that were
directed and informed by an in-depth community
engagement process. Public Matters led outreach
meetings with local stakeholders, presented Vision
Zero materials to over 1,300 community members,
coordinated with local businesses, and worked
with a diverse group of stakeholders and residents
to design, plan, and enact the many activities
involved in the Slow Jams activations and festivals.
Some of these activations included walk- and biketours,
participatory musical performances, parades,
murals, and community conversations.
Since the initial road diet was announced in 2017,
the road diet has faded from view, but some
incremental improvements have been made. As
of this writing, LADOT is initiating a “Temple Street -
Beverly to Beaudry Project” that includes extensive
resurfacing, curb and sidewalk repair, painted
curb extensions, flashing crosswalks, pedestrian
head-start signals, and new traffic signals. The
activists view these improvements as inferior to
the initial proposal, and indicative of LADOT’s
prioritization of politician and special interest groups
over neighborhood resident demands. The final
streetscape of Temple Street is still undecided, but
the process has a lot of lessons to offer streetscape
improvement initiatives along Columbia Road.
18 Linton, “‘Keep L.A. Moving’ Organization Files Lawsuit Against
Playa Del Rey Street Safety Improvements.”
Activating Columbia Road: Reframing a Missing Link
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