Broadway has long been a gem in the LA crown. It's recognised as an important U.S. Historic District with numerous architectural and social places of significance. However in recent years, increased competition and consumer behaviour has impacted on the vibrancy of the neighbourhood leading to a 15-20% ground floor vacancy rate. In response to this threat, a public-private partnership initiated by Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar, established to implement a ten-year 'complete streets' plan. The initiative, 'Bringing Back Broadway', includes a Streetscape Master Plan that will focus on providing greater comfort and enhancing the overall experience for pedestrians.

The first stage of the Plan is a 'Dress Rehearsal' consisting of a series of low-cost and quick-win interventions to create immediate traffic-calming enhancements. These interventions, some of which have just been added to Broadway, include the addition of moveable public seating, bike parking and street plants. "Broadway plazas looking amazing. Broadway today: brighter and more ped-friendly." tweeted Maria Sipin, cohost #womentalkbikes BikeTalk KPFK.

Here at TC, we're seeing similar initiatives happening across the world, including New York, Sydney and Chicago, and consider this stage of urban design as an important testing or prototype phase for long term streetscape improvements. We'll be watching Bringing Back Broadway over the coming months and looking forward to Stage 2 and "permanent build-out of the full-scale project on a block-by-block basis."

More information on this project can be found here.

Image Courtesy of the Museum of Vancouver

Upcycled Urbanism is a participatory project stemming from the desire to challenge the status quo of urban design in Vancouver. Using Facebook to communicate information about workshops, teams of artists, designers, students and creative individuals came together to discusses ideas, potential changes and design prototypes.

This month, teams will come together to actually build their ideas using material salvaged from the construction of Port Mann Bridge. Creations will be on display in an outdoor exhibition throughout July. The community will be asked to provide feedback and critique the design-build displays.

By encouraging people to think about public space, Upcycled Urbanism hopes to provoke conversations about urban design, the public realm, foster collaboration between unlikely groups and create a sense of community.

A 'Dress Rehearsal' for Bringing Back Broadway!

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