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Why should we reimagine our streets?

-Koreatown is the most park-poor neighborhood in Los Angeles.

-Traffic violence is out of control. Most of our streets are on the high injury network.

-Small businesses are struggling to stay afloat in the wake of the pandemic.

-Community resources are inequitably distributed in Koreatown compared to Los Angeles as a whole.

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The solution

-Koreatown has 12.7 acres of park space, 86.4 acres of sidewalks, and 451.9 acres of roadway.

-The majority of Wilshire Center Koreatown is not within a 10-minute walk of a park.¹

-Koreatown only has .5 acres of park space for every 1,000 people, compared to 9.2 acres of park space for every 1,000 throughout the city of LA.

-Each acre of park space in Koreatown serves 12,554 residents. On average, the City of LA has enough park space to serve 82 residents per every acre of parks.²

Open Space

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Traffic Violence

-Many of Koreatown’s streets are part of the high injury network, including 6th St. (see the map to the right).³

-People walking and biking are at higher risk of injury than those in a car. This is concerning since Koreatown is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in LA.

-Black, Brown, elderly, disabled, and unhoused people are more likely to be victims of traffic violence.⁶

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Open Streets & Commerce

-Closing streets to cars results in a nearly a 10% increase in retail spending on those corridors.⁴

-Road reconfigurations that move away from prioritizing cars are proven to turn that corridor into a vibrant destination.⁵

-Cities like New York, Milan, San Francisco, Mexico City, Paris, and Bogota have seen increased commerce in areas where cars are banned.⁷

-The City of West Hollywood just approved to pedestrianize a portion of Robertson Blvd. on weekends.

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Proposed Vision for 6th Street from Normandie to Vermont

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Potential Community Amenities

-Street furniture like tables, chairs, benches, and shade umbrellas

-Pocket parks

-Trash cans

-Public restrooms and wash stations

-Charging stations

-Areas for pets

-Additional trees and other green space

-Dining areas

-Space for buskers and performers

-Art installations

-Wifi

-Community fridges or food distribution centers

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Outreach Plan

Getting Support from Residents, Businesses, and Community Organizations

-Survey links: http://www.wcknc.la/6thst/

-Information is available in English, Spanish, and Korean.

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Outreach Results So Far:

-Approximately 600 respondents.

-Over ¾ of respondents in support.

-Top amenities wanted are tables &

seating, green space, art installations,

bike parking, WiFi, playground equipment, public restrooms, space for pets,

live entertainment, and a community fridge.

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Community Concerns

What respondents are telling us and how we plant to address it.

-Loss of Parking

-Traffic

-Concerns regarding our unhoused neighbors.

-Gentrification

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Questions or Comments?

Contact Adriane Hoff,

President of WCKNC and

Chair of the Transportation &

Public Safety Committee and

Sustainability & Beautification Committee

ahoff.wcknc@gmail.com

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References

¹The Trust for Public Land, https://parkserve.tpl.org/mapping/index.html?CityID=0644000#reportTop, Accessed 12 December 2020

²Koreatown Youth & Community Center, “Koreatown Environmental Report,” https://www.kyccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/KYCC_Koreatown_Environmental_Report.pdf, Accessed 12 December 2020

³City of Los Angeles, “High Injury Network,” https://geohub.lacity.org/datasets/488062f00db44ef0a29bf481aa337cb3, Accessed 12 December 2020

⁴C. Reid, “Closing Central Madrid to Cars Resulted in 9.5% Boost in Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis,” Forbes, 8 March 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2019/03/08/closing-central-madrid-to-cars-resulted-in-9-5-boost-to-retail-spending-finds-bank-analysis/?sh=3770a4ae55a7, Accessed 12 December 2020

⁵L. Immediato, “This Stretch of Venice in Mar Vista Has Become a Destination All Its Own.” Los Angeles Magazine, 20 January 2020, https://www.lamag.com/lalifeandstyle/mar-vista/, Accessed 12 December 2020

⁶M. Brozen, etal. “The Need to Prioritize Black Lives in LA’s Traffic Safety Efforts.” UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, December 2020

⁷TransAlt, “Op-Ed: Here are Some Cities Getting Open Streets Right.” StreetsBlog USA, 1 May 2020, https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/05/01/op-ed-heres-some-cities-getting-open-streets-right/, Accessed 20 December 2020