General Planning in Los Angeles City - Case Study Example

General Planning in Los Angeles The city of Los Angeles covers an expansive area of 1214 Km2 and the city’s general plan is designed and regulated by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning. The plan is contained in a comprehensive document that describes various elements of the future planning such as land use, neighborhood design, housing, transportation development and open space conservation. Just like many other cities in the United States, land use and transportation development plans in the Los Angeles are written with sustainability in mind in order to accommodate increased populations and high level of growth in the future as is projected by the demographic estimates (Planning department, 13). This paper focuses on land use planning as an important element in the general planning of the city of Los Angeles. With a population of nearly 3.8 million people as per the 2010 census, Los Angeles city is currently the most populous city in California. The city is known all over the world as a center of entertainment, culture, trade and technology. As home to the Hollywood entertainment industry, Los Angeles is also home to many of the world’s celebrities. The general plan of Los Angeles was primarily designed to be a strategy of the future growth of the city using the population forecasts as the basis of planning. Consequently all the elements of a city’s general planning are intended to accommodate the future populations in a way that enhances environmental conservation. Just like many other cities around the world, demographic and spatial changes such as transport congestion are proving to be the major challenges facing sustainable land use in the city of Los Angeles and its environment (Davis, 23). As a result, land use planning in Los Angeles has been largely based on the principles of sustainability in an attempt to mitigate both the present and future challenges regarding the dynamics of urban land use. Additionally land use planning in the city of Los Angeles is also designed to promote the growth and development of both the residential neighborhoods and commercial districts of the city with regard to the future growth in population. The general planning of the city of Los Angeles has designated specific locations to be used for particular new land uses. The land use in these locations is determined by the respective community plans. A number of land use categories in the city of Los Angeles are in the areas that were originally designated for industrial, commercial and residential uses. It is however worth noting that the city’s general plan has recommended some new land use categories for a few selected areas of the city. This kind of land use has significantly enhanced mixed land use in the City as well as within its environs. One of the most important new land use categories in the general planning of the city of Los Angeles is the Neighborhood district. Generally these are designated areas around retail focal points and areas commonly used by pedestrians around residential neighborhoods. The population in the neighborhood district often ranges between 15,000 and 20,000 people. No tall buildings are allowed in these areas and the common height for buildings in the neighborhood districts are usually between one to two stories. The Los Angeles land use plan has also designated some lands for industrial uses. These land use categories are known as Industrial districts and they are primarily designed to be used to enhance job generation and economic development in the city as well as in the entire region. The other new land use categories found in the general plan of the city of Los Angeles are the Community centers. Most of the community centers found in the downtown are meant to be used for a diverse number of uses such as offices, small retail shops, public facilities such as stadiums, entertainment as well as the other neighborhood uses. The average population in these areas is usually 25,000 to 100,000 people. In many areas of Los Angeles that are designated to be used as community centers, the general land use land often emphasizes on the establishment of projects that integrate commercial uses with housing. Community centers are also designed to accommodate a few transportation hubs. Finally in these areas, the recommended building heights are usually between two to six stories depending on the area scale. Both the height as well as floor area ratio restrictions of the Community Centers are determined in the community plan. The land use plan for the city of Los Angeles also contains designated areas known as Regional Centers. These areas are generally designed to be the focal points of the regional commerce in Los Angeles. Regional Centers are often very populous and most of them have a population ranging from 250,000 to 500,000 people. In Los Angeles, some of the uses of regional areas include building of cultural facilities, professional and corporate offices as well as mixed-use development projects. Additionally some regional centers may contain retail facilities serving the particular regions. The average height of the buildings in these centers is usually between 6 to 20 stories or higher. On the other hand, Los Angeles planners have also designated certain land use areas known as Downtown centers. These are areas specifically meant to house the government as well the key business headquarters in the region (Levy, 19). Downtown centers are the hub of regional transportation connecting the city of Los Angeles with the other cities in California as well as the other places across the United States. Finally another important new land use category in the city of Los Angeles is Mixed-use Boulevards. These areas serve as a connection between the community, neighborhood districts and regional centers. The city’s general plan encourages mixed land use in these boulevards although the boundaries are usually determined by the community plans (Davis, 27). These boulevards are accessible by various forms of transportation facilities such as railroads, roads or pedestrian paths. Mixed-use examples include establishing housing units on top of commercial buildings, building housing units side by side with the commercial units and alternating commercial units with housing facilities. In conclusion, the land use plan in the city of Los Angeles is designed to encourage growth in dense commercial districts, boulevards, and industrial districts. The city’s general plan has however allowed some flexibility regarding land use in the industrial districts and this particularly encourages recycling of usage when appropriate. Works Cited Davis, Mike. City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles. New York: Vintage Books, 1992. Print. Levy, John. Contemporary Urban Planning. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003. Print. Planning Department. “Los Angeles Citywide General Plan 13 Framework EIR.” Fire Code Standards, 2001. Web, 17, April, 2012. Read More