The future of Los Angeles and what it could look like decades from now

Los Angeles Times

a day ago

What does the future of Los Angeles look like 25, 30 or 40 years down the line?
That question was at the center of Imagining a Future L.A., a five-part series published by The Times on Sunday.
In a city with a plethora of problems, including a worsening housing crisis and an uptick in devastating fires, it's easy to focus on the negative.
But what if you could imagine a new Los Angeles, a city that would be sustainable and equitable for everyone?
My colleagues set out to do just that, asking community leaders and readers about their hopes for the city. They also consulted experts about how we might build more housing, whether there's a solution for flooding problems, what the future possibilities for fire mitigation might be, and much more.
Here's a look at the future of L.A.
In Part 1 of the series, Times columnist Gustavo Arellano reminds readers how Angelenos rally like no others when the going gets tough.
When neighborhoods were eradicated in the Palisades and Eaton fires in January, the rest of L.A. came together to help survivors through financial donations, and clothing and food drives.
After the June 9 Home Depot raid kicked off a summer of chaos in L.A., fundraisers and mutual-aid and neighborhood watch groups sprouted.
It's that same resilience that will help the city successfully navigate the rest of the 21st century, Gustavo argues.
To solve its housing crisis, Los Angeles must build. The big questions are where, how and how much new housing should be built.
As part of the Imagining the Future of L.A. series, The Times reached out to two sources with scenarios that challenge conventional thinking — two plans for the San Fernando Valley, which, half a century ago, provided the space for much of the city's growth.
The first proposes awakening a sleepy commercial corridor with low- and mid-rise apartments. The other imagines burying 20 miles of electrical transmission lines that snake through the Valley and building on the land that would then be opened up.
The fate of L.A.'s housing stock could also rely on denser neighborhoods, smaller homes, properties co-owned by friend groups instead of just families and ADUs in backyards across the city, separated from their original properties and bought and sold as separate homes.
In the wake of the deadly January fires that burned through Altadena and Pacific Palisades, many people wondered: Can we truly fortify our city against a firestorm?
Firefighters, architects and futurists say yes, particularly in fire-safe communities.
On Jan. 7, architect Michael Kovac's entire street burned in the Palisades, but his fire-resistant house survived. Now, it serves as a blueprint for resistance.
New technology is also key to defeating future flames. Autonomous helicopters and drones, AI-powered cameras, augmented-reality helmets and smart fire trucks are some of the many tools that could revolutionize firefighting technology.
What won't defeat future fires? Palm trees. As columnist Patt Morrison writes, the season for so many of this city's palm trees is running its course.
'We can no longer afford freeloader trees, however glamorous. Palms suck down water like camels, but give back barely enough leafiness to shade a Hula-Hoop. Falling fronds can deliver a mean whack, and during fires, palms light up like a flare.'
Do photo shoots on the palm-tree-lined streets of L.A. while you can, folks.
Read more from the Imagining a Future L.A. series here.
Today's great photo is from Times contributor JJ Geiger at the L.A. Craftsman of Paul Chan, who channeled 'In the Mood for Love' and the art of the everyday for the home's design.
Jim Rainey, staff writerDiamy Wang, homepage internIzzy Nunes, audience internKevinisha Walker, multiplatform editorAndrew Campa, Sunday writerKarim Doumar, head of newsletters
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