The South Park Grand Avenue SuperBlock

The South Park Grand Avenue SuperBlock

A Proposal to Promote Community and a Safer, More Walkable Downtown Los Angeles

Contact: John Nilsson dtlanow@gmail.com

What We Have Now:

What Could Be:

Grand Ave. could be transformed from an impersonal traffic conveyance to a people friendly community center offering activities for all and providing a draw for people throughout DTLA.

In an article for Urbanize Los Angeles, August 11, 2022, Steven Sachs reported:

Barcelona’s acclaimed “superblocks”, first introduced in 2016, have received rave reviews as a convenient way for cities to create new open spaces in communities, while simultaneously reducing air and noise pollution. One member of the City Council hopes to bring the concept to Los Angeles.

In a motion introduced on August 10, 14th District Councilmember Kevin de León proposes a new pilot program dubbed “Park Blocks,” which calls for implementing a similar program in Los Angeles, closing streets to automobiles to free up space for pedestrians and cyclists.

“Other parts of the world are demonstrating that big cities can be pedestrian-centric, by using portions of streets in neighborhoods for residents to make it their own and expand open space, give kids more room to play, and allow cyclists safer passage on neighborhood streets,” said de León in a news release. “It’s time for Los Angeles to be a leader in the United States by proving big American cities built around car-centric infrastructure can transform into liveable cities.”

The following is an outline proposal for implementing the first such SuperBlock project in Los Angeles.

Kindly click this link to view a brief 2.5 minute video on the City of Barcelona’s wildly successful efforts to create SuperBlocks throughout their city. I am certain you will agree that we need SuperBlocks in LA!

https://youtu.be/b7nZ8kG5gvg

The Present and Future of South Grand Avenue South Grand Avenue now: 1. Currently a dehumanized carrier of heavy traffic and street edge short term parking 2. A No Man’s Land 3. Serves only as a conduit of disinterested drivers in 3,000 pound weapons through the South Park neighborhood spewing noise and carbon dioxide for residents to breath.

4. Always dangerous and potentially deadly to residents of South Park who walk or ride their bikes near or on it.

5. A stage for launching 400 hp machinery on speed contests through the heart of our community as well as other various adolescent behavior.

As a SuperBlock, South Grand Avenue could be: 1. A verdant park for walking, talking, play, planning, dreaming, interaction 2. A cool, quiet respite from the heat and chaos of the city -A verdant spot in the center of the concrete jungle 3. A place to ride your bike, skateboard, or just BE without worrying about personal injury 4. A place for a Farmers Market 5. A place to meet your neighbor, walk your dog 6. A place for a Performing Arts stage 7. A place for a playground and a picnic 8. A place for a basketball court, a putting green 9. A place to play chess and have a beer 10. A place for birds 11. A vibrant commercial corridor of restaurants, shops, entertainment venues 12. The community center of the South Park neighborhood 13. A place for a dog park 14. A place that could remove 1,000’s of tons of Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere 15. A place that would make South Park one of the most desirable places to live in LA 16. A place that would be the catalyst of more SuperBlocks in LA leading to a complete Transformation of the city – LA could become a people-centric city rather than a carcentric city and an even nicer place to live!

What do you think the South Park SuperBlock could be to you?

Think about it.

SuperBlock Links: h2ps://youtu.be/b7nZ8kG5gvg

Barcelona Video

h2ps://la.urbanize.city/post/councilmember-looks-recreate-barcelonas-superblockslos-angeles h2ps://www.barcelona.cat/pla-superilla-barcelona/ca/viu-superilla#galeria-msonry1149-all-2 h2ps://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/superilles/en/ h2ps://www.fastcompany.com/90732811/how-barcelonas-superblocks-could-work-inother-ciOes h2ps://www.fastcompany.com/90401453/barcelonas-ingenious-superblocks-couldprevent-700-premature-deaths-every-year h2ps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/arOcle/pii/S0160412019315223?via%3Dihub h2ps://www.nature.com/arOcles/s41893-022-008552.epdf?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_juncOon&utm_campaign=CO NR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID 100041175&CJEVENT=c1b8aab5385e11ee8348cfe60a1cb826 h2ps://www.bisnow.com/los-angeles/news/commercial-real-estate/adapOve-reusedowntown-la-dcbid-studiob119777?utm_source=outbound_pub_6&utm_campaign=outbound_issue_69666&utm _content=outbound_link_11&utm_medium=email h2ps://www.nature.com/arOcles/s41893-022-00855-2 h2ps://beteve.cat/poliOca/superilla-eixample-barcelona-vianants-sense-asfaltvegetacio/ h2ps://www.youtube.com/shorts/eCEk1DXPr68

Street redesign in Montreal

h2ps://www.nyOmes.com/2023/09/02/opinion/were-taking-new-york-citys-streetsback-and-then-were-coming-for-the-rest-of-the-country.html NYC CongesOon Pricing