Pershing Square occupies a special place in the physical and historical landscape of Los Angeles. But the city's first park has been the victim of poor redesigns and a "massive failure of civic vision." Can anything be done to fix it?
Gale Holland surveys the sorry state of L.A.'s Pershing Square, which occupies a square block smack-dab in the middle of downtown. "It was L.A.'s first park, once a playground for fashionable couples promenading after the theater," notes Holland. "Now it's a concrete playpen for the homeless."
"Neither the people who run the park, nor the homeless, are to blame for Pershing Square's squalor. The scrambled landscape is a massive failure of civic vision. The park was redesigned in the 1950s, the 1980s and the 1990s. With each makeover, it became less appealing, more confused and finally, just weird."
Given the failed designs of the past, what can be done to arrest the park's steep decline?
"The city has been wooing people back to Pershing with cultural events, including a farmers market, summer concerts, an outdoor art show and film series (this month it's horror flicks). The winter skating rink, lit up with Christmas lights, is charming, looking down from the rooftop terrace at the Hill Street bistro called Perch. City Councilman Jose Huizar has formed a task force to attack park problems - discarded needles, rats, etc. - and work toward a redesign."
FULL STORY: Pershing Square vision? Not so good
Can L.A. Recapture the "Green Heart" of Downtown?
An editorial in the Los Angeles Downtown News commends burgeoning efforts to rethink the city's historic Pershing Square, and offers some ideas for principles to help guide the process.
Pershing Square, Downtown L.A.’s ‘Forgotten Park,’ Begins Long Awaited Revamp
A makeover that began in 2015 is finally underway in 2023, but the process of reconstructing Pershing Square is expected to proceed incrementally.
Businesses Oppose Conversion of Parking Structure Into Affordable Housing
Business owners in downtown Santa Monica have filed a lawsuit opposing the city's planned replacement of a parking structure with housing, despite city studies showing that the city's downtown parking supply far exceeds demand.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.