IN 2020, WE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY CREATED BY THE PANDEMIC’S DISRUPTION TO DEVOTE SOME FRESH AND DEEP THINKING TO THE QUESTION OF HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS IN LOS ANGELES.
WHAT WE LEARNED: IN SPITE OF THIS CITY’S TREMENDOUS WEALTH, THERE ISN’T ACTUALLY ANY MEANINGFUL PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS.
WHAT WE CONCLUDED: THE CITY IS SPENDING HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO BUILD RELATIVELY FEW UNITS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AT STAGGERINGLY HIGH COSTS, AT A RATE THAT WILL NEVER END HOMELESSNESS IN OUR LIFETIMES.
WHAT WE REALIZED: THE ONLY WAY TO GET OVER 60,000 PEOPLE HOUSED IS TO BUILD OVER 60,000 UNITS OF HOUSING.
FINDING THE LAND AND MONEY TO BUILD THAT MUCH HOUSING SEEMS AN IMPOSSIBILITY.
BUT WHAT IF WE COULD REIMAGINE THE AREA CURRENTLY KNOWN AS SKID ROW, NOT AS A GHETTO FOR THE HOMELESS, BUT AS A VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR EVERYONE, THAT COULD ALSO CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY TO THE HOUSING CRISIS?
WHAT IF WE COULD USE PROPERTY TAX REVENUES FROM NEW CONSTRUCTION TO SUPPORT MASSIVE QUANTITIES OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND SHELTER BEDS, WITH MINIMAL NEW PUBLIC INVESTMENT?
WHAT IF WE COULD ENVISION A NEW MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN LIVING IN LOS ANGELES, WHILE ALSO CREATING THE
CITY’S GREATEST URBAN PARK?
WE CALL THIS IDEA:
SKID GROW
SKID GROW WOULD REPLACE SKID ROW WITH A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WOULD BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE HISTORIC CORE, CITY HALL, LITTLE TOKYO, AND THE ARTS DISTRICT, AND WOULD INCLUDE:
8,000 UNITS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
6,500 SHELTER BEDS
THIS IS ENOUGH TO HOUSE MORE THAN DOUBLE THE CURRENT HOMELESS POPULATION OF SKID ROW, AND MORE THAN 1/3 OF THE TOTAL FOR
THE WHOLE CITY
ALSO INCLUDED WOULD BE:
16,500 UNITS OF MARKET RATE HOUSING
2,100 UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING
WHICH ALTOGETHER WITH 40,000 PEOPLE WOULD REPRESENT A 30% INCREASE TO THE POPULATION OF DOWNTOWN LA AND A
COMPLETELY NEW NEIGHBORHOOD.D.
THIS PLAN WOULD ALSO INCORPORATE COMPLEMENTARY USES SUCH AS:
1.3 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE
A NEW CENTRAL INTERCITY BUS STATION WITH DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO THE METRO
AND ALSO NUMEROUS COMMUNITY FACILITIES:
K-12 SCHOOLS
A PUBLIC FOOD MARKET
A COMMUNITY SPORTS COMPLEX
A CULTURAL SPACE
A PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY
AND ON TOP, A SERIES OF INTERCONNECTED, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE GREEN ROOFS, THAT TOGETHER, AT 115 ACRES, WOULD CONSTITUTE
THE SECOND LARGEST PUBLIC PARK IN
LOS ANGELES
SKID GROW REPRESENTS A RADICAL
OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFORM A MAJOR URBAN VOID INTO A THRIVING NEIGHBORHOOD AT THE HEART OF GREATER LOS ANGELES, MAKING AMEANINGFUL REDUCTION
IN THE CITY HOMELESS POPULATION,
WHILE ALSO CREATING A VISIONARY,
PEDESTRIAN FOCUSED COMMUNITY.
IN 2020, WE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY CREATED BY THE PANDEMIC’S DISRUPTION TO DEVOTE SOME FRESH AND DEEP THINKING TO THE QUESTION OF HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS IN LOS ANGELES.
WHAT WE LEARNED: IN SPITE OF THIS CITY’S TREMENDOUS WEALTH, THERE ISN’T ACTUALLY ANY MEANINGFUL PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS.
WHAT WE CONCLUDED: THE CITY IS SPENDING HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO BUILD RELATIVELY FEW UNITS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AT STAGGERINGLY HIGH COSTS, AT A RATE THAT WILL NEVER END HOMELESSNESS IN OUR LIFETIMES.
WHAT WE REALIZED: THE ONLY WAY TO GET OVER 60,000 PEOPLE HOUSED IS TO BUILD OVER 60,000 UNITS OF HOUSING.
FINDING THE LAND AND MONEY TO BUILD THAT MUCH HOUSING SEEMS AN IMPOSSIBILITY.
BUT WHAT IF WE COULD REIMAGINE THE AREA CURRENTLY KNOWN AS SKID ROW, NOT AS A GHETTO FOR THE HOMELESS, BUT AS A VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR EVERYONE, THAT COULD ALSO CONTRIBUTE MEANINGFULLY TO THE HOUSING CRISIS?
WHAT IF WE COULD USE PROPERTY TAX REVENUES FROM NEW CONSTRUCTION TO SUPPORT MASSIVE QUANTITIES OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND SHELTER BEDS, WITH MINIMAL NEW PUBLIC INVESTMENT?
WHAT IF WE COULD ENVISION A NEW MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN LIVING IN LOS ANGELES, WHILE ALSO CREATING THE
CITY’S GREATEST URBAN PARK?
WE CALL THIS IDEA:
SKID GROW
SKID GROW WOULD REPLACE SKID ROW WITH A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WOULD BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE HISTORIC CORE, CITY HALL, LITTLE TOKYO, AND THE ARTS DISTRICT, AND WOULD INCLUDE:
8,000 UNITS OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
6,500 SHELTER BEDS
THIS IS ENOUGH TO HOUSE MORE THAN DOUBLE THE CURRENT HOMELESS POPULATION OF SKID ROW, AND MORE THAN 1/3 OF THE TOTAL FOR
THE WHOLE CITY
ALSO INCLUDED WOULD BE:
16,500 UNITS OF MARKET RATE HOUSING
2,100 UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING
WHICH ALTOGETHER WITH 40,000 PEOPLE WOULD REPRESENT A 30% INCREASE TO THE POPULATION OF DOWNTOWN LA AND A
COMPLETELY NEW NEIGHBORHOOD.D.
THIS PLAN WOULD ALSO INCORPORATE COMPLEMENTARY USES SUCH AS:
1.3 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE
A NEW CENTRAL INTERCITY BUS STATION WITH DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO THE METRO
AND ALSO NUMEROUS COMMUNITY FACILITIES:
K-12 SCHOOLS
A PUBLIC FOOD MARKET
A COMMUNITY SPORTS COMPLEX
A CULTURAL SPACE
A PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY
AND ON TOP, A SERIES OF INTERCONNECTED, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE GREEN ROOFS, THAT TOGETHER, AT 115 ACRES, WOULD CONSTITUTE
THE SECOND LARGEST PUBLIC PARK IN
LOS ANGELES
SKID GROW REPRESENTS A RADICAL
OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFORM A MAJOR URBAN VOID INTO A THRIVING NEIGHBORHOOD AT THE HEART OF GREATER LOS ANGELES, MAKING AMEANINGFUL REDUCTION
IN THE CITY HOMELESS POPULATION,
WHILE ALSO CREATING A VISIONARY,
PEDESTRIAN FOCUSED COMMUNITY.
see also:
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SKID GROW