The real significance of the stations' debut on Sunday flows from the fact that with every substantial extension of the rail and subway network, another piece of the future Los Angeles comes startlingly into focus. More transit means more pedestrians, more people who pay attention to the shape and design of the city up close. That, in turn, means a growing constituency for shared space in Los Angeles and new interest in our long-neglected streetscapes and public sphere.
To put it another way: Transit and the life of the street are inextricably intertwined, and a boost to one is almost always a boost to the other.
At the same time, as trains trace new paths across the city, some of the divisions that for generations have made Los Angeles a balkanized collection of neighborhoods may begin to wobble or fall away.
That's not to say that some homogenization of L.A.'s various parts is on its way or should be our goal. Quite the opposite: New transit lines tend to throw the vibrant differences among neighborhoods into high relief.
The new line is an extension of the Gold line to Pasadena, and picks up from Union Station heading towards Little Tokyo/Arts District before turning east to Boyle Heights and East LA. It stitches together the up and coming urban neighborhoods downtown with the historic working class neighborhoods to the East, adding newly pedestrian destinations of, some say, the best Mexican restaurant in LA (La Sereneta de Garibaldi), Mariachi Plaza, and the rich culture of the Eastside. Sounds like it's time for some exploring!
Check it out: Eastside Extension Website
Also: An interesting and not so positive view on the effects of the Gold Line's construction on a community that relied on now-canceled buses to get to work: More on the Metro Gold Line and transportation racism . . .
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