Last Thursday in his keynote address to the Transit Oriented Los Angeles conference, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the creation of the “Great Streets Initiative.”  In an executive directive—his first since taking office on June 30—Garcetti outlined a program that “will focus on developing streets that activate the public realm, provide economic revitalization, and support great neighborhoods.”

Garcetti defined “great streets” as accessible and walkable, with landscaping, shade, larger sidewalks, improved storm water drainage and green features. Turning to aesthetics, Garcetti said simply: “design matters.”  Los Angeles’ streets should make room for sculptures and murals, and not just functional components, he argued.

The “Great Streets Working Group” will direct the initiative. Led by Garcetti’s Deputy Mayor of City Services, the gathering will include representatives of Departments of Planning, Cultural Affairs, Transportation, and Economic & Workforce Development, plus the Department of Public Works’s Bureaus of Engineering, Street Services, Street Lighting, and Sanitation. Their  first task will be to develop a plan in which 40 streets are identified for upgrades.