LA’s Revitalized Downtown Map
In a recent article in GQ magazine, LA was dubbed “The Coolest Downtown in America” or “The Next Great American City” whichever sounds better at the time. Of course, Los Angelenos already knew that. LA is the birthplace of cool, right? Still, a little external validation is always welcome, and the LA downtown area is getting external validation from all angles these days.
For years, the Los Angeles Downtown area was disparaged by residents of the trendier areas of LA like WeHo, Santa Monica and Venice. They called it too rich, too trendy, too “white bread” and too <insert pejorative term than means sterile and dead.>
But even the most reluctant of the trendsetters and trend followers have to admit, however grudgingly, that LA’s downtown revitalization and reinvigoration is a success on all counts.
Gone are the abandoned office buildings, too expensive clubs, forgotten restaurants and empty streets, and, surprisingly, they haven’t been replaced by the art galleries and antique stores that are the hallmark of gentrification. No, downtown’s new tenants are the kind of bars, restaurants and stores that attract a mixed crowd comprising the young and creative class that is the heart and soul of any city, and a new push for affordable housing right in the heart of the city is providing them with a place to live.
According to Curbed LA, “”Downtown isn’t a bet on hipsterism, not on dumplings or cocktails or cool shops or food trucks. It’s a bet on urbanism itself, a conviction that the past fifty years of outward, sprawling cul-de-sac development was just that: a dead end. That this is how we want to live, amidst the spark and jangle of humans pressed up against humans. Even in L.A.”
That sounds like the kind of place everyone would enjoy at least visiting and many would enjoy living fulltime.
So, what does this mean for the rest of Los Angeles? Does the city that created the term “Sprawl” really benefit from a thriving downtown?
Regardless of how big a city is, or how sprawled out it may be, a thriving downtown area benefits every portion of the city. With the revitalization of the downtown area, surrounding communities can expect a positive spillover as more businesses choose to invest in the areas in and around downtown. Places like Los Feliz, Hancock Park, Hollywood and Silver Lake will definitely see an increase in outside investment, and outside investment means an increase in both property values and opportunity.
Here’s hoping the LA Downtown experiment continues to be a success, because we all benefit.
Click here to read the complete GQ Article.
And here for Curbed LA’s take.
Susan Andrews | Estates Director
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Susan Andrews is your ultimate real estate source for Los Angeles, California and surrounding communities.
Photo courtesy of Curbed LA.