Pedestrian-Friendly Town Centers Seen as Key to Valley’s Future

The San Fernando Valley of 2020 should revolve around town centers where residents can park easily and walk to restaurants, shopping, schools and high-speed transit.

Each town center should feature “distinctive architecture” and public art, according to “Vision 2020,” a mission statement released Thursday by the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley.

Higher-density housing should be built near the centers and the transit routes, preserving the character of single-family neighborhoods.

Vision 2020 came out of months of discussions with about 400 leading Valley residents, according to Saul Gomez, the nonprofit organization’s director of economic development. It is a wish list that the group hopes will set priorities for the Valley’s growth.

Gomez said a long-term vision is necessary whether or not the Valley secedes from Los Angeles.

“The plan involves separate cities such as Burbank and Glendale, so it has to be secession-free, without political boundaries,” he said.

The next step, he added, is to create committees to focus on specific options.

“We’ll try to attain those objectives that are based on reality,” Gomez said.

“We’d all like to see streets paved in gold.

“But we’re going to grab onto those ideas that are achievable and make them real.”