Tackling the city’s unfinished business
Re “Looking beyond the vision of L.A.,” Opinion, July 31
Rick Cole writes that “we segregate people who ‘do’ from those who merely ‘plan’ ” in the planning process of L.A. This lack of cohesion can explain why our city lacks a workable mass transit system or an NFL franchise.
How about a small section of the city like Little Tokyo? With a little creativity, this ethnic enclave could be a vibrant urban center and tourist destination. My visionary plan would be to seal off 1st and 2nd streets between Los Angeles and Alameda. Then Little Tokyo could be transformed into a pedestrian mall, with an attention-grabbing Buddhist temple, a martial arts “Budokan” arena and outdoor vendor malls. A Little Tokyo subway stop would then finish the job.
We could then focus our attention on Chinatown, extending the Red Line to Santa Monica, and all other instances of unfinished L.A. business.
CHUCK BURDICK
Brentwood
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