A Grand Vision for Downtown L.A.

D.J. Waldie correctly assesses the state of mind of a vast number of Angelenos (“A Man. A Plan. Now What?” Commentary, May 26). We are neglectful about Los Angeles’ future. But thank God for Eli Broad, who cares enough to put his money where his dreams are in building a more glorious L.A. His willfulness in the planning process has aided the city in the same way the upper class in Italy patronized the art that sparked the Renaissance -- and a renaissance is what downtown L.A. needs.

Lora Victorio

Studio City

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Re “Grand Plan Approved to Give L.A. a Heart,” May 24: While I was initially thrilled to see the new plans for downtown, I could see, once again, that the plans appear to have incorporated the already existing recipe for failure that keeps downtown from being what it should be. Simply put, the focus should not be on the buildings, it should be on the street. Buildings can be wonderful, as Disney Hall demonstrates. But what makes a city is its streets. And downtown L.A. continues its suicidal belief that streets are for cars, not pedestrians.

The areas of Southern California that have real street life are the ones that are the most exciting: Old Town Pasadena; West Hollywood along Santa Monica Boulevard; Santa Monica itself. And, of course, that example much closer to home: Broadway. Look how the businesses on Broadway, along with the wide sidewalks, are full of people day and even night. Compare that to the buildings up on Bunker Hill, which show to the street only walls.

Whatever promise the new buildings or the park may hold, downtown will not solve its problems until it figures out what every other major city in the world has known for years -- and what L.A. used to know quite well, as evidenced by Broadway: that wonderful, colorful streets filled with people make cities great.

David Link

Sacramento

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I am absolutely in favor of the Grand Avenue development and all other improvements and innovations to the long-forsaken downtown region, and I applaud the efforts of developers and urban planners to re-create our urban core. However, as a Westsider I recognize how difficult it is to access downtown via the freeway system, making downtown a place to avoid if at all possible. Good freeway and rail connections are vital for this downtown effort to work.

Further, as a rail/transit advocate, I am saddened that the critical rail link, referred to as the downtown connector, isn’t being as highly profiled as other parts of the project. This publicly funded light-rail link would connect Bunker Hill to Union Station. The current Gold and Blue lines will need seamless connections to each other, the future Exposition Line and to the Red Line subway, and the downtown connector will do just that.

Should this vital infrastructure not be built, then downtown with all its new development will certainly continue to be a location to be avoided.

Kenneth S. Alpern

Los Angeles