Future of Streets

This studio investigated the impact of new mobility technologies on the built environment of Los Angeles, seeking solutions that maximize multi-modal, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable outcomes for the city. The studio focused on sites surrounding the Expo Line, leading from downtown to Santa Monica and explored how the experience of urban travel is likely to change with the advent of automated, shared and electric vehicles, personal mobility devices and automated package delivery systems. The studio examined current modal choices in different built and socioeconomic environments around the Expo Line and explored how the introduction of new mobility options is likely to disrupt spatial accessibility, existing trip patterns, as well as the functions of streets and public spaces. By focusing on half a dozen neighborhoods adjacent to a new Metro line, the studio also explored how new mobility technologies could complement, rather than compete with public transit and explored the impact of new mobility options in varying built environments and socio-economic settings. Sites included the USC area, which will serve as the epicenter of L.A.’s 2028 Olympics, as well as transit catchment areas around Pico, Vermont, Crenshaw, La Cienega, Sepulveda, and Palms.