Quote:
Originally Posted by Jun
A mini freeway cap between 7th and Wilshire would be perfect
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Seriously. These capping projects will probably be the equivalent of Metropolis or Grand Avenue timeline-wise given how challenging and costly they are as a whole. Why must we "aim for the stars", when in reality, your idea is totally practical and way less expensive. Now that I'm thinking about it, other benefits of starting small and progressively doing it in phases would include:
-The opportunity to create something new with each phase of the park project, meaning architects would be able to thoughtfully design a space that correlates well with previous phases, yet also stays modern due to the progressive nature of the timeline. This would prevent us from having to deal with a massive, ugly, and outdated design far in the future, given the likely fact that it wouldn't be a simple and timeless design. (Many urban parks have become more about the looks than about actual functionality nowadays...always trying to impress)
-Each closed gap would be easy to modify if it ever needed to be upgraded/redesigned, and each park could be done by a different firm who would infuse their own originality. The park could be marketed/branded as something unique to Los Angeles. (Think...a park made of several unique parks)
-Since a single closed gap would take wayyy less time to get fully financed, approved, and built, we could form a safe, pedestrian link between DT and Westlake in the near future. Hate to be a pessimist, but like I mentioned above, both park projects are way too high profile for me to actually believe they will get done anytime soon. I can only imagine the amount of review processes and studies, or just overall challenges that go along with something of that impact and magnitude. To be slightly optimistic, I imagine the 101 cap would be easier, considering it's simple straight bridges. The 110 cap needs to weave around all those crazy ramps, and seeing it while driving through DT on the 110, it seems impossible to me, but that's why I'm not an architect.
Anyway, I'm sure there's many more benefits to such a novel idea, and sorry for the rant, but you really got me thinking.