Scholars Mind

From Parking Lot to Park

Observe how Los Angeles has transformed one set of downtown parking lots into a new community gathering place, then discuss with your team: are there places in your own city that should be converted in a similar way?

In downtown Los Angeles, twelve acres of parking lots became Grand Park — magenta benches, a restored fountain, lawns linking City Hall to the Disney Concert Hall. Land that stored cars now gathers thousands.

Key concepts

Land Reclamation
Taking land given over to cars and returning it to people — the reverse of paving paradise; Grand Park reclaimed parking lots as public space, a move cities worldwide increasingly make.

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Every work — at a glance

  • Grand Park — Los Angeles, 2012 (park)

    Twelve acres of downtown LA parking lots turned into 'the Park for Everyone' — magenta 'park pink' benches, a restored fountain, lawns and a playground linking City Hall to the Disney Concert Hall.

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What to know

  1. 01
    Every parking lot is a choice disguised as a default — the same downtown acre can store cars or gather a crowd, so a city's real priorities are written, literally, in what it chooses to pave; converting a lot makes an invisible value judgment visible.

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Across subjects

These conversions undo a specific era. In the mid-20th century planners like Robert Moses bulldozed neighbourhoods for freeways and parking, until 'freeway

Theme connection

"Are We There Yet?"

Grand Park gives land built for cars back to people. Should more parking become parks? One side says yes — cities are starved for green gathering places, and reclaiming car-space aids community, health and cooling. The other notes the cost: displaced cars still need somewhere to go, and few lots sit beside a concert hall.

Practice — a sample

SOCIf advising a city that turned twelve acres of parking into a park, you would LEAST likely predict —

  • A More people on foot
  • B Busier nearby garages
  • C Higher curb prices
  • D Fresher air
  • E Quieter downtown streets

Sign in to answer and see why each option is right or wrong.

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