Vision

The construction of the California High Speed Rail system can be a catalyst for significant changes to our urban surroundings and contribute in a major way towards the ‘greening’ of our lives. Even though it may be counterintuitive to most Americans, cities offer the most viable models of sustainability.

In Southern California and especially LA, our automobile centric planning has resulted in a sprawling metropolis primarily emphasizing the disadvantages of a large city without offering many of the benefits city dwellers enjoy elsewhere around the world. On our congested streets, we have almost lost the “California dream’”– unimpeded mobility and freedom to do what we want, when we want it, in unparalleled good weather and stunning natural surroundings. So often we are slaves to our automobiles, with few alternatives to move around, resigned to planning our daily lives around traffic.

But high-speed rail offers us an opportunity to transform our daily lives and how our neighborhoods are built. As a high capacity backbone of an alternate transportation system, HSR is capable of delivering a large volume of people quickly into the center of our communities. The extent to which these cities physically ‘react’ to the arrival of HSR will determine the extent to which we can re-invigorate our Californian dream and recapture our freedom and mobility. The California High Speed Rail project is an exceptional and historic opportunity in the United States to create a more balanced, efficient transportation system and cause a paradigm shift to a transit-oriented, rather than automobile-oriented, society.

One Response to “Vision”
  1. [...] rail. Even here in car-centric Los Angeles, high speed rail is on many people’s minds. In fact, rail LA, a group who believes “Los Angeles is the ideal location to illustrate the positive impacts of [...]


  • Upcoming Events

    August  2010
    MTWTFSS
     1

    August 1, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 1, 2010

    2

    August 2, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 2, 2010

    3

    August 3, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 3, 2010

    • DLANC Sustainability Committee Meeting

      Starts: 19:00

      Ends: 21:00 August 3, 2010

      Description: This is a public meeting - please join us if you are interested!

      Agenda

      _Welcome
      _Introductions
      _Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
      _Upcoming Events and Other Community Announcements
      Group discussion and planning for action regarding the 2009 AIA SDAT (Sustainable Design Assessment Team) Grant Recommendations which are now available. We will talk about our next steps towards implementing a planning process to help our neighborhood develop a long-term vision for a more sustainable community.
      _We will discuss the Green Parking Lot Pilot Project, providing you with an update on our status, information on how to get involved, and determine how the Sustainability Committee can support the upcoming launch event (August 28) for this exciting project.
      Other project updates include: The Website and Online Resource Toolkit; Urban Garden Guide; Tree Planting; Green Alleys
      _Next meeting agenda items?
      _Adjourn

      The public is requested to fill out a “Speaker Card” to address the DLANC Sustainability Committee (Committee) on any item of the agenda prior to the Committee taking action on an item. Comments from the public on agenda items will be heard only when the respective item is being considered. Comments from the public on other matters not appearing on the agenda that is within the Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction will be heard during the public comment period. Public comment is limited to two minutes per speaker, unless waived by the presiding officer of the Committee. As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. To ensure availability of services, please
      make your request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting you wish to attend by contacting Committee Chair Ashley Z. Hand at [email protected]

    4

    August 4, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 4, 2010

    • Project By Project Meeting

      Starts: 18:30

      Ends: 21:00 August 4, 2010

    5

    August 5, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 5, 2010

    • Park[ing] Day LA 2010 Planning Meeting

      Starts: 12:00

      Ends: 13:00 August 5, 2010

      Description: Join the planning committee for the first meeting to plan the upcoming Park[ing] Day LA event. Streets are for people!

    • Park[ing] Day LA 2010 Planning Meeting

      Starts: 19:00

      Ends: 21:00 August 5, 2010

      Description: If you can't make the lunch time meeting, join us for a planning meeting for this year's Park[ing] Day LA.

    6

    August 6, 2010

    • railLA Working Group Meeting

      Starts: 08:00

      Ends: 10:00 August 6, 2010

      Description: Join the upcoming railLA Working Group meeting where we will discuss next steps for our organization including incorporation as a non-profit, upcoming events and publication, among other topics.

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 6, 2010

    • Latino Urban Forum

      Starts: 17:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 6, 2010

    7

    August 7, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 7, 2010

    8

    August 8, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 8, 2010

    9

    August 9, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 9, 2010

    10

    August 10, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 10, 2010

    • DLANC Meeting

      Starts: 18:30

      Ends: 20:30 August 10, 2010

    11

    August 11, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 11, 2010

    12

    August 12, 2010

    • Art Walk

      Starts: 00:00

      Ends: 00:00 August 13, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 12, 2010

    13

    August 13, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 13, 2010

    14

    August 14, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 14, 2010

    15

    August 15, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 15, 2010

    16

    August 16, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 16, 2010

    17

    August 17, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 17, 2010

    18

    August 18, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 18, 2010

    • GOOD Magazine Party

      Starts: 18:00

      Ends: 22:00 August 18, 2010

    19

    August 19, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 19, 2010

    20

    August 20, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 20, 2010

    • Pecha Kucha

      Starts: 20:00

      Ends: 23:00 August 20, 2010

    21

    August 21, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 21, 2010

    22

    August 22, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 22, 2010

    23

    August 23, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 23, 2010

    24

    August 24, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 24, 2010

    • Living Streets LA Committee meeting

      Starts: 18:00

      Ends: 21:00 August 24, 2010

      Description: Living Streets LA invites interested communities to present their plans for creating new public spaces in existing street right-of-ways on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. The details can be found on our Pilot Streets Page, in our April 21 post, and on the down-loadable flyer LS Pilot Mtg One-Sheet 8.24.

      If you are working on a compatible project and want to present, please send an email to livingstreetsla{at}gmail.com and let us know your community name, contact person and a brief description of your idea. The meeting is open to the public for others who are interested in attending. We will send out updates as the meeting gets closer.

      Living Streets will facilitate a discussion with the attendees at the August 24 meeting to choose 2-3 pilot projects that we intend to provide technical assistance support to and post on our website.

      RailLA has graciously agreed to host the meeting at its ‘LA Beyond Cars: A Global Perspective on Rail and Public Space’ exhibition in Downtown LA, which is ‘A multimedia experience showcasing concepts, ideas, and musings from around the world on the future of Los Angeles, a future beyond just cars’. We look forward to hearing YOUR ideas on August 24.

    25

    August 25, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 25, 2010

    • Project by Project Mixer

      Starts: 19:00

      Ends: 22:00 August 25, 2010

      Description: Tentative

    26

    August 26, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 26, 2010

    27

    August 27, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 27, 2010

    28

    August 28, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition

      Starts: 10:00

      Ends: 19:00 August 28, 2010

    • LA Beyond Cars Exhibition Closing Party

      Starts: 18:00

      Ends: 22:00 August 28, 2010

    29

    August 29, 2010

    • Exhibition Breakdown

      Starts: 00:00

      Ends: 00:00 August 30, 2010

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