The Great White Way of the West

Los Angeles is home to the largest historic theater district west of the Mississippi. The most pre-World War II movie palaces and theatres are located here in the city of angeles, even though over half of them have already been demolished. In Downtown LA on Broadway Avenue, there remains a good number of these theatres which have been put to various uses including jewelry shops, Latino markets, and museums. Many of them are still in great shape with their original architecture and artwork still in place. These buildings draw hundreds of visitors each year who seek to revisit the past on tours of historic Los Angeles such as those given by the LA Conservancy.

With so many historical gems located in one of the largest cities in the nation and one of the largest cities in the world, Councilman Jose Huizar of LA Council District 14 established an initiative to revitalize the area and start a project dedicated to the development something Los Angeles has lacked for a long time: an arts district. The Bringing Back Broadway initiative in downtown LA would create a place which would attract many large plays, muscials, and art shows serving those who live, work, and play in Los Angeles. There has been a concern about the gentrification of the area, however in the long term, this project will benefit LA's economic and community development to a great extent as it will bring in a more diverse variety of people and businesses to the city. Especially as California experienced much White Flight suburbanization and sprawl in the past several decades, the revitalization of the Broadway district would attract not just Latinos as it does now, but people of all races and incomes offering more options and places for people to spend their time and money in LA.

The Broadway corridor is home to twelve historic theatres within nine blocks. This area was once considered the "retail capital of the United States" and now carries over one million square feet of vacant commercial space. With this area located in the heart of historic downtown, politicians say this current use of space is inefficient and does not serve the needs or fulfil the utility of corridor area or its residents and patrons. This project is a ten-year public-private partnership launced in January of 2008 which aims to:

• Revitalize the historic Broadway district between 2nd Street and Olympic Boulevard
• Activate inactive theaters
• Re-active more than a million square feet of vacant commercial space
• Assist retailers and prevent further retail vacancies
• Increase parking and transit options to serve Broadway
• Encourage cultural, entertainment and retail uses on Broadway that will sustain generations
• Create a sense of place and history through urban planning, design and lighting guidelines and streetscapes
• And make the dream of riding a streetcar downtown by 2014 a reality.

Bringing Back Broadway has been receiving much support, attention, and success from local politicians and community members as the project progresses into its second year. However, much still needs to be done in downtown LA before the project can take flight. The initiative calls for a complete streetscape and infrastructure rennovation, more parking, and permanent street closure on Broadway to make way for the planned streetcar. In a way, this project is turning a piece of downtown into The Grove. There will be much traffic and construction in the years to come in order to make this project successful, but I look forward to the day when I can walk safely in downtown Los Angeles and decide whether or not I want to see The Drowsy Chaperone, Jersey Boys, Wicked, Rent, or any of nine Broadway shows here in Southern California's own Great White Way. This entertainment and arts district is long overdue and will be much loved once it is a reality.

Obama Establishes U.S. Department of Urban Affairs

In an Executive Order on February 19, 2009, President Barack Obama established the brand new White House Office of Urban Affairs. The president cites the need for a "coordinated and comprehensive approach...concerning urban America"in order to face the rapid growth of our cities which are home to over 80 percent of the population. Recognizing the importance of American urban spaces, he said "the economic health and social vitality of our urban communities are critically important to the prosperity and quality of life for Americans. "

Urban areas in the United States of America are becoming increasingly important as centers of development and growth for the entire nation. The White House has acknowledged how "vibrant cities spawn innovation, economic growth, and cultural enrichment through the businesses, universities, and civic, cultural, religious, and nonprofit institutions they attract," and they are developing the right urban policies, including taking a regional approach and promoting inclusive growth, in order to better face the shifting needs of American cities.

The hope is to foster an urban paradigm shift aimed to "lift up and revitalize urban areas holistically and invest in community development." Communty development and revitalization efforts in the past have not been the best methods of improving urban areas, but with a new federal platform to work on these issues, this may be the change American cities have been waiting for.

Obama appointed Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion as the Director of the Office of Urban Affairs. The 47-year-old New York politicain "oversaw the creation of 40,000 new units of housing, 50 new schools, $7 billion in capital and infrastructure expenditures and more than $400 million in new parks and parkland renovation" in his career so far, and he is very well qualified to lead this nation in a major urban change.