Downtown Public Spaces Tour: A Photo Essay

On Wednesday, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris' Public Spaces class met in Downtown Los Angeles for a tour of notable public spaces, with an emphasis on the corporate plazas that were built as part of major office developments in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. As those familiar with Anastasia's research know, these privately owned and managed plazas raise questions about the future of public space in an economic and political environment where cities are relying on increasingly on new development to provide for their residents' open space needs.

Users of these plazas can expect to be subject to restrictions on their activities that go above and beyond what we expect from a conventional neighborhood park, and to be scrutinized and monitored, especially if they push the boundaries of what is acceptable. At the same time, some (though not all) plazas are very attractive and well-maintained, and serve their primary users--office workers--reasonably well. Still, it's worth thinking through the implications of having public spaces that aren't really public, and how their management might be regulated to make sure that they serve users who don't fit into the corporate mold.

The tour started at 7+Fig Plaza. Anastasia explained how this whole area of Downtown was the result of a massive redevelopment effort that left the old financial district largely untouched. As a condition of receiving redevelopment subsidies, developers were expected to set aside space for publicly-accessible plazas, and money for public art.

These spaces, while indeed open to the public, were nonetheless designed with private motives in mind. 7+Fig is a prime example, with its sunken plaza lined by food establishments, and this elevated space that's used primarily by office workers going to and from the parking garage (and on this day by Joanne, Ashley and Julie making their way to 7th Street).

One of the more notable public art pieces in Downtown, on 7th.

Outside the Figueroa at Wilshire tower. Matthew decided to test the strictness of the private security guard at this plaza by walking on top of the water feature out front. He didn't yell at Matthew, but did warn us that no photography was permitted on the premises.

Which was a bit problematic, seeing as it's hard to tell where the premises begin and the public sidewalk ends. As it turns out, this plaque delineates the boundary.

The group waits to cross the street, as a guard looks on.

Anastasia explains another of Downtown's public space problems: blank walls on the sidewalk.

Standing in City National (formerly Arco) Plaza.

Skybridges were a staple of Downtown's 1970s-90s corporate architecture.

Approaching the Central Library, part of a landmark development rights deal in the late 1980s that enabled the construction of the Library (now US Bank) Tower across the street. The library's unused FAR was transferred to the property where the tower now stands. In exchange, the developer, Maguire Partners, agreed to pay for the restoration of the library, which had been damaged by fire and was in danger of being demolished. Part of the deal was the lovely Maguire Gardens, a semi-privatized park incorporating a cafe adjacent to the library.

The Lawrence Halprin-designed Bunker Hill steps, part of the US Bank Tower property. A section of Hope Street formerly ran through this space, but was vacated at the time the tower was built. The steps themselves are a prime example of themed architecture with no relation to local context, as they imitate the famous Spanish Steps of Rome.

Anastasia leads the way up the steps.

Adding to the artifice of the steps is a fake stream that cascades over a series of concrete rocks in the center of the steps. The stream emanates from this fountain in the small plaza at the top of the steps. The sculpture on the column is by the late Robert Graham, injecting a little local flavor into an otherwise context-free environment.

Another sunken plaza, at Bank of America Center on Hope between 3rd and 4th. This space is totally inaccessible from the street-level plaza that surrounds it.

The Watercourt at California Plaza, one of the more successful private open spaces in Downtown. Like many others, it's surrounded by shops and restaurants catering exclusively to the corporate crowd, and nearly always empty outside of lunch hour. Programming, in particular the summertime Grand Performances concert series, helps to activate it on weekends.

Heading down the other side of Bunker Hill. Angels Flight is on the left.

Angels Knoll Park, site of the unbuilt Phase 3 of California Plaza. This is the park that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel visit in the movie 500 Days of Summer.

A delightful moment ensued when Matthew and Kimia decided to act out a scene from the movie.

Broadway in the Historic Core, largely untouched by the hamfisted redevelopment of Bunker Hill just two blocks away.

A brief detour took us to the Bradbury Building, a Victorian-era futurist gem (and incidentally the setting for another scene from 500 Days of Summer, among other movies).

Back out on Broadway, the invisible public-private dividing line is back, this time delineating the area in which the stores can display their merchandise on the sidewalk.

Pershing Square, one of the few truly public parks in Downtown, but plagued by bad design and management. Here, ramps to the underground parking structure block all four of its sides, making it accessible only from the corners.

Looks inviting, doesn't it? This area has been taped off for quite some time, with signs quoting some obscure municipal code section. It's likely a measure designed to discourage homeless people from using the park.

Thus, even in the public spaces that are actually public, there are still efforts to exclude users who aren't compatible with the agenda of those who control the space, whether it's a corporate landlord or the LAPD. We weren't immune to this phenomenon, ourselves, as a Pershing Square security guard walked over and asked us what such a large group was doing here. In a public park! In the middle of the central business district of a major American city!

This increased scrutiny has two sides to it. On one hand, it ensures that the space is safe and discourages anyone from causing trouble. On the other hand, it also ensures that no one can ever be truly at ease and feel free to "be themselves", especially if they're homeless, inclined toward zany political speech, or just plain eccentric. These issues need to be addressed if we're going to rely on the private sector to provide open space on its own property and to manage the open space that remains on public property. A task for a planner if there ever was one.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!