Designing Cities With Latinos In Mind

"Place-making is the process of creating a physically, mentally, and socially satisfying experience at a given location, and it requires a level of detail that goes beyond planning and zoning and addresses the personal experience of place. From a health perspective, creating healthy, comfortable places gets residents out of their cars and off their sofas to engage in public space - much the same way Latinos use their streets and sidewalks."

"The obstacles L.A. needs to overcome are the policies and practices that support unsustainable car-oriented and single-use developments. Most Angelenos drive and live in single-family homes and do not understand the complexities of urban living. This suburban mentality is further promoted and protected by the L.A. Planning Department, which allocates staff to examine window treatments and doors for L.A.'s historic preservation overlay zones while no staff time is allocated to improving or enhancing the conditions of multi-family neighborhoods or low-income communities. Lastly, public agencies lack the knowledge to provide for L.A.'s growing number of low-income Latinos."

"The Latino Urban Forum recommends that the city revamp its the land use and transportations polices to create sustainable environments and use the Latino community as ambassadors of smart growth. We recommend that low-income residents get their fair share of planning service and attention because, legal or illegal, single or multi-family dwellers, we all live in one city and one space."