A new electric aerial gondola system is being proposed to transport baseball fans and concert goers from Union Station over the Los Angeles State Historic Park to Dodger Stadium.
A private company has proposed a $125-million electric aerial gondola system to ferry baseball fans and concert goers from Union Station over the park to Dodger Stadium. While this may sound like an exciting idea that is almost like a new Disneyland ride, community activists have weighed in with a variety of concerns.
As reported by Louis Sahagan, this proposal is controversial because of its potential impacts on the Los Angeles State Historic Park and its patrons. The project currently offers two competing proposals: the southern Broadway alignment and the Spring Street alignment. Both would encroach upon and cross portions of the park with a passenger tower, stanchions, aerial cables and gondola cars able to transport some 5,500 people per hour from Union Station to the stadium in about seven minutes. The Spring Street alignment would be the most impactful to the park’s recreational opportunities, views, and archaeological resources, according to California State Parks officials.
To understand why the park is so significant, one would have to study its history and the long, difficult process involved in its creation. In the 1990s, the 32-acre property had become a legal battleground when the city of Los Angeles planned to turn it into a warehouse center. Activists and community residents opposed the warehouse proposal and demanded a park instead. Eventually, State Parks was able to acquire the property for park purposes in 2001. The park was built 16 years later with $20 million in voter-approved bond funds and touted as a model for solving land use battles in urban areas.
FULL STORY: Proposed aerial tram for Dodger fans ignites controversy at Los Angeles State Historic Park
Dodger Stadium Gondola Completes Draft Environmental Impact Report
No World Series? At least Dodger fans can imagine themselves soaring over the traffic jams on the way to and from Dodger stadium in a new gondola.
In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
The World’s Longest Light Rail Line is in… Los Angeles?
In a city not known for its public transit, the 48.5-mile A Line is the longest of its kind on the planet.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie