Los Angeles has long faced criticism as unsustainable with poor governance, marked by sprawling suburbs and extensive commuting. Jane Jacobs famously contrasted L.A.'s urban form unfavorably against Manhattan's vibrant sidewalks. In light of recent events, architects and urbanists view L.A. as a complex interplay of pleasure and peril. Despite negative perceptions regarding low density and car culture, a shift may be occurring as emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles and decentralized energy resources could redefine these traits as advantages in a changing world.
Los Angeles is a city of pleasure and peril; we've always known this. We consume our environment instead of living with it.
Urban form has always followed transportation infrastructure. Roman roads influenced the creation of grid-based military cities.
What if L.A.'s so-called flaws - its low density, car culture and decentralized sprawl - weren't liabilities in a changing world, but underappreciated assets?
The emergence of autonomous mobility solutions like robot taxis as well as distributed energy are shifting the urban landscape in unexpected ways.
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