City Council Gives Go Ahead for L.A. "Park Block" Pilot Program

Barcelona's lauded "superblocks" program, which redirected traffic and has created open spaces for pedestrians and cyclists since 2016, has inspired Los Angeles to launch its own initiative called "Park Block." This week, the Los Angeles City Council approved the pilot program.

Park Block aims to transform neighborhoods by redirecting vehicle circulation, converting up to 70 percent of street surface areas and intersections into usable public spaces. The goal is to be more pedestrian friendly, expand open spaces, provide more play areas for children, and improve cycling safety on neighborhood streets.

The hope is that American cities can become more livable by adopting these strategies. It is certainly welcome in overly car-reliant Los Angeles and hopefully "Park Blocks" will make city infrastructure more pedestrian-friendly not just in LA. It is expected that the strategy will find wider adoption nationwide once other cities see the program in action.