Design and Architecture

<p>A decade after the Great Recession, how is Los Angeles doing? A new study out this week looks at creative economy jobs in California, and finds they now exceed the pre-recession peak in 2007. That’s just one finding from the annual Otis Report on the Creative Economy. But costs of participating in the creative economy are growing too.</p>

<p>Saturday's royal wedding ended with the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex driving off in an electric car: a retrofitted 1968 E-Type Jaguar. Can all classic sports cars go clean? We also get a preview of the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. And we hike up to Yamashiro, the faux-Japanese hilltop restaurant in Hollywood, as part of our ongoing look at identity in design.</p>

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-96cd2b87-6b67-20e5-005f-a51ede8bc582"><span>This week officials broke ground on a $16 million bridge over the LA River that connects Atwater Village and Griffith Park. You can walk or bike, or even ride a horse over it. One thing you can’t do? Drive on it.</span></span></p>

<p>Koreatown residents are fighting to keep homeless housing out of their neighborhood. What does this mean for efforts to build a shelter in every LA council district? And hip-hop mogul Kanye West has huge ambitions that include his own design and architecture businesses. But could his recent controversial statements about race and politics derail these ambitions?</p>

<p>Starting in just two years, any new homes built in California will have to include solar panels and other energy-efficiency measures. Those are among the new energy standards that The California Energy Commission unanimously approved Wednesday.</p>

<p>As tensions simmer along the US-Mexican border, we look at cross-border design collaborations between San Diego and Tijuana. And does gender determine where you ride a bike? We’ll hear about efforts to get more women into cycling, and whether "bro culture" affects the planning of bicycle lanes.</p>

<p dir="ltr"><span>If you've ever been stuck in traffic trying to get to Dodger Stadium, there's a possible end in sight to your frustration. Metro officials are considering a proposal for an aerial tram that could take you from Union Station to the stadium in 5 minutes.</span></p> <div><span><br /></span></div>

<p>The Los Angeles Football Club's new soccer stadium made its debut on Sunday. The designers used virtual reality, Hollywood storytelling and assistance from soccer supporters to bring it to life. And in our series on identity in design, structural engineer Roma Agrawal - who worked on The Shard in London, the tallest building in Western Europe - tells us about her mission to bring more women into the profession.</p>

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c5d2455a-ff0e-21e6-2ca4-8b3aff398ad2"><span>The new $350 million dollar arena of the Los Angeles Football Club sounds huge - 22,000 seats – but its owners say it will feel intimate. The Banc of California Stadium has the steepest seating bowl in Major League Soccer, at 34 degrees, and features shops, restaurants, and an events center.</span></span></p>

<p>President Trump may diss Mexico but designers and architects are flocking there. Now SCI-Arc has set up a satellite school in the capital and LA is learning from Mexico City. And, the buzz is starting for “Crazy Rich Asians.” Nelson Coates talks about the “unbelievable unabashed joy” of working as production designer on the movie and the role of identity in design below the line.</p>

<p><span>A controversial bill that would have led to more high-density housing in California died in a legislative committee this week. Why did SB 827 fail, and what’s next in the fight to build new housing?</span></p>

<p>A proposed state law could radically change California’s residential neighborhoods. Supporters hope the bill will create much-needed housing in the state’s growing cities. Critics say it will ruin their communities. And, Boyle Heights art galleries have been the target of an anti-gentrification campaign by artist-activists. One gallery owner offers to shut down to symbolically “acknowledge their practice.”</p>

<p><span>LA has a massive housing problem. There are a number of initiatives to resolve the homeless crisis and the creation of more affordable housing. But, do any of these solve the basic problem in LA, which is resistance to the construction of new housing?</span></p>

<p>Facebook has tweaked its design to give users clearer control over their information. Can these changes help the social media giant become “friends” again with its users? The Bombay Beach Biennale has come to the Salton Sea. How do the locals feel about the influx of art and opera? And CalArts marks the 50th anniversary of the “House of Dust,” a house inspired by a computer-generated poem.</p>

<p>California is beginning to allow the testing of self-driving cars with no humans at the wheel. Critics say the technology is not ready for the roads, but supporters say autonomous vehicles will make streets safer. And Christopher Hawthorne is leaving his post as the Los Angeles Times’ architecture critic to take up a new job as the city of LA's first-ever Chief Design Officer. What does that job entail exactly?</p>

<p>As Uber investigates last week’s fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona involving a self-driving car, the company has decided to pull its application to test self-driving cars on California streets. What does this mean for California's plans to continue testing autonomous vehicles?</p>

<p><span>The final episode of DnA’s Bridges and Walls examines the "fourth border,” the Southland’s seashore. Undersea fiber optic cables connect the world, but why is Hermosa Beach a popular landing site for them? What price do we pay for our digital connections? And we'll consider </span><span>an alternate route for traffic-weary Angeleno commuters: a</span><span> ferry service between the beach towns.</span></p>

<p>Traffic is so awful that dreaming up alternative transit routes is now an LA pastime. And for those sitting on the 405 or PCH, one idea that is being floated -- excuse the pun -- is the idea of ocean-based transit.</p>

<p>Los Angeles has fallen out of love with freeways. Or has it? Freeways were once liberating bridges between communities. Now they are polluting, rush-hour parking lots that form walls within LA. DnA looks at the health impact of living near freeways, a proposed new freeway in the High Desert and what freeways might look like in the future.</p>

<p>Construction broke ground today on the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The museum is located in LA’s Exposition Park, and will house the art collection of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas. It’s a big arrival for the neighborhood, and it comes in the form of what looks like a giant silver spaceship -- with gardens.</p>

<p>There are walls that impact the communities they contain, but are naked to the eye. On today’s “Bridges and Walls” episode we explore three examples of invisible walls: the boundaries that mark gang territories; zoning codes that divide communities; and the West LA eruv, a ritualistic fence that allows Orthodox Jews to perform certain tasks on Shabbat, the traditional day of rest.</p>

<p>It’s happening all over the US -- a phenomenon known as dead mall syndrome. A mix of overbuilding of malls in recent decades coupled with dramatic changes in retail habits has caused the demise of many malls. Some however are getting a new lease of life, as something else. And that’s what’s happening to the Westside Pavilion on Pico at Overland in West LA.</p>

<p>The Los Angeles River in downtown is getting new bridges and parks. But with the greening of the river may come “green gentrification.” DnA tours a disused railyard that will be turned into a park, hears about dreams for changes in the Lower LA River and talks to architect Frank Gehry and other stakeholders about LA County’s updated masterplan for the entire 51 miles of flood channel.</p>

<p>It’s the Oscars this weekend, and most of the buzz is about the acting honors and the horse race for best picture. But there’s a whole community in LA that will be watching for winners in the below-the-line categories whose creative talents do not typically become household names. That includes sound, editing, and the production and set design that can make or break a movie.</p>

<p>Eighty years ago this week, rain poured down on Los Angeles. Floods washed out roads, bridges and thousands of homes. The devastation led to total channelization that would forever shape -- and divide -- Los Angeles. Now efforts are underway to build new bridges, bring back wildlife and forge new connections at the LA River. But with those efforts come anxiety about change.</p>

<p>The LA City Council approved a new bridge this week to cross the Los Angeles River. It would connect Frogtown, otherwise known as Elysian Valley, to Taylor Yard, a former railway site in Cypress Park. And it would be for pedestrian and cyclists only. No cars allowed. Its bright orange color is eye catching, but the price may also take your breath away. And it’s just one of three bridges now being planned to span the river.</p>

<p>Wild animals need to roam, but our freeways are in the way. Now a proposed bridge over the 101 would allow mountain lions and other wildlife to cross safely over the freeway and improve their access to food and mates. But can humans and predatory animals coexist in the city?</p>

<p><span>California’s biggest infrastructure project is a high-speed rail network that would connect San Francisco, the Central Valley and Los Angeles, bridging communities cut off by the state's difficult geography. However, farmers see the train as driving a wall through their land. Despite widespread criticism, parts of the route are being built in Fresno, opening up new opportunities in the Central Valley.</span></p>

<p>Can a wall also act as a bridge? The U.S.-Mexico border wall stretches along 700 miles. It divides two nations that are strategic allies and trading partners, and continues to divide Americans along partisan lines. It also “brings people together in really remarkable and interesting ways,” and DnA tells their stories.</p>

<p>In his State of the Union address, Trump talked about rebuilding infrastructure, but offered no specific projects and vague plans for how to pay for them. Meanwhile he said almost nothing about building the border wall, a common refrain since the early days of his campaign.</p>

<p>The founder of furniture giant IKEA has died. What was the legacy of Ingvar Kamprad? Historic Filipinotown is set to get its own design district, but many residents are unhappy with the idea. And a collection of LA’s veteran antiques dealer Joel Chen is going on the auction block at Christie’s. He talks about a life in objects.</p>

<p>Metro ridership continues to decline, but the agency is seeking innovative ideas for alternative modes of transit. Angelenos are offering many solutions to the region's mobility problems. Culver City residents heard one such idea on Monday night, when representatives from Elon Musk's Boring Company pitched a high-speed network of underground tunnels.</p>

<p>Silicon Valley is embracing the idea of the company town, as even high-paying tech companies struggle with the high cost of housing. A westside school district also considers building homes for its teachers. The new downtown federal courthouse wins a major design award, but did an aversion to postmodernism lead the same jury to withhold this year’s 25-year award?</p>

<p><span>Did you know the city owns almost 9,000 parcels of land and properties across LA County? LA City Controller Ron Galperin released a map last year of unaccounted-for property, with a view to making the city more accountable and transparent, as well as pushing elected officials to amplify the value and best use of these sites.</span></p>

<p>LA photographer Cathy Opie has made a short film about an arsonist who loves mid-century-modern LA houses so much, he’s driven to destroy them. And the late LA artist Mike Kelley was obsessed with Kandor, Superman's hometown on the planet Krypton. Both artists address the utopian ideals of modernist architecture, and what happens when those ideals fail to materialize.</p>

<div>Authorities in Santa Barbara County are performing rescue operations as mudslides and debris have led to multiple deaths, dozens of injuries and have left hundreds of people trapped in their homes. Is there a way to protect communities and homes from mudslides going forward?</div>

<p>After the battle in Playa del Rey, have road diets been run off the road? The head of Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation describes how you can pitch bold new transit improvements. And the scooter-sharing startup Bird in Santa Monica has taken flight, but it’s also ruffled feathers at City Hall.</p>

<p>California’s recreational pot marketplace is open for business and, already, sales are booming. Take yesterday, for example: marijuana sales jumped more than 300 percent above last month’s daily average. That’s according to the company Green Bits, which tracks pot sales. Even in its early days, it’s becoming clear that recreational marijuana is for sale in stores that don’t look much like the stores of old.</p>

<p>The Westin Bonaventure Hotel defined 1970s Los Angeles. DnA remembers its creator, John Portman. Tech and entertainment companies are descending on Culver City. We’ll hear about the big changes coming to the one-time “Heart of Screenland” -- and meet two young developers who believe in brick-and-mortar retail.</p>

<p>Singer-songwriter Dar Williams has spent years on the road and along the way she learned a lot about America’s small towns and what makes them thrive. She talks about her book, <em>What I Found in a Thousand Towns</em>, and plays songs that relate to those themes. </p> <p><br /><em></em></p>

<p>There’s been a trend of so-called "selfie museums" in LA, with “made-for-Instagram” sets designed for taking flattering self-portraits. So how does selfie culture jibe with “high art”? Meanwhile, Los Angeles-based curators bring new architectural ideas to the Windy City. But are they “boring”? And, one of Apple’s first “town squares” opens in Chicago too.</p>

<p>Coming in January, you'll be able to buy tickets to the Museum of Selfies in Glendale. It's part of the trend this past year of "made-for-Instagram" museums, collections of colorful sets designed for taking flattering self-portraits.</p>

<p>Fires in Southern California have forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. Author and designer Wade Graham says we are "enmeshed" in fire-prone landscapes and need to respond through smart design and policy. And LACMA’s proposed expansion by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor is nearing reality. Will the gallery spanning Wilshire Boulevard feel like a freeway overpass, or a sculptural work of art?</p>

<p>The Skirball Fire east of the 405 freeway has made the commute through the Sepulveda Pass a scary experience. And the nearby Getty Center has closed because of outside air quality. But management is confident the buildings -- and the art -- will come out unscathed.</p>

<p>We love a good success story, but we love an epic fail even more. <em>DnA</em> visits the Museum of Failure. We also talk to "visual futurist" Syd Mead and architect Craig Hodgetts about creating a "plausible reality." And we hear about the art of cake-making from a West Hollywood baker.</p>

<p>The sculptural installation Vermonica is an "urban candelabra" of 25 Los Angeles street lamps installed in an East Hollywood parking lot in 1993. Artist Sheila Klein's project was supposed to only last a year, but this month, after 24 years, it was removed at the insistence of the developer, who plans to renovate the shopping center.</p>

<p>KCRW is coming up for air. We take a sneak peek at the station's new building, designed by architect Clive Wilkinson. And why are some affluent young city women dressing like members of religious cults? A look at the new modesty in fashion, and how women architects dress to express a "total design philosophy."</p>

<p>Los Angeles is seeing an explosion of murals. Would you like to paint one? Hear about the movement to "Beautify Earth." And a World War II armory becomes the permanent home for the Wende Museum of the Cold War, just as Russia-US relations revive old tensions. But what do former East Germans think about it?</p>

<p>Can a robot get people walking again? Meet Gita, a cargo carrier on wheels created by the same company that designed the Vespa scooter. And "Dirty Girl Construction" founder Joan Barton shares her thoughts on building -- and triumphing -- in a man's world.</p>

<p>The Culver Steps, a mixed-use development planned for the heart of Culver City, broke ground on Wednesday. Mayor Jeff Cooper called it "the last piece of the downtown puzzle."</p>