RECONNECTING AMERICA
Introduction
Project Purpose
In spring of 2011, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), in partnership with the City of Los Angeles, was awarded a grant from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to prepare the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Sustainable Corridor Implementation Plan (Orange Line BRT Sustainable CIP). Metro, the City of Los Angeles, and SCAG retained Raimi + Associates and its consultant team of The Center for Transit‐Oriented Development and Nelson\Nygaard to assist with the planning effort.
The Orange Line BRT Sustainable CIP identifies a range of improvements to the Orange Line and the fourteen station areas on its original alignment – such as land use changes, catalyst projects, streetscape improvements, and transit connections – that will increase transit use for commuters and discretionary riders, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and advance Metro’s sustainable development principles. The four main goals of the Orange Line BRT Sustainable CIP are to:
- Identify strategies to better integrate transportation and land use decisions;
- Identify transportation measures that support station‐area and community plans;
- Identify and prioritize staff time and resources to implement TOD‐related projects by determining where improvements will have the most positive impact; and
- Support Metro’s Sustainability Principles.
The Orange Line BRT Sustainable CIP is intended to build on the success of the Orange Line by providing recommendations to create a network of transit‐oriented districts (TODs) at station areas along the corridor. The study further develops the concepts identified in the 2010 CTOD report on Transit‐ Oriented Districts titled “Creating Successful Transit‐Oriented Districts in Los Angeles: A Citywide Toolkit for Achieving Regional Goals.”
Creating transit‐oriented districts is one strategy to achieve sustainability in the Los Angeles region. To provide direction for planning and programming activities, Metro developed the Sustainable Communities Planning Framework and associated Countywide Sustainability Planning Policy. The Framework establishes an approach for embedding social, economic, and environmental sustainability throughout Metro’s functions, and these principles are at the core of the Orange Line BRT Sustainable CIP. Metro plays a unique role in facilitating a more sustainable future for the Los Angeles region. The agency plans, funds, constructs, and operates a transportation system that improves Angelenos’ health and well‐being, strengthens the economy, and enhances the natural environment.
Read full report (PDF) here: Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Sustainable Corridor Implementation Plan
About Reconnecting America
www.reconnectingamerica.org
“Reconnecting America is a national nonprofit that advises civic and community leaders on how to overcome community development challenges to create better communities for all. Reconnecting America develops research and innovative public policy, while also building on-the-ground partnerships and convening players needed to accelerate decision-making. The community where we live holds a special place in our hearts. Some of us still live in the same neighborhood where our family has had roots for generations. Some of us choose a community with an eye toward a new beginning. Where we live matters.”
Tags: Bus Rapid Transit, Orange Line, Reconnecting America, Sustainable
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