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Play Streets

2015 - 2018

Location
Los Angeles
Client
Mayor Eric Garcetti's Great Streets Initiative, Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)
Team
Mayor Eric Garcetti's Great Streets Initiative, Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

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Play Streets

Play Streets

Why

Less than half of Los Angeles residents have easy access to a park, making basic activities like exercise, play, and socialization difficult.  Though investment in permanent public spaces around the city is on the horizon, development takes time, and residents have an urgent need for access to public spaces. In 2015, KDI saw an opportunity to fill this gap by tapping into the city’s most abundant resource: its street network.

What

The Play Streets initiative allows residents to select neighborhood blocks that they would like to temporarily close down to vehicular traffic and convert into public spaces that stimulate play, exercise and social gathering.

How

In collaboration with the LA Department of Transportation and the Mayor’s Office, KDI is piloting a program called “Play Streets”. As part of the pilot program, KDI has designed a ‘Box-of-Play’ with input from residents that contains shade, seating, and play elements to physically transform an ordinary block into an enticing, fun, and safe space that encourages physical activity and social exchange.

Upcoming

In 2018 KDI will launch phase 2 of the pilot program and host 15 play street events, with the eventual goal of rolling out a larger-scale version of the program in 2019.