With less than 3.5 years until the opening ceremonies, the termed-out council president emeritus is taking on a new megaevent department, a new role, and a whole lot of city baggage
Our "car-free" games are less than four years away and Los Angeles has yet to announce a cohesive strategy for moving people around the city without cars. But there's one grassroots idea that's been gaining momentum. The Festival Trail is a concept for a 22-mile non-vehicular, zero-emission corridor through LA County linking up Olympic venues and legacy transportation projects along the way. The proposal is led by Agency Artifact's Chris Torres, along with SOMOS, MoveLA and FASTLinkDTLA, and he's already engaged with over 200 stakeholder groups around the region.
I've been talking with Chris a lot over the last few months — I interviewed him for my Dwell story and we were both were recently on a Westside Urban Forum panel — and he's truly tapped in to what megaevent-related planning is (and isn't) happening around LA. His work is also literally at the intersection of so many hot-button issues for 2028, from bike lanes to public space to universal accessibility to building more affordable housing — all of which play a role in the Festival Trail concept.
Grab an afternoon snack, gather your questions, and join us for the next Torched Talks!
Torched Talks with the Festival Trail's Chris Torres October 7, 2024 3 to 4 p.m. Pacific Time
🗣️ Torched Talks is an ongoing series of conversations with experts on topics facing LA in its megaevent era. Simply join the Zoom to watch. Become a paid subscriber and you'll have access to the video afterwards
🚌 Watch Move LA's Eli Lipmen talking about SoCal Transit Week with Spectrum's Kate Cagle. Also, I have one of the limited-edition SoCal Transit Week TAP cards he holds up for anyone who wants one — I know you transit nerds collect them! Let me know by responding to this email and I'll pop it in the mail for you
"The immediate-term outcome is that the discretionary grants from the federal government are going to be oriented away from urban areas, communities of color, and pedestrian, bike and transit projects"
