City of Los Angeles Station Neighborhood Area Plans (SNAP)

In the late 1990s, land uses at Los Angeles’ early rail-transit stops reflected a legacy of low-density planning principles. To develop the City’s first transit-oriented plans, the City retained John Kaliski, as AIJK Principal, to work with six communities, four in Hollywood, one in South Los Angeles, and one in the Valley.

In the Valley and South Los Angeles, urban design for transit stops was addressed through meetings between Kaliski and City staff. But in Hollywood, the Council Member anticipated displacement of the ethnically diverse and working class communities. Kaliski was told to plan for 3,000 additional units in the vicinity of train stations with no displacement. Both education as well as consensus-building would be required to address community concerns.

In a series of workshops held in English, Spanish, and Thai, Kaliski and his office utilized computer terminals and a “hack” of the SIM City game to break down language and information barriers regarding transit-oriented design. The SIM City visions developed at the terminals were related to policy options for increased open space, streetscape, sidewalk amenities, and increased density with inclusionary housing. Refined by Kaliski and City staff, these concepts were further developed by the City as a specific plan for the four Hollywood Metro “Red Line” stops that was approved by the community and adopted by the City in 2001.