If implementing good neighborhood design seems like a no-brainer, you’d be surprised. Reports end up shelved. Plans don’t move beyond renderings. But constructive change has come to Frogtown, Koreatown, and other underserved neighborhoods of Los Angeles thanks to LA-Más, an innovative nonprofit—part design studio, part public-policy think tank—dedicated to improving urban conditions and supporting vulnerable populations in the face of gentrification.
A storefront and signage by LA-Más in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles.
“Adding furniture, signage, and bus shelters may all sound simple, but it requires major moving of the bureaucracy,” says Helen Leung, a Frogtown native and graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School, who leads LA-Más with architectural designer and fellow Harvard grad Elizabeth Timme. Projects thus far have included updating the visual identities of local storefronts, formalizing businesses through proper permitting, and enhancing streetscapes by incorporating furniture and designating pedestrian space.
Their latest venture addresses the housing crisis through a scalable program of Section 8 backyard accessory dwelling units—a.k.a. “granny flats.” The pilot unit will be completed this fall, with eight more in the pipeline. “We’re hoping to inspire the city to simplify its processes,” says Leung, who serves as a liaison between community representatives and policymakers while Timme spearheads design and execution. “Our goal is for more communities to do this without an LA-Más.” mas.la
