Modern Day
Mobility Element of the Current General Plan
A city's General Plan is the constitution governing general policy regarding all new development. It sits at the top of the land-use hierarchy and illustrates the city's long term vision for growth. State law requires that every city adopt a General Plan, and they are usually updated at least once every decade. General Plans consist of seven mandatory elements: Land Use, Circulation/Transportation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise and Safety. [1] In the Los Angeles City General Plan, the transportation section is known as the "Mobility Element." Adopted in 1999 and amended in 2011, the Mobility Element tries to accommodate and promote a broad set of transportation options for LA residents, including cycling, carpooling, driving, riding public transit and walking. The Mobility Element also focuses on street safety for mixed use transportation modes, by finding ways to safely accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and transit users in the city's busy streets. [1] In 2011 the city of LA's Planning and Transportation departments set out on a three year campaign to update the Mobility Element, called "LA/2B." |
LA/2B project timeline for the Mobility Element update process. [2]
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The LA/2B campaign has focused heavily on community outreach, and soliciting the general public's ideas on the future of LA's streetscape design and alternative transportation options. Of their six-part project plan, their #1 goal is to "Develop a revised Mobility Element which will identify goals, objectives, policies, and programs that reflect the communities’ future mobility ideas and suggested strategies." [2]
The anticipated release date of the new General Plan Mobility Element is sometime in the Spring of 2014.
The anticipated release date of the new General Plan Mobility Element is sometime in the Spring of 2014.
References
1. Los Angeles Department of City Planning, "General Plan Structure: A Guide to the General Plan Elements" (Public Document, Los Angeles, 2012), http://cityplanning.lacity.org/Code_Studies/GeneralElement/Summarygp.pdf (accessed on July 31, 2013).
2. Los Angeles Departments of City Planning and Transportation, "About the Project," LA/2B, http://la2b.org/about/ (accessed on July 31, 2013).
2. Los Angeles Departments of City Planning and Transportation, "About the Project," LA/2B, http://la2b.org/about/ (accessed on July 31, 2013).