Of all the places in Los Angeles where it makes sense to close a street to cars, the half-mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard through MacArthur Park tops the list.
Where else could Los Angeles instantly add more than two acres of public open space to a park-poor neighborhood that is also one of the most densely populated communities in the country? Simply by rerouting vehicles around the park and reclaiming the street for pedestrians and cyclists.
Los Angeles may be catching up with other major cities, such as New York and San Francisco, which have closed major roads running through public parks to give people more space to recreate safely. The city closed a portion of the road running through Griffith Park Drive to much acclaim in 2022.
Now, Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez has launched Reconnecting MacArthur Park, the city’s most ambitious effort yet to permanently pedestrianize a major street. Along with Mayor Karen Bass and several city department heads, Hernandez this week announced the first phase of the project, which will include community engagement, draft environmental documents and test closures. The street is not expected to be permanently closed in the near future. Hernandez’s office said the project is a work in progress and will take years to develop.
The project is being funded in part by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, which aims to undo or repair damage caused by past transportation construction decisions.
More than a century ago, MacArthur Park was a serene haven with a sprawling lake in a rapidly urbanizing city. But civic developers wanted Wilshire Boulevard to continue, uninterrupted, from the ocean to downtown. So the city built the road through the middle of the park, turning the space into more than just a park. “drive-through” Instead of a “destination park,” José A. Gardea wrote in Your Story of MacArthur Park.
Today, Wilshire Boulevard is one of the city’s main arteries serving motorists and transit users. Closing the street and rerouting vehicles around the park would undoubtedly be inconvenient, but Los Angeles is a built city and leaders must make tough decisions about how to allocate space. Open space is desperately needed in this neighborhood, and if there is community support, restoring the park rather than the convenience of cars should be the highest priority.
Some residents and nearby business owners are questioning why the city is spending time and money studying closing the street when there are more immediate problems that need to be addressed — namely, open drug use and homeless encampments that make people feel unsafe using parts of the park. Their complaints are valid, but residents shouldn’t have to choose between more park space and safe park space. The city has an obligation to do both.
Park space is too valuable to give away to motorists. Wherever possible, Los Angeles should reclaim more roadways for recreation, health and leisure purposes. MacArthur Park is a good place to start.
