Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 10

22 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 10 aimed at reinforcing Downtown’s economic base by promoting new job-generating uses and incentivizing residential development near transit stations. Situating housing near public transit and jobs can reduce residents’ dependence on car travel, cutting emissions and reducing traffic congestion. This approach would alleviate development pressure in sensitive residential neighborhoods across Los Angeles, while simultaneously ensuring that public transit continues to serve the populations that have historically relied on it. Another strategy for protecting the City’s environment is linking development to public benefits, ensuring that new developments provide outdoor space for recreation and healthy living. Eliminating parking minimums for new development Downtown is also an important step toward improving the City’s air quality, addressing climate change, and offering a wide range of transportation options. The City’s approach also emphasizes the preservation of Downtown’s social, cultural, and historic identity, proposing growth that celebrates and reinforces the character of each part of Downtown, while protecting existing structures through reuse and preservation. To prevent displacement of residents and local businesses, the proposal for Downtown would maintain existing protections for residential hotels, which require one-to-one replacement of these units in the case of conversion or demolition.