In conjuction with the impending arrival of a $2-billion light rail line, the City of Los Angeles is pushing forward with streetscape improvements along Crenshaw Boulevard.

The Crenshaw Boulevard Streetscape Plan, which is part of a larger effort to reorient neighborhoods around new transit stations, is intended to serve as a blueprint for new landscaping and public amenities along a five-mile stretch between 79th Street and the I-10 freeway.  Per a presentation from the Department of City Planning, the goals of project include 1) the creation of a multi-modal corridor hospitable to automobiles, pedestrians cyclists and transit passengers and 2) the implementation of coordinated streetscape elements along the boulevard, making for a lively environment that is attractive to shoppers.

Although the exact elements of the streetscape improvement plan will be determined over the course of time, proposed features include:

  • Median refuge islands
  • Mid-block crossings
  • New crosswalks
  • Curb extensions
  • Paving treatments
  • Transit stop locations
  • Direction and wayfinding signage
  • Street light fixtures
  • Gateway monuments and neighborhood markers
  • Median strips and trees
  • Loading and drop-off zones
  • Bicycle racks, lockers, bike corrals and other facilities
  • Artwork and sculptures
  • Street furniture (bus shelters, benches, trash cans)
  • Tree Wells
  • Planters

As the streetscape plan is intended as a framework for future development, it does not propose any means of funding the proposed improvements.  Instead, the project is expected to be realized piecemeal through actions by both public agencies and other entities, including real estate developers, neighborhood councils and business improvement districts.

Similar improvements are also planned for 7th Street and the Figueroa corridor in Downtown Los Angeles.