Quote:
Originally Posted by pesto
Sympathize to some extent; but LA is not NY or Chicago. It's closer to SD, Miami and such in weather and therefore in connection to the outdoors. Most Northern cities are built to exclude the weather since it is usually too cold and the rest of the time too hot and humid.
btw, it could very well be that the density of DT is what caused people to move away. The DT style was not replicated anywhere they moved to, with Westlake, Wilshire, Beverly Center, BH, Westwood, etc., getting dense, but with set-backs and gaps.
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People never lived in downtown L.A. It was always mostly businesses and retail. People always lived in suburbs in L.A. Yes, the suburbs were very urban, but they were suburbs nonetheless. As L.A. grew in size, the suburbs expanded in every direction. As people started living farther and farther from Downtown, they moved farther and farther from the businesses downtown. And so, the businesses downtown moved to the suburbs to be nearer to the people. Moreover, at the time L.A. experienced its biggest growth (1960s), it was extremely car-oriented. The new 'downtown', Wilshire Blvd, was linear because it was oriented to the car. Cars could drive in a straight line all the way across 'downtown'. Historic DTLA was decidedly not car oriented, and as such was becoming more and more 'antiquated'. This was also a time when history was not respected, and everything new and modern was in vogue. Wilshire was new and modern. Downtown was 'antiquated'. As such, guess what was more favored? Wilshire.
You are absolutely correct on the part about L.A.s weather affecting architecture. L.A. is unique in that it is one of the few cities to have its own architectural style, California Modernism. This style takes advantage of the weather of L.A. by making the transition from outdoors to indoors as seamless as possible. This was done by making low, long buildings, glass walls and sliding doors so that it seems like the outdoors and indoors are one, and heavy use of natural materials. It truly is a beautiful architectural style, and many consider it to be the last beautiful architectural style. Some examples:
Park Fifth was based off of this design, with the sliding doors and large balconies. I wish every day that those towers were built....