Hollywood

(Earlier this week, Gloria Ohland reviewed what happend at last week's T.O.D. Conference hosted by the Urban Land Institute.  Today, Stephen Box takes a different look, and examines what was missing. - DN)

Robust Attendance at ULI Event Indicates Developers, Investors and Feds On Board

Last year at the Alternative Car Expo (to most known as the AltCar Expo), there was much excitement about all the motor vehicles that were trying to be sold as the new alternative to cars. Huh? There was a small area in a room off to the side and hidden from through traffic that was set up for the real alternatives and the Greensters had their own "park" set up,  demonstrating that one can carry lots of stuff on a good bike without having to waste the resources that manufacturing a car does. Unfortunately their excitement was drowned out by the oohs and aahs coming from the big room as the "green" crowd clamored around dozens of motor vehicles (Alt-Car?) that ran on batteries, good wishes, great intentions, and a continued commitment to the misuse of large amounts of public space.

One of my favorite transportation rhetorical devices has always been the relationship between Transit Oriented Development, or TOD, and its evil brother, Transit Adjacent Development, TAD.  TAD breaks all the rules that make TOD work, but because they can look similar they often get confused.  Unfortunately, TAD can give TOD a bad name.

Last Wednesday we premiered At What Price, a short film that I wrote and directed and that was shot 100% sustainably in East Hollywood.

Three weeks ago I asked the world for help in fulfilling Rebel Without A Car Production's commitment to producing a film sustainably. Our goal was to shoot locally and in partnership with the community.

Last year the City decided to ease its restrictive rules that limited when and where cabs could pick up passengers in a Downtown Pilot program.  Cabbies and the LADOT must have been happy with the results, because the program has expanded to Hollywood beginning this week and ending in January 10, 2010.