An Open Letter to LA28 from AIA Los Angeles

September 7, 2023

Michelle D. Schwartz – Chief External Affairs Officer
Erikk Aldridge – Vice President of Impact
Casey Wasserman – Chair
Kathy Carter – CEO

LA28
The Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
10900 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90024-6527

Dear LA28,

On behalf of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA|LA) and our 4500+ members of architects, designers, allied professionals, and students, we are reaching out to establish a more direct and cooperative relationship with the leadership of LA28.

With the 3rd Olympics and 1st Paralympics for Los Angeles on the horizon, we members of the AIA|LA have been convening thought leaders over the past few years to imagine how this celebratory event can serve Los Angeles for generations to come while benefiting the Games in 2028. Expectations are at an all-time high for inclusive, resilient, and innovative urban environment design – not only by the cities where the events will be occurring but by the global rubric set forth by the United Nations (UN) and the International Olympics Committee (IOC). Similar to the partnerships developed during the memorable 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, we hope to work together with LA28 in framing multi-benefit legacy placemaking projects and cultural Olympiads that will elevate local stories, deliver equitable and inclusive economic impact, and connect the identity of the Olympics & Paralympics to that of greater Los Angeles County in such a way that celebrates the cultural diversity of the region.

In order to make the 2028 Olympics & Paralympics a Big Win for all stakeholders, we ask the leadership of LA28 to urgently consider the following:

I. Engage with the AIA and the architecture & design community. Enthusiastically join us in an open conversation about what this global event means for the resilience of Los Angeles and its long-term impact. Since March 2018, the AIA|LA has hosted and invited you to the table for four panel discussions and a conference including a variety of speakers and panelists including public representatives, business leaders, researchers, planners, urban designers, and architects. These conversations produced learning outcomes that would be relevant and impactful to the development of the Games as an equitable and inclusive event. Our members worked to build the 1984 success story and can leverage institutional memory from the 1932 and 1984 Olympics. We invite LA28’s participation in future discussions to broaden thinking on the implementation of resilient urban design strategies, interim housing options, inclusive placemaking, and transportation alternatives.

II. Consider the expansion of LA28’s legacy mission. Expand your mission in imagining what an inclusive legacy looks like, and how LA28 will connect with communities before, during, and after the Olympics & Paralympics. Impacts on the built environment, wealth generation for underserved communities, and expanding the scope of Post-Games Surplus Distribution are opportunities to deliver a lasting legacy. While the Games are being thought of as a no-build event, the post-games foundation scope should consider capital improvement projects and maintenance to enhance Youth Sports Programming. Sports are a healing force and we need dignified spaces to house these activities. Too many soccer fields, pools, and park facilities lack welcoming gateways, shade canopy, water bottle filling stations, and restrooms/changing/nursing facilities in a clean and safe condition.

III. Expand partnerships with community stakeholders and leverage their resources to advance projects already in the Los Angeles pipeline. Urban greening plans along our neighborhood waterways such as the Los Angeles River and Compton Creek have involved years of community input on connecting schools, sports fields, work, and homes with pedestrian bridges, protected bicycle lanes, cool schools, and planted parkways. LA28 could be the spark that brings to fruition community projects that have already been identified and drive forward transformative infrastructure and placemaking that would benefit the Olympics & Paralympics. Impactful legacy projects that await deployment include the Superbloom streetlamp that could be piloted on gateway avenues and boulevards connecting event venues while promoting social mobility. A unique graphic identity of streetscape infrastructure would lend itself toward Olympic & Paralympic legacy and community empowerment. Also, please consider more strategic, comprehensive, and appropriate, land-use strategies that include housing and mixed-use near Olympic sports venues.

IV. Increase participation opportunities in the Games planning process and be a leader in international exchange. LA28 can cast the net more broadly through existing community outreach conduits such as the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council system,  the City of Los Angeles’ Regional Alliance Marketplace for Procurement (RAMP), and other local community planning organizations and connect them worldwide through international exchange, which is expected by the IOC. An innovative and interactive engagement tool is necessary to reach those who live, work, and play in the neighborhoods connecting each venue. There are 99 Neighborhood Councils in Los Angeles, seven neighborhood associations in Santa Monica, and over 100 in Long Beach. We cannot plan for transit options, small business opportunities, and the health of our youth behind closed doors and silos. These groups can assist in prioritizing issues and highlighting opportunities alongside your current Workforce Development, Local Hire, Mobility, and Sustainability Working Groups.

Let’s collaborate on building a resilient and inclusive community engagement framework and leverage the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic as an opportunity for this framework to serve as a sustainable legacy to improve the future of Los Angeles.

We welcome the opportunity to further connect and to share more of our recommendations in person.  We invite you to attend one of our upcoming AIA Los Angeles meetings and be a part of our conversations.

Kindly contact Will Wright – Director of Government & Public Affairs for AIA Los Angeles at will@aialosangeles.org or (213) 639-0764 and we can organize next steps together.

Truly yours,

Leslie Sydnor, AIA
2023 President, AIA Los Angeles

CC

Mayor Karen Bass, The City of Los Angeles
Deputy Mayor Erin Bromaghim, The City of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles Councilmembers
The City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning
The City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works
City of Los Angeles Bureau Of Engineering
Streets LA
Los Angeles County Supervisors
Los Angeles County Public Works
AIA|LA Membership
AIA|LA Community Partners

To access a PDF of this letter, please CLICK HERE.