National ULI Panel Identifies Opportunities to Move Downtown LA Forward
Last week, the DTLA Alliance was proud to co-host an Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Services Panel, bringing some of the nation's top real estate, planning, and policy experts to Downtown for five days of listening, learning, and big-picture thinking about DTLA's future. The DTLA Alliance was joined in this effort by the Office of Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and our fellow Downtown Business Improvement Districts.
For more than 75 years, ULI's Advisory Services Program has matched the brightest minds in the industry with the toughest challenges facing cities, from the successful revitalization of Southwest Detroit to Downtown San Francisco's post-pandemic recovery. Our panel paired 12 national and local experts with roughly 50 local advisors across eight topic teams, all volunteering their time to offer objective, independent recommendations.
Listen, Learn, Recommend
The week kicked off on Monday with a tour led by representatives from each of the sponsoring BIDs, giving panelists a firsthand look at Downtown diverse and distinct neighborhoods. The tour began in the Financial District before going through Bunker Hill and The Social District, then visiting the Fashion District and Historic Core, followed by Skid Row and the Industrial District, before wrapping up with the Arts District and Little Tokyo. That evening, panelists connected with Downtowners at a Meet & Greet at South Park Center.
On the following day, the panel continued their learning process through interviews conducted with more than 75 stakeholders, including property owners, business operators, residents, and civic leaders. The panelists spent Wednesday and Thursday working through everything they had seen and heard, to shape their recommendations, which were presented on Friday at the brand-new Michigan Ross Los Angeles campus at The Grand LA. The setting couldn't have been more fitting. A major university choosing Downtown for its West Coast home is exactly the kind of investment that signals where DTLA is headed.
Five Areas of Focus
The panel's recommendations spanned five areas. On homelessness, panelists called for pairing enforceable standards with credible places to go, including transitional housing on government-owned land and a coordinated, accountable outreach system. For public safety, they proposed an integrated safety platform alongside Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design standards. In the public realm, they urged quick and inexpensive improvements like paint, planters, and shade ahead of LA28, starting with Pershing Square and Biddy Mason Park, followed by longer-term permanent changes that build on what has worked. Recommendations to support DTLA’s ongoing evolution into a mixed-use community included housing incentives, bringing workers back to the office, and activating vacant ground floor retail space. To fund and implement it all, the panel proposed creation of a Downtown Development Corporation and establishment of an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District.
What’s Next?
ULI will publish a comprehensive final report before the end of the year. In the meantime, we extend our thanks to the panelists, local advisors, our co-sponsors, and every stakeholder who shared their time and insights.
Watch a video recap of the tour
