WESTSIDE

The Westside is undergoing a Community Plan Update that will determine outcomes in housing, mobility, public space and more. It’s a big opportunity to address climate change.

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Here's the deal

Scroll through the slides below to learn about climate risks on the Westside

The Community Plan Update is a Huge Opportunity for Climate Action and Equity

The Westside

Community plans decide what is allowed to be built, where, and what our goals are as a community. Plans also affect mobility and access to park space. The Westside Community Plan Area includes the neighborhoods of West Los Angeles, Venice, Palms, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Westchester and Playa del Rey.

Housing instability, displacement, disinvestment in historically segregated communities, and homelessness all amplify the effects of climate change.

Losing Housing

Lack of access to air conditioning, healthy food, and other factors create public health outcomes that are associated with a higher death rate when combined with heat, and other climate threats. Redlining, along with other forms of structural racism, have historically excluded Black, Indigenous and People of Color from the Westside. Favoring single family homes over multifamily buildings has helped maintain the effects of these policies.

Transportation makes up 41% of CA emissions. A lack of housing in the right places plays a major role.

Housing and Jobs

Commuters travel considerable distances to work on the Westside where there are lots of jobs, but not a lot of housing. Thousands of commutes add up, affecting air quality, driving climate change and creating lots of traffic. With few bike lanes, much of paved space is dedicated exclusively to cars.

“Business as usual” emissions would mean that extreme heat days would more than triple by 2051.

Getting Hotter

Later in the century we can see that continuing to increase our emissions as we have could result in more than double the number of extreme heat days. Heat affects air quality, energy use, public health, sea level rise, and more.

Our emissions output could mean the difference between .8 vs. 1.6 ft of sea level rise by 2050 or 4.5 vs. 7ft by 2100.

Rising Seas

This means that tackling emissions should be a huge priority for the Westside.There are a number of distinct strategies to deal with sea level rise, ranging from managed retreat to seawalls. If we are to relocate residents, then we must account for the increased need for housing in our community planning. If we are going to invest in solutions that will protect existing homes that are at risk, then it cannot be to the exclusion of new developments in the area, especially multifamily and affordable developments.

Let's Fix it

More Housing

Producing more housing, especially affordable housing, will lower emissions by bringing people closer to jobs and transit. Lower Income households drive 25-30% fewer miles when living within 1/2 mile of transit, A recent USC study showed households living close to transit in the $50,000–$100,000 income group drive an average of 16.8 fewer miles per day.

Enhanced Mobility

Expanding our bike & pedestrian infrastructure will save lives and encourage reduced emissions. The Westside currently has no protected North/South bike lanes and these routes show a high concentration of severe injuries and deaths from collisions.

Cool Technology

Cool roofs and pavement can reflect 20-60% of solar energy back into space. This solar reflectivity helps reduce the urban heat island effect by storing less heat than traditional asphalt, which can contribute to as much as 22° of warming at night.

Shade

Increasing tree canopy and other shade options will reduce the effects of extreme heat and air pollution. Street trees and shade can reduce surface temperatures up to 40°, protecting people outdoors and reducing energy costs when placed near buildings.

Greenscaping

More plant cover will help protect against flooding by increasing the permeability of the ground, allowing water to be stored, rather than pool over pavement or other impermeable surfaces.