Will Mayor Garcetti Be Able to Maintain L.A.'s Multimodal Momentum?

Over the past two decades L.A. has undergone a profound change in how it views mobility, shared spaces, and its relationship with the automobile. "L.A. is gradually becoming a multimodal city, with a growing armature of transit buoyed by a public more willing than ever to get around without getting behind the wheel," observes Nate Berg. 

Though the city's transportation transformation can be traced back at least 25 years, it picked up speed under the leadership of former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. 

"While Villaraigosa may have ushered in a new era of transportation in Los Angeles, it is [new mayor Eric] Garcetti and his probable two-term, eight-year tenure that have the potential to manifest policy changes and infrastructure projects to create a truly multimodal city," writes Berg. "He’ll face the dual challenges of trying to maintain the momentum of change that has taken the city this far, while also trying to keep up with shifting preferences of the public. L.A. is in the midst of one of the most dramatic turnarounds any American city has seen on its transportation front. Garcetti will determine how successful it shapes up to be."

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