Designing for Development

Abstract

There has been the criticism that urban design is increasingly being used as an entrepreneurial strategy for cities, transformed into a tool for attracting investment. This article examines the evolution of urban design plans in Los Angeles to understand the relationship between urban design practices and growth. Rather than a clear break in orientation, both early and later design strategies are explicit in promoting urban design as a tool to encourage development. While the broad “purposes” of urban design are similar over the period examined, the type of catalyst that would create growth has fewer public benefits in later years.