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Downtown LA isn’t dead yet — and you can help revive it

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You’ve probably read some “urban doom loop” articles about downtown LA (DTLA). They are charged, negative — and not entirely wrong. But they tell only part of the story, and undermine a recovery that actually has a chance.

LA will host the Olympic Games in just two years, and the eyes of the planet will land, in no small part, on downtown — our civic front door, the hub of our transit system, the heart of our cultural life and the site of several of the LA28 event venues.

Which makes it even more important that we get the story of DTLA right.

Here’s some of what’s not making headlines.

Crime in downtown is trending down. Visitation has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with more than 17 million visitors in 2024.

New restaurants and businesses continue to open. The residential population has grown 44% since 2010, with DTLA accounting for 26% of all new housing built across the city over that period.

In an area that represents just 1.4% of the city’s land, DTLA accounts for nearly 19% of the entire city’s jobs. 

That’s not a neighborhood in decline; that’s a place the rest of the city depends on.

None of this is to say that DTLA doesn’t still face real challenges. Office vacancies remain high. Retail storefronts sit empty in some corridors. Foot traffic is increasing, but hasn’t fully returned, while public safety problems continue to undermine the experience of being here for residents, workers and visitors alike. 

But here’s what the doom loop narrative misses

During its renaissance from 1999-2019, DTLA overcame much........

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