Designing Inglewood, CA for After the 2028 Olympic Games
Below is a map of the sites of events at the 2028 summer Olympics. The area is far-reaching, and spans most of Los Angeles County, California, and some sites extend even further beyond. It is expected that Olympians, members of the media, and tourists will need to make heavy use of the public transit system in order to attend events during the 2028 Olympics, and luckily, much of this can be taken care of by the extensive Los Angeles light rail system. There are plans to further extend this rail system in order to better support the needs of Olympic attendees, which are shown as a pink dashed line. There is one city in LA county that has two Olympic sites and is going to host part of the proposed rail expansion: Inglewood, California.
Below is a plot of how the average commute time in cities of LA county compare to their population. The city of Inglewood is shown in red, with one of the higher populations and an average commute time.
Los Angeles plans for 2028 Olympics
There are multiple proposed extensions to the LA light rail system. Because so many of the Olympic sites are already constructed, plans were made to connect them long ahead of time in anticipation for the 2028 Olympics, and there are plans to further extend the rail system through the year 2060. While the foresight is admirable, it is a concern whether or not the 2028 expansion will be too focused on the Olympic accommodations and not have enough consideration of the longevity of the community after the Games are over.
A Look at Other Olympic Cities
Beijing, China
Beijing was the host of two recent Olympic Games. In 2008, they were it hosted the summer games, and in 2022 it was the co-host city with Zhangjiakou.
2008:
For this Olympic Games, Beijing introduced three new subway lines. Construction started seven years prior to ensure their completion. One of these lines directly serviced the Olympic Green. There was also a rail specifically for servicing the nearby airport. The hope was that people living in the area would be able to use the subway lines after the games were over, and even when the games were over, they continued building rail lines in order to promote use of public transit.
Other ways of promoting public transit were the upgrades made to subway trains, giving them air conditioning and video screens that aired Olympic competitions. Buses were also heavily relied on, particularly for the transportation of Olympic competitors and members of the media. In order to make public transportation more popular, there was also a policy instated limiting car usage such that car owners could only drive every other day, according to whether their license plate began with an even or odd number.
These games were considered a great success in terms of the ability of the transit systems in place for the Olympics which put the needs of Beijing first. This indicates that, in order for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to have the same success, there is a need to make public transit much more widely available to Olympians and to the public. Reducing car traffic could also be beneficial for LA because of the added environmental benefits that come with reducing emissions.
2022:
The primary update to the transit system for these games was development of a Fuxing bullet train that directly connects the host cities of Beijing and Zhangjiakou, which are 180 kilometers apart. The train is driverless, and can reach up to 350 kilometers per hour, which is roughly 217 miles per hour. This line was used by both competitors and members of the media, an was not open to the public during the time of the Olympics in order to reduce the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. The Beijing-Zhangjiakou line was made specifically for the Olympics, and has features such as 5G broadcasting capabilities, air-cleaning devices, and lockers for ski gear. It is also wheelchair accessible in preparation for the Paralympic Games.
Mock-up of Beijing-Zhangjiakou CR400BF by N509FZ.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2016:
While the Beijing Olympics were a relative success, and were able to keep future use of the transport system in mind, the same cannot be said of the Rio Games. Part of Rio’s plan was to extend the metro system, but there were multiple issues with the extension. For one, it stopped just short of the Olympic Park, requiring a bus transfer from the station to the Park. Another problem was the significant delays in construction, which created a question of whether or not the metro would even be accessible during the Games. Thirdly, the metro was only accessible to those with Olympic tickets or some other form of accreditation to enter Olympic events, which meant that the metro was closed to residents of the area.
The strain on the bus system during the Games was heavy due to the fact that they were overloaded. During the time of the Olympics, Rio had decided to make dedicated bus lines such that major sites, such as airports and Olympic hubs, would be connected. While this may seem like a benefit, creating the new bus lines required old bus lines to be closed, at least during the time of the Games, which disrupted the lives of numerous locals.
Zooming into Inglewood
Looking at economic data of individual neighborhoods in Inglewood, it can be determined which areas of the city would benefit most from higher access to public transit. It is evident that the new rail line and people-mover will benefit some of those areas, indicating that the official Los Angeles plans will be beneficial to Inglewood neighborhoods.
Neighborhoods in Inglewood and their Median Household Income
This bubble chart compares individual neighborhoods in Inglewood. Smaller bubbles are neighborhoods with a lower median income, and larger bubbles are neighborhoods with a higher median income. Neighborhoods with a lower median income are more likely to need higher access to public transit.
Neighborhoods in Inglewood and their Poverty Rates
This bar graph shows the poverty rates in each neighborhood of Inglewood. Neighborhoods with a higher poverty rate are more likely to need higher access to public transit.
Based on the location of the proposed people-mover and light rail extension, it seems that the plan for the Olympics transportation system is responding appropriately to the needs of the community. Despite this, there may be further measures taken to ensure that vehicular traffic is not disrupting the local community.
There are two Olympic sites in Inglewood, relatively close together. One is the LA Stadium at Hollywood Park, otherwise known as the SoFi stadium. This site was the location of the 2022 Super Bowl game, and is being used for the Olympic opening ceremony in 2028. The second is The Forum, which is commonly used as a concert venue, which is the location of gymnastic events during the 2028 Olympic games. The presence of these sites in Inglewood already causes a high amount of traffic in the surrounding area, which is only exacerbated by proximity to the LAX airport. Reducing the amount of harm that these sites cause on a comparatively low-income city will have lasting effects on the community after the 2028 Olympic Games are over.
Designing Inglewood for Community Growth
In order to prevent these neighborhoods from experiencing negative consequences from the Olympics, it is proposed that several measures are taken to encourage public transit and foot traffic while reducing personal vehicle usage in addition to enhancing community connection.
In order to know what areas to prioritize, it must be understood what zones are culturally important to Inglewood. By understanding what parts of the city are most valued by community members, these areas can be designed for in a way that will prioritize access to them.
Park Planning
The residents of Inglewood surrounding the SoFi Stadium, the Forum, and the Hollywood Park Casino are constantly bombarded with loud noises, traffic, and a sudden influx of people due to games, concerts, and other events. Their commutes are prolonged and their residential parking is taken up by the events occurring in this cultural hub in the center of Inglewood. In order to alleviate the traffic during event days, we propose the implementation of people movers and a reduction to the amount of parking on the site. Native plants will begin to take over the parking toward the perimeter of the neighborhoods. Large trees will be implemented to create sound barriers as well as visual barriers from the stadiums. Smaller shrubs, grasses, and flowers will also be planted to create a welcoming environment the residents of Inglewood can use on a daily basis. We will have different programs in these parks such as kid zones, forest areas, historical sculpture gardens, and free space for the community to use as they feel fit. The sculptures will give local artists the opportunity to show their work to visitors from all over the world. These parks are also functioning for the city of Inglewood during game days through their connection and circulation to local businesses. The parks draw game day visitors to the outer parts of the city and attract them to local businesses.
Existing Inglewood Plan
Inglewood Park Plan
Traffic
Some changes to traffic patterns can be proposed based on the successes and failures of other Olympic transport systems. One change is that some streets become open streets, which will still allow for bus routes to continue as normal, during certain hours of day where traffic is more congested. The areas being opened up will allow the Olympic sites to have a larger presence in the community in a way that does not impede everyday functions. Increased foot traffic in the area of SoFi Stadium and The Forum will increase patronage of local businesses, both during the Olympics and after it. Additionally, after the people-mover and light rail extension are complete, there could be a discounted fare for local residents to encourage them to use public transit instead of their personal vehicles.
Existing Transit Systems in Inglewood
Future Transit Systems in Inglewood
Looking to the Future
The implementation of people movers, open streets, and the replacement of parking lots with parks will alleviate the stress of event days for the people of Inglewood. The people movers will provide an incentive for people coming in to Inglewood to use public transportation. This will alleviate car traffic. Open streets will also lower traffic because people will need to either use busses, bikes, or walk to get to certain points in the city. The addition of public parks where there were many parking lots will give the community a natural space to use throughout the year. Large trees and other vegetation will act as natural sound barriers for the residents around the Sofi Stadium, the Forum, and the Hollywood Park Casino. Inglewood’s residents will have more space for their community and less worries during event days.