Pacoima Street Values

How can informal sidewalk activity be supported and enhanced in a legal and efficient manner?

Pacoima Street Values is a project led by Pacoima Beautiful in partnership with LA Más and with support from Councilmember Felipe Fuentes to support, celebrate, and enhance the ways businesses make streets in Los Angeles great through informal activities. This project was a recipient of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Great Streets Challenge Grant.

Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima is lined by many small businesses that activate the street in unique and creative ways – from seating to elaborate merchandise displays. These activities lend vibrancy to the street and give it a deeply-rooted sense of place that reflects the culture of the community. Pacoima Street Values legitimizes and enhances these informal and positive uses, so that businesses can continue to be a presence on the Boulevard.

A wide ranging public outreach effort was undertaken along Van Nuys Boulevard to identify businesses to partner with in this effort. Custom designed furniture and improvements were then developed to meet the needs of five businesses and improve the public realm for everyone who comes to the boulevard.  The improvements ranged from public seating with signage to merchandise display, which facilitate strategies around City rules and ensures the sidewalk becomes a place of both economic and social activity. They were constructed using local hires from MEND and paint donated from Dunn Edwards.

The materials used for this project feature “off the shelf” products that are affordable and easily replicable. As a result, businesses facing similar issues informal sidewalk use along the street and in other areas can fashion their own informal sidewalk designs using this pilot project as an example.