On October 29, 2019, Woods Bagot Design Council Chair James Sanders will join a panel of experts in planning, parking and housing for “Repurposing LA’s Parking Lots,” a discussion focused on local initiatives that are generating new uses for unused parking in Los Angeles.

Moderated by KCRW/DnA’s Frances Anderton, the event will investigate the developments proposed to replace these parking lots, if it will lead to a reduction in driving, or ultimately create more tension in a metropolis already complicated by sprawl and never-ending traffic.

In addition to Sanders, the featured panelists also include Mark Vallianatos, Director of LAPlus and an expert in parking and planning; Chris Nichols, an editor at LA Magazine and advocate of diagonal parking; and Rohan Silva, co-founder of Second Home.

Last year, Woods Bagot participated as a leading partner in LA CoMotion—a global mobility conference in Los Angeles—where CEO Nik Karalis, Principal Christian Derix, Associate Principal Lucille Ynosencio, and Sanders presented “MORE LA: Transforming Parking to Places in Southern California.” The thought-provoking study revealed that 100 square miles—or almost 25 percent of the city—is dedicated to parking in LA, the country’s second-biggest metropolis. By comparison, all of those parking spaces combined are equal to over four times the size of the borough of Manhattan.

The study made waves in the greater Los Angeles area, and the discussion was expanded to an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times. One of the most interesting opportunities the study concluded was that without sacrificing neighborhoods’ character, Los Angeles could accommodate anywhere from 1.5 to 3 million new residents if its surface parking lots were repurposed.

Attend the event by registering for it here.