Today we are proud to share The Civic Promise: A Roadmap for Infrastructure Reform in Los Angeles.
For years, Investing in Place has studied a simple question: Why does Los Angeles struggle to consistently maintain and improve the sidewalks, streets, parks, trees, and public spaces that shape everyday life?
The answer is not a lack of ideas or dedicated public servants. More often, it is a lack of the systems needed to plan, prioritize, fund, coordinate, and deliver infrastructure over time.
Over six months, the Public Space Leadership Council—a cross-sector group of civic leaders from government, planning, finance, design, philanthropy, and community organizations—worked together to identify practical reforms that could help Los Angeles better manage its public realm.
The result is a roadmap containing 16 recommendations to improve how the City plans, budgets, maintains, and invests in public infrastructure.
The recommendations range from creating a five-year Capital Infrastructure Program and improving asset management to strengthening accountability, coordination, workforce development, and public transparency.
At its core, the report is about helping Los Angeles become a city that can reliably care for the places people rely on every day.
Sidewalks, streets, parks, plazas, trees, and other public assets are among the City’s most-used resources. Yet Los Angeles lacks many of the basic tools that other major cities use to manage them effectively.
We believe that can change.
This report is an invitation to think beyond individual projects and focus on the systems that shape outcomes across the city. It is intended to support ongoing conversations about infrastructure governance, public investment, Charter Reform, and the long-term stewardship of Los Angeles’ public spaces.
We hope you’ll read it, share it, and join the conversation.
Read the full report: The Civic Promise: A Roadmap for Infrastructure Reform in Los Angeles
