In a previous article about the GOOD space on Melrose, I was previously unfamiliar with the new community center created by GOOD Magazine. Well, that changed quickly when I chanced upon a design event that took place at their new digs (as part of their GOOD December string of events designed to introduce the Los Angeles public to the new space). The event called DesignLA, pitted seven Los Angeles based designers against some of Los Angeles’ pressing issues. The solutions they came up ranged from the outrageous, “That’s impossible isn’t it?” to the, “This seems so easy why weren’t we already doing it?” But all of them made one pause for thought, and I am sure that those EM readers who couldn’t make it to the event would enjoy reading about it.

With almost 200 people in attendance, the room was packed to max capacity as Keith Scharwath’s graphics (which also grace this article) played upon the screen in anticipation as the night’s hosts, Casey Caplowe and Alissa Walker introduced the first presenter.

Street Vending

That first presenter was Enrico Bressan from Artecnica. His recent involvement in developing Eco-Friendly product design and architectural programs in the Dominican Republic and Brazil (countries where street vending is much more prevalent than in the US) was apparent. He started the presentation with pictures of street vendors from various countries to bring home the point that street vending predates brick and mortar vending, and trying to eradicate it is probably not the solution. The real problem of street vendors as he saw it was that of an image problem. Regular businesses, strapped with rent, taxes and utility expenses, see street vendors as having an unfair advantage. He proposed that having street vendors do some social work such as cleaning the area they vended in, or picking up businesses’ recyclable, would make them more easily accepted by the business community. Also proposed was the creation of a website that would act not only as a portal for business to street vendor co-operation, but also to facilitate customers locating them. This is one of those ideas that I feel can definitely work but it just needs to be implemented.

Frances Anderton, host of the DnA: Design and Architecture, monthly on KCRW as well as full-time producer of KCRW‘s local current affairs shows, To The Point, and Which Way, LA? topped off an incredible roster of design and architecture media affiliates. After the opening sequence of Strangers When We Meet, which showed a mid-century Los Angeles neighborhood filled with children walking to school, she then contrasted it with pictures she took in Santa Monica as she walked her daughter to school – not a soul in sight. Her numbers were astounding, about 25% of morning traffic was attributed to parents driving kids to school. In addition most kids don’t get their daily recommended thirty minutes of exercise. If parents would just walk their kids to school (not only would a huge bite would be taken out of traffic) children would get the exercise they so desperately need and as an added bonus, parents would get to spend some quality time with their children. It’s a win, win, win situation!

Barbara Bestor of Bestor Architecture, acclaimed Modernist architect and author of the book Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake, tackled the theme, “Ugliness”. True to form (her business specializes in remodels) she didn’t propose bulldozing it all and rebuilding everything using better designers. (Apart from being impossible, that would just go against the green ethic we’ve been hearing about in event after event during GOOD December.) Instead she showed examples of how inherently mundane constructions were made vibrant relatively inexpensively with just some artistic flair. Not only can those strip malls be made to look good, but it can be done without removing the reflection they are of the community they inhabit. We’ve seen this again and again, neighborhoods considered absolutely dismal become trendy when the artists move in and work their magic. Los Angeles is the most artistic city in the nation (in terms of how many are employed in the creative industries), why not present the city to them as a huge canvas?

As for the final panelist, Stefan Bucher of 344 design and creator of the immensely popular online animation series Daily Monster (for 100 days he filmed himself drawing a new monster every night, based on random ink blots), he had been asked the answer the hardest problem. He did so in his discussion, themed “Acts of God”. In Los Angeles that would be, without a doubt, Earthquakes. He explained that long build-up of stress between tectonic plates are what creates huge earthquakes. If this stress could be constantly released then we’d just have a multitude of smaller earthquakes, the ones we who’ve live here for a while don’t even feel anymore. Sounds logical. But Stefan, praytell, how do we do this? Why by using heavy explosives of course! By the time Stefan, stoic as ever, had split California into an American Micronesia with “Blue” counties separated from “Red” counties, added wonderful new magma tourist attractions, and given us a glimpse of Hollywood releases based on the massive changes, the audience was in paroxysms of laughter. It was a perfect way to end an evening of amazing presentations!