1975 Los Angeles Planning Map of Western L. A. w/ Cancelled Freeway

A rare, large-format 1975 urban planning map of the west side of Los Angeles, prepared by the City Planning Department. Among other features, it discusses proposed land use and includes a late representation of the canceled Beverly Hills Freeway.

A Closer Look

The map covers a large area between Downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, bounded by Doheny Dr. in the west, Hoover St. in the east, Melrose Ave. in the north, and Pico and Venice Blvds. in the south. Near top is the Beverly Hills Freeway, a planned project that failed to materialize (discussed below). Major streets are labeled throughout, while areas of residential and commercial density are shaded according to the legend at the bottom, especially in the eastern part of the area seen here, largely around today's Koreatown. Four groups of city blocks are marked with Roman numerals. Circled numbers correspond to particular buildings and projects. At this time, like many cities in the U.S., many of these neighborhoods were suffering from decline but rebounded in the following decades, thanks largely to effective urban planning, represented by this map, and the immigrant groups that settled in the area in significant numbers.

Further to the west, the noticeable geometric shapes between Wilshire Blvd. and Third St. is the Parklabrea complex along the Miracle Mile. Covering 160 acres, it is one of the largest housing complexes in the United States, consisting of 13 high-rise towers and several dozen two-story buildings, containing over 2,500 housing units in all.

Beverly Hills Freeway

This map is notable for including a late appearance of the Beverly Hills Freeway, a planned but never-constructed freeway that would have drastically altered the neighborhoods it was to traverse. The Beverly Hills Freeway (earlier called the 'Santa Monica Parkway') would have extended the Glendale Freeway (CA-2) westwards to link the Hollywood Freeway (U.S.-101) and Interstate-405, largely following the path of Santa Monica Blvd. But the project ran into fierce opposition from homeowners and, as it was a state route rather than an interstate, funding difficulties. Although the state had secured right-of-way along much of the route, the Beverly Hills City Council, after years of support, came out against the project in 1971, the same year of this map's production, effectively killing the plan. But it was only in 1975, the year of this map's publication, that it was officially removed from planning documents, explaining its being crossed out here.

Publication History and Census

This map was produced by the Graphics Section of the Los Angeles City Planning Department on Jun 10, 1975. The Citizen Advisory Committee referred to in the title was created due to the backlash against freeways such as the Beverly Hills Freeway and centralized urban planning in general. We have been unable to locate any other examples of this map in institutional holdings or on the market, though it is possible that the Planning Department or the City Archives and Records Center retain an example.