Los Angeles’s inadequate public transportation system, car dependency, and urban sprawl cause community health disparities. Once home to the largest streetcar network in the United States, and recently the center of a redevelopment plan to address the climate crisis by getting people out of their cars, Los Angeles has shifted towards an electric vehicle-centric approach, often sidelining public transit and walkable-city solutions. This likely will reduce potential health co-benefits, such as less lung cancer, chronic obstructive lung disease, heart disease, and associated mortality among adults, and low birth weight, preterm birth, and asthma in children that would result from the more forward-looking approach. The electric vehicle-centric approach is likely to promote health disparities affecting low-income populations, at least in the short term, as improvements in air pollution levels are disproportionately observed in upper-income communities that can afford electric vehicles. The 2028 Olympics offer an opportunity to rethink the current approach and for Los Angeles to emerge as a leader in sustainable growth by drawing inspiration from successful European models such as the 15-minute city, which prioritizes pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and community engagement. This would involve amending current zoning regulations and parking requirements while investing in affordable housing to enable infill development without displacement of existing communities. Without substantial investment in public transit and community-centered planning, California’s commitment to combating climate change and improving public health may falter, leaving the most vulnerable populations at risk.
Lerdsuwanrut et al. (Mon,) studied this question.