The past few years have seen a dramatic drop in violence for most neighborhoods. But today's LA Times reminds us that certain areas still have to worry about drive-bys. Reporter Ari Bloomekatz speaks with Councilman Ed Reyes (CD1) to look at how architecture in his district has been adapted to account for the randomness of stray bullets.
"Every development is geared toward the people that have to live there on a day-to-day basis," [Councilman Ed Reyes] said. "When we look at the pragmatism of our neighborhoods, we have to ask questions: Where is the bullet going to come from? What projectile elevation should we adhere to in our development? Where should we situate the trees?" Instead of putting public spaces at street level, they're being elevated or hidden in some cases. But the "defensive architecture" has some people worried about the pedestrian friendliness of it all. We're guessing those opposed are not big fans of the Downtown Macy's or the Beverly Center. Now there's some good bulletproof fortress architecture.
· Bulletproof public design in L.A. [LA Times]
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