Curbed Cup Finals: (1) San Pedro vs. (11) Burbank

The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, is concluding with two neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. Polls will be open until 10 a.m. January 2, so you can cast your vote until then as to which neighborhood should claim the title of Neighborhood of the Year. Let the finals commence!

San Pedro

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San Pedro was favored from the start. We knew locals would be hungry for a win in 2017, after losing out on the title in 2016. The seaside town received more nominations than any other neighborhood, earning it the top seed in this year’s competition.

As nominators were quick to point out, San Pedro is overflowing with charm. There’s a an idyllic park on the bluffs from which you can take in panoramic views of Catalina Island. There’s a quaint downtown, a must-visit fish market, an historic theater, a photogenic bridge, a flourishing beer scene, and a year-round marketplace for locally-crafted goods.

This year, San Pedro’s lovely Hey Rookie swimming pool reopened after a makeover; the Growlers brought their two-day music festival to town; and Metro introduced bike-share to the Battleship IOWA, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, Wilmington Waterfront Park, and the Ports O’ Call Village.

Though the town is slowly shedding its reputation as a blue-collar maritime town, many of the changes are happening right on the waterfront—namely a $100-million redevelopment of the kitschy Ports O’Call Village, set to get underway soon.

As one nominator wrote: “Imagine how big a hit San Pedro will be when visitors are at the waterfront enjoying their day and watching cargo ships sailing into the bay. San Pedro is a rising star in Los Angeles.”

If you’re tired of hearing us talk about how great the Harbor community is, here’s Press Telegram columnist Tim Grobaty’s take.

Burbank

This might come as much of a shock to you as it did to us, but Burbank has managed to land a spot in the Curbed Cup finals! Along the way, it pummeled a couple of booming neighborhoods: Koreatown and South Park.

It’s not that we don’t see all of the things Burbank has to offer—our Urbanism Editor, Alissa Walker, even penned a column over the summer about how the city is leading the Valley into the future as a walkable, more sustainable community.

Maybe critics just haven’t shopped at the vintage stores in Magnolia Park or visited one of its cute bungalow homes. Heck, Burbank should be appreciated by Angelenos for its airport alone.

Also of note this year: The city is planning to convert its former Ikea site into a walkable community with 765 housing units, it’s making the Burbank’s Town Center much more walkable, it’s expanding its network of bike lanes, and it’s “pushing to replace its aging airport terminal with an integrated air-rail station filled with cutting-edge sustainability features.” Maybe it’s about the time LA gives Burbank the credit it deserves.