What's New for the City of Angels

With the over 3 million people living in Los Angeles, the city has become quite congested and car addicted. But it has gone through some remarkable changes over the last few decades. With the high-speed rail that will connect the City of Angels to the City By the Bay already in development there are eight major projects destined to change the face of LA. I will be counting down from the smallest project to the greatest.  At number eight, Union Station will get a remodeling. The design will look like this, courtesy of www.huffingtonpost.com.

At number seven is Greenway 2020. It will be a 51-mile long continuous corridor with numerous shops along the way. It will be built in 2020 and will run along a restored LA River. Photo courtesy of www.la.curbed.com

Seismic safety technology put this new bridge into the number six spot. The old Sixth Street Viaduct is weak and risks collapsing in an earthquake. The new one fixes that problem and will cross the LA River, which will be restored in 2020 as part of the Greenway project. The new viaduct will start being constructed next year, and is slated for completion in 2019. Rendering courtesy of www.archdaily.com.

Floating at number five is the new Federal Courthouse. It will look like a shimmering cube hovering over a base made out of stone. The futuristic building is to be completed in 2016 and designed to meet the LEED Platinum environmental standard. Rendering courtesy of www.som.com.

Getting a lift at number four is the new Columbia Square. It will be an indoor/outdoor 22-story residential tower, formerly the historic CBS Studios in Hollywood. It's slated for completion in 2016. Photo courtesy of www.buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com.

Doubling up at the number three is the Millenium Hollywood. The twin mixed use towers' construction is currently being stalled because of lawsuits from residents concerning traffic and blocked views. Rendering courtesy of www.ctbuh.org. 

Looking flashy at number two is Century City. The 37-story office tower is destined to be the first high-rise to achieve the LEED Platinum standard. Completion date is unknown. Photo courtesy of www.huffingtonpost.com.

Standing tall at number one is the Wilshire Grand Center. The 1,099
ft, 73-story tower is expected to become the tallest building west of the Mississippi River upon completion in 2017. The second tallest will be the Salesforce Tower (San Francisco). There will be restaurants and retail on the first three floors, 30 floors of offices, and the rest will be for hotel use, and a 70th floor "sky lobby", where people can check in to one of its 900 hotel rooms on floors 34-73. Rendering courtesy of www.buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com.