Lancaster Boulevard, also known as The BLVD, was once a five-lane street in Lancaster, Calif. lined with vacant storefronts. The BLVD now, however, stands as a pedestrian-friendly bustling epicenter of greenery and community.
The BLVD transformation has helped the community of Lancaster immensely. Prior to the renovation, Lancaster had twice the average unemployment rate. The storefronts after the renovation are now generating $273 million, as well as providing more businesses for employment. Along with the economic benefits, The BLVD has also benefited environmentally, with its lush tree life that has had the effect of cooling down the surrounding neighborhood.
I see what The BLVD has done in Lancaster as being a building block for a brighter future for American cities. Environmentally speaking, I think we should be doing everything we can to eliminate using cars, especially in bigger cities.
The seemingly small steps that Lancaster has taken to become a more walkable city are in fact actually very important to the development of these kinds of cities in the future. The accomplishments that The BLVD has seen economically, environmentally and socially are proof that walkable cities can and will thrive. Festivals and markets bring people together and help businesses grow, all the while lowering the usage of fossil fuels. 63% of millennials and 42% of boomers explained their desire to live in a walkable, non-car-dependent city, and hopefully this can become a reality.
Public transportation in the U.S. would need to significantly improve, and gain more government funding to make this more achievable; however, Lancaster’s The BLVD shines a glimmer of hope on the possibility of a greener walkable-city filled future. I hope that more cities follow in its footsteps.
oparisi@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @cityoflancasterca, Instagram
