Little Tokyo Cultural Eco-District – Los Angeles, CA
Tool : Heritage Tourism Programs
The Little Tokyo Cultural Eco-District plan was created in 2013 in response to construction of new office buildings and redevelopment projects in Little Tokyo that destroyed about 1,000 affordable housing units for Japanese American seniors. With a new light rail station also planned, the community had concerns about the availability of affordable housing, quality of life for residents, displacement of local small businesses, and threats to the cultural character of this 130-year-old neighborhood.
In response, the Little Tokyo Service Center and the Little Tokyo Community Council—made up of more than 100 organizations—held a three-day charette with over 200 residents to envision the future of Little Tokyo. This resulted in the 2013 Sustainable Little Tokyo (SLT) vision and plan to ensure the neighborhood’s economic, environmental, and cultural livelihood. An updated version of the SLT in 2020 prioritized supporting small businesses by providing rent assistance, creating funds and resources to support renovations and improvements, and establishing community land trusts with commercial space.