Working and Shopping Without Using Cars

I was born and raised on the Westside. I remember as a child watching the 405 freeway being built. And I remember people living over their stores in Westwood Village.

One thing that really stuck with me over the years was the idea of living over a shop as some people did in Westwood before it became over-commercialized.

For my first home, I built a building on Main Street in Venice which houses my family above my wife’s language services business on the ground floor. Almost all of our shopping is in walking distance, within a mile or so of where we live. We live in a very diverse community, but one where living in or above one’s work space is very common, and lots of people know their neighbors and walk to go places.

At Playa Vista, the proposed mixed-use community designed by Maguire Thomas Partners, more people will have this opportunity to live, work and shop all in the same place and not have to get in a car to accomplish it.

The goal of Playa Vista, as I see it, is to create a real community with neighborhoods where people have the opportunity to get to know one another.

I hope other developers in the area will learn, as Maguire Thomas Partners has, about how to build a sensitive and sustainable community.

JAMES MUREZ

Venice