Behind L.A.’s Most Revolutionary Projects

Martha Welborne has joined HR&A Advisors to continue her work on Los Angeles’ most transformative projects. Welborne, formerly the Chief Planning Officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is known for working on the L.A. River Project, the Convention Center expansion and the Dodger gondola. We sat down with Welborne for an exclusive interview to talk about these projects, her new role at HR&A Advisors and how she plans to continue her work to transform the city.

GlobeSt.com: Why was HR&A a good fit for you personally and your career path?

Martha Welborne: The folks at HR&A and I share a passion for tackling the most complicated public/private projects that seem impossible to pull off, but we always do. Over the course of my career, I have taken on increasingly more complicated urban projects. I started working on individual building design as a young architect, but over time I became more interested in the challenges and potential impact of the larger scale. To actually implement complex urban projects, actually bring them to life, is getting more and more difficult. Knowing how to do this is almost a skill set all unto its own. My career has developed in this direction and HR&A has been expert at this for a long time. We also share a passion for improving life in cities. For me, that usually means focusing on transportation systems, parks, and mixed-use projects. HR&A shares those interests but the firm also has expertise in real estate economics, financing strategies, planning for resilience, affordable housing, policy analysis, governance structures, among other areas. The common thread in all of this work is implementation. We don’t feel we can adequately judge our work unless a project is actually built or a program is put in place and it has made a difference.