Why Can’t L.A. Build Density Like New York City?

Many Angelenos want density—like a West Coast New York City—but on its way to becoming a dense market, the city is experiencing growing pains. One major difference between the two cities: mass transit. Lack of a mass transit system is impeding Los Angeles from creating the density that many Angelenos want and the density that will accommodate population growth, according to Robert Gross, studio director of multifamily housing at Nadel Architecture. We sat down with Gross for an interview to discuss the difference between L.A. and New York and find our what L.A. can learn from the major East Coast city.

GlobeSt.com: How is L.A. adopting the a New York approach to multifamily housing?

Robert Gross: Los Angeles has started to build high-rise housing. That used to only happen in elite markets along the Wilshire Corridor and in Beverly Hills. That is originally where high-rise housing was, and there hadn’t been a lot of high-rise housing built in the last 15 to 20 years. In this boom, we have seen an incredible increase in high-rise housing in Downtown Los Angeles and across the city. New York, on the other hand, has always had a lot of high-rise development dating back to the turn of the century.

GlobeSt.com: Do you think that is because Los Angeles now have the technology to build high-rise housing, despite seismic activity, or is that due to increased demand?

Gross: The technology has always been there. It really has to do with the economics. It costs more to build high-rise housing in Los Angeles, although not more so than New York City. Los Angeles is an expensive market to construct in, but certainly on the West Coast, it is one of the more expensive cities to build in. It didn’t make a lot of economic sense with the valuations of the rents with the cost of construction. Now, rents rising have enabled the construction of high-rise housing in Los Angeles.

GlobeSt.com: What is impeding Los Angeles from really building density, like New York City?

Gross: There is a tragedy in the history of L.A., and that is in the destruction of its mass transit system. When the city tore up the streetcars, it broke the urbanization of L.A. because mass transit is what enables density and density is what enables mass transit. It is an equal marriage. You cannot have great density without a great mass transit system, and you can’t have a great mass transit system without the density to make it affordable to run the mass transit system. I am specifically talking about rail, whether it is streetcar or a train. The quality of ridership is greater and the speed of the system is greater due to its dedicated line.

GlobeSt.com: Do you think the city should be doing more to build a mass transit system?

Gross: The city is responding in the proper manner. I think that with the proposition to add money into the sales tax to help fund mass transit was a great step. I also think that the increase of the density surrounding mass transit lines is the right step, which is what we are doing; however, it is hard to catch up. The great thing that New York had was that they had mass transit before they had the density. The density could build up to the system, and the infrastructure was there, so they only needed to modernize the system to accommodate more ridership over time. The problem with L.A. is that they tore that up, and now we need to develop it from scratch. The new system is riding over those old lines, but it needs new and more lines. I don’t think it is possible to develop it as quickly as we need it to, and in the long run, I actually see us going to the federal government and saying that we need big help.

GlobeSt.com: Did New York City experience similar community acrimony during its growth phases, like we are seeing in L.A. today?

Gross: I don’t think nearly as much as you see in L.A. L.A. developed as a suburban city and as a car city, and New York didn’t. New York developed as an urban city from its get-go. As density grew, they began to build high-rise residential. That density was always part of the city. People looked for the ease and convenience of apartment living. Millennials want urbanity and they want density and ease of living. You see that in the growth of amenities in buildings. I think that is part of this movement; people are looking to simplify life, and at the same time, part of this simplification is shoving off tasks and responsibilities, like grocery shopping and dog walking, on to the facility where they live.

GlobeSt.com: Are you seeing similar trends in multifamily design and amenities in New York today?

Gross: I don’t think the dog walk is one of those things, but the other trends are universal. New Yorkers are in such an urban environment, and I think people want to go about and be part of it. And, I think people are less afraid to go out into the environment. People that move to L.A. are not necessarily urban people to start, and I think that people that move to New York are looking for density.

GlobeSt.com: How do the two cities compare in terms of growth today?

Gross: I think that you are seeing a slowing of demand in New York City, maybe not for apartment units, but there is a slowing of growth in general. In L.A., it is not, and in California in general is not. L.A. is going through growing pains, and once the city accepts its own urbanity, it will grow at an even faster pace. But, people are coming, and we need to house them. The growth rate is astounding.