TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT IN LEIMERT PARK, LOS ANGELES: THE SPECTER OF GENTRIFICATION AND COMMUNITY CAPITAL AS LEVERAGE TOWARD TRANSFORMING REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Abstract

By situating unfolding protests and the recent political mobilization in Leimert Park, Los Angeles within Castells‘ framework for urban protest movements, this work uncovers how a community of color, specifically the primarily African-American Leimert Park community situated in South Central Los Angeles, prepares itself for potential impacts driven by the Crenshaw/LAX light-rail transit development. The work sets forth the question of whether and how communities can transform large, transit-oriented development (TOD), redevelopment projects. Through tracking the political mobilization of the Leimert Park community while 1) surveying the community impacts associated with the Crenshaw/LAX light-rail transit development, and its accompanying plans/projects, near the Leimert Park and Baldwin Hills neighborhoods 2) surveying and assessing the extent to which community impacts have been, are being, or will be addressed, this work highlights the political mobilization integral to intervening in redevelopment processes.