Since the summer of 1975, spent in LA while attending architecture school at the University of Michigan, the author has photographed public spaces in Los Angeles, amassing a collection of images that celebrate a kind of outdoor living only dreamed of in other parts of the country.
Made up of gathering places for communities of people, the fluid agora includes streets, parks, festivals, markets and demonstrations—venues ever changing in time and location. Much of America has forgotten, or grown fearful of, the life of public spaces. The ethnic communities of Los Angeles (and elsewhere) remind us of the pleasures of the public life.
Strolling on oceanfront walk (aka “the Boardwalk”), Venice Beach, August, 1986.
Street vending, Los Angeles’ Chinatown, January, 2000.
Nisei Day Parade, Little Tokyo, October, 1991.
Dedication of Thai Town, January, 29, 2000.
Three Card Monty on Broadway, Downtown Los Angeles, January, 2000.
Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, January, 2000.
Pro-Choice Demonstration, Rancho Park, West Los Angeles, November, 12, 1989.
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, June, 1996.
Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, January, 2000.Author Anne Zimmerman, AIA, is principal of AZ Architecture Studio in Santa Monica, a firm focusing on quality designs for the public realm and the underserved, inspired by place and urban issues. Photos by the author.
Originally published late 2000, in arcCA 00.2, “Common Ground.”
