Urban Planet is a daily roundup of blogs from around the world dealing specifically with urban environments. We’ll be on the lookout for websites outside the country that approach themes related to urban experiences and issues.
L.A. has never been known as a sidewalk friendly city, but with a recent spate of lawsuits, sidewalk users are beginning to fight back. In several cases before the courts, disabled plaintiffs contend that the broken sidewalks which make it impossible for them to navigate their neighbourhoods violate the Americans With Disabilities Act. Nearly half of all pedestrian paths in the city are in disrepair, according to city estimates. So will the pedestrians be successful in the challenges? It could go either way. Though the city has settled two recent cases for $85 million worth of sidewalk access ramps, the financial responsibility for L.A. sidewalk repair is somewhat murky. If pedestrians prove their case, the City will have to own up to $1.5 billion in repairs.(LA Times)
Image from LAist
For more stories from around the planet, check out Spacing on Facebook and Twitter. Do you have an Urban Planet worthy article you’d like to share? Send the link to urbanplanet@spacing.ca
