Description

Inaugurated on July 6, 2003, the Gold Line is a 13.7-mile light rail line in the Los Angeles metro rail system. The line connects the cities of Pasadena and South Pasadena and the northeastern portion of Los Angeles to the Union Station transit hub on the northern edge of downtown Los
Angeles (Figure 1). Operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority MTA), the line traverses a broad cross-section of neighborhoods as it passes through Chinatown, the diverse communities along the historic Arroyo Seco and 110 Freeway corridor, the affluent residential neighborhoods of South Pasadena and Old Town Pasadena, and extends
eastward along the 210 Freeway right-of-way to its terminus at the Sierra Madre Villa Station.
Over its relatively short life, the Gold Line has had substantially less ridership than MTA’s Red or Blue Lines.
This study examines the characteristics of station areas and recent nearby transit-oriented development (TOD) activity within walking distance of Gold Line stations, defined as one third to a half mile depending on the major roads and geographic features. Given that the line has only been in operation for 3.5 years, the research draws from available data to provide a baseline profile of the corridor that can be used in future longer-term assessments of the impact of the line
on station areas. It also discusses the motivations, tensions, and challenges identified by developers, architects, and planners of major development projects in station areas, and identifies
strategies and recommendations based on their experiences.