Donald Shoup, distinguished research professor of urban planning at UCLA Luskin, wrote a Planetizen article about his proposal for the best way to address the broken concrete and uprooted trees causing hazards on the sidewalks of Los Angeles. Shoup says that Los Angeles should enforce the city and state laws that require property owners to maintain the adjacent sidewalks. The city can then partner with banks to allow the property owners to delay paying for any repairs until they sell their properties. He suggests that banks loan people money for repairs, to be repaid when owners sell their properties. With this policy, Los Angeles can repair its 4,000 miles of broken sidewalks that violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. Failure to make all the sidewalks accessible for people with disabilities before the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028 would give Los Angeles a catastrophic black eye on the world stage, he says. Shoup also spoke with KCRW and The Times of London.
